February new-vehicle sales inch up 2.6%, exports slide 11.5% 

Domestic new-vehicle sales in February increased by 2.6%, to  45 352 units, compared with the same month last year, says Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. Year-to-date sales are up 4.3%. 

Grindrod plans commodity portfolio expansion in hunt for growth

Logistics specialist Grindrod aims to “deconcentrate” its portfolio of commodities, says CEO Xolani Mbambo. Unveiling the company’s financial results for the year ended December 31 last week, he... 

Mantashe says SA must not ‘walk away from coal’ as Greenpeace disrupts his Indaba speech

Greenpeace Africa last week disrupted Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s opening speech at the Africa Energy Indaba in Cape Town by staging a silent protest in front of the... 

WBHO reveals record order book, finally closes door on Australia chapter

Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) revealed a record order book as the company earlier this month reported its financial results for the six months ended December 31. At about R26.5-billion, the... 

Vehicle sales growing, but storm clouds loom, warns TransUnion

South Africa’s automotive industry shrugged off ongoing vehicle price inflation, declining consumer credit health and looming macroeconomic storm clouds to record an increase in vehicle sales in... 

Audi rolls out second phase of EV charging network

Audi South Africa (SA), in partnership with sustainable technology group Rubicon, has brought 43 additional electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on line across the country.  These chargers can... 

Bolt to invest €500m in Africa in next two years

Mobility app Bolt says it will invest €500-million in its African operations over the next two years.  The funds will be used to expand the company’s services in Africa and to create opportunities... 

Transformation at dealerships ‘woefully slow’, says Legacy Motor Group chairperson

The pace of transformation within vehicle dealerships remains woefully slow, and urgent action is needed if the automotive industry is to achieve true transformation, warns Legacy Motor Group... 

Purchase subsidy would be ‘most appropriate’ EV incentive model – Naamsa

Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council has proposed the “provision of a direct, fixed new-energy vehicle purchase subsidy” as the most appropriate incentive model to support South Africa’s move... 

Mantashe affirms commitment to coal as Greenpeace disrupts his Indaba speech

Greenpeace Africa on Tuesday disrupted Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe’s opening speech at the Africa Energy Indaba in Cape Town by staging a silent protest in front of the... 

Gautrain Management Agency starts process to appoint new concessionaire

The Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) is ready to go to market with the tender for the reconcessioning of the 80-km rapid-rail system, says CEO William Dachs.  The GMA, an agency of the Gauteng... 

Msikaba bridge construction slated for completion by end of 2024 

Construction of the Msikaba cable-stayed bridge near Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape, should be complete in the last quarter of next year.  Work on the project, which forms part of the N2 Wild... 

Provisional antidumping duties slapped on Chinese windscreens

The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) has imposed provisional antidumping duties on vehicle windscreens imported from China, varying from 18.36% to 26.6%. Itac... 

Mercedes-Benz Vans SA to launch electric Sprinter by 2024, minibus set to follow

Mercedes-Benz Vans South Africa will introduce the battery electric Sprinter panel van (eSprinter) to the local market in 2024. “As we embark on a new era of sustainable mobility, we are proud to... 

Motus to spend R250m in next 18 months on alternative energy sources

With no light discernible at the end of the Eskom tunnel, mobility group Motus will spend R250-million over the next 18 months to install alternative energy generation sources, such as solar power,... 

Grindrod looks to expand commodity portfolio in the hunt for growth

Logistics specialist Grindrod aims to “deconcentrate” its portfolio of commodities, says CEO Xolani Mbambo. Unveiling the company’s financial results for the year ended December 31 on Thursday, he... 

Ford SA starts exports of new Ranger bakkie

Ford South Africa (SA) has started exports of the new-generation Ranger from its Silverton plant in Pretoria. The pick-up is being shipped to more than 100 markets, with Europe the largest export... 

BMW SA adds new i7 to EV mix, says iX1 to follow later this year

The total battery electric vehicle (BEV) market in South Africa grew by 137% in 2022, says BMW Group South Africa (BMW SA). Just under 420 BEVs were sold in South Africa in the first 11 months of... 

New-vehicle sales up 4.8% in January, exports down 1.8% 

New-vehicle sales increased by 4.8% in January, to 43 509 units, compared with the same month last year. New-passenger-car sales gained 2.9%, to 31 072 units. 

Loadshedding hurting SA auto sector’s ability to compete globally

Data from a survey the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) conducted in January indicates that the recent months of prolonged loadshedding have resulted... 

Toyota SA predicts 7.8% increase in new-vehicle market in 2023

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) predicts that this year’s domestic new-vehicle market will grow by 7.8%, to 570 000 units, up from 528 963 units last year. TSAM president and CEO Andrew Kirby... 

Illegal coal mining, greenwashing present challenges to net-zero targets

Illegal coal mining will create complexity around South Africa’s efforts to get to net-zero, says Beech Veltman CEO Warren Beech. Beech Veltman is a law firm with a team specialising in the mining... 

2023 Car of the Year finalists announced 

The South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ) has announced the finalists in the Old Mutual Insure 2023 Car of the Year (COTY) awards. There are 21 finalists in the various categories,... 

Port of Maputo achieves new handling record as chrome throughput soars

The Port of Maputo achieved a new handling record in 2022, registering growth of 20% over 2021. The total volume handled last year was 26.7-million tons, compared with 22.2-million tons in 2021.  

Sasol Solar Challenge to return in 2024

The biennial Sasol Solar Challenge is set to return from September 13 to 20, 2024.  The race will be an eight-day event. 

Toyota SA eyes hybrid, electric Hilux production, awaits clarity on govt support 

With about 44% of Toyota’s total production from its Durban plant exported to Europe, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is set to face a tough challenge as that market increasingly moves to hybrids... 

Toyota SA to invest R800m-plus in renewable energy as it flags loadshedding as a ‘big concern’

Toyota South Africa Motors’ (TSAM’s) Prospecton production complex in Durban will move to 100% renewable energy by 2028, in an investment that will cost north of R800-million, says president and... 

New cadastral system can be rolled out by end-2023, but problems will linger – Langenhoven

South Africa can have a working cadastral system by the end of the year, says a hopeful Minerals Council South Africa chief economist Henk Langenhoven. A minerals cadastre lists available mining or... 

Steenkampskraal appoints Swanepoel, Mundell; aims for 2024 start

Steenkampskraal Holdings Limited (SHL) has appointed Mitford Mundell as its new CEO, with mining veteran Bernard Swanepoel to take up the position of chairperson. Mundell is the former CEO at... 

Newmont boss frustrated with slow rate of change in mining; says he is ‘part of that problem’

After almost 35 years in the mining industry, Newmont CEO Tom Palmer says he has not seen much change in the mining industry in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion. Participating in a panel on... 

Fundamental change needed in how we think about mining investment ­– Eurasian CEO

With one Apple you can buy the world’s 50 largest mining companies, says Eurasian Resources Group CEO and Global Battery Alliance (GBA) co-chair Benedikt Sobotka. Speaking at the Investing in... 

Dunlop looking to sponsor township startups

Tyre manufacturer Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (SRSA) is on the hunt for 48 township entrepreneurs who could qualify for startup support to run their own local tyre centres. SRSA is the... 

Auto chip shortages to persist until 2031 but easing for advanced variants forecast as consumer electronics demand slows

Fitch Solutions says the global shortage of semiconductors in the automotive industry will remain a risk for automakers over its 2023 to 2031 forecast period. “That said, we highlight that the... 

(Almost) Wholly Sustainable

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has unveiled a demonstration tyre comprised of 90% sustainable materials.  This demonstration tyre has passed all applicable regulatory testing in the US, as well... 

Suzuki SA to launch first hybrid this year, with five-door Jimny, and new Fronx to follow 

Suzuki Auto South Africa (Suzuki SA) will launch its first hybrid in the local market this year, as well as a five-door version of the Jimny 4 x 4. The new Grand Vitara is expected in South Africa... 

Hino SA grows sales by 9.4% despite 41-day plant shutdown

Hino South Africa posted sales of 3 333 trucks for 2022 – 9.4% higher than the figure for 2021, but still 417 units below the retail sales target of 3 750 units originally set for last year. This... 

South Africa Shines in Dakar 2023

Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and his French co-driver, Mathieu Baumel, successfully defended the Dakar title they won for Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) in 2022, when they raced their South African built... 

Astron Energy announces R220m development fund 

Fuel group Astron Energy has announced a R220-million development fund to empower small businesses in the Astron Energy value chain and its linked communities.   CEO Thabiet Booley describes the... 

2022 new-vehicle sales up 13.9%, as exports accelerate by 17.9%

New-vehicle sales in the domestic market increased by 13.9% in 2022, compared with 2021, says Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. This follows a 22.2% jump in 2021, compared with 2020. 

Mahindra records 78% sales growth in 2022

Mahindra last year increased its new-vehicle sales by 78%, compared with 2021 – this in a total domestic market that expanded by a much more moderate 13.9%. The Indian group – an importer and local...