South Africa’s historical and political past as well as numerous other factors gave rise to a well-established automotive industry and various vehicle manufacturing facilities.
A side product of this is that our motoring history contains many models that were unique to South Africa or that were developed here, with an enthusiastic motorsport industry also motivating the homologation of a variety of special models. Many of these uniquely South African models have since become automotive icons and include the Citi Golf, Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0, Opel Superboss and BMW 325iS and 333i.
South Africa continues to make logical sense as a manufacturing hub. This is due to a variety of factors including good government policy as well as the fact that South Africa is seen as the springboard into Africa. Testament to this is that seven major manufacturers currently operate manufacturing facilities in South Africa while numerous others have recently expressed interest in setting up shop here.
Currently Nissan, BMW and Ford in Gauteng, Toyota in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Isuzu in the Eastern Cape produce vehicles for local sale as well as export to markets across the world. In addition a variety of manufacturers including Mahindra, Volvo Trucks, UD Trucks and Daimler Trucks operate assembly facilities where vehicles are assembled from kits imported from the relevant OEM manufacturers.
These manufacturing and assembly facilities support a large supplier base from where components ranging from small parts to items such as carpets, dashboards, tyres, windscreens and batteries are procured. The result is that the South African automotive industry creates thousands of jobs and that it is also a significant contributor to our local economy.
The benefits of buying a locally manufactured vehicle are numerous and include supporting the local economy and contributing to job creation. While most vehicles are engineered for global markets you will very often find that locally manufactured vehicles will be well suited to local conditions, such as dealing with our hot and dusty climate as well as our less-than-ideal roads thanks to engineering teams who refine the product locally. Supply chain benefits of buying a locally built car can also mean shorter waiting times and the enhanced availability of parts.
South Africa’s top five vehicle manufacturers currently build the following models for local consumption and export to markets across the world.
Volkswagen Polo and Polo Vivo
Volkswagen has been building cars in South Africa for 73 years now and during that time they have built many models including the Beetle, Kombi, Golf 1, Citi Golf and many more. These days Volkswagens manufacturing facility produces the Polo and Polo Vivo. In fact, the local facility recently became the sole producer of the VW Polo for all markets globally.
The plant also produces the Polo Vivo, which is a true South African success story. Based on the previous generation Polo model, the Vivo is built using a considerable amount of locally manufactured components as well as local engineering expertise, resulting in a more affordable proposition for the local market.
Since its market introduction in 2010, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo has been South Africa’s top selling passenger model with over 425 000 units sold across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa since.
Volkswagen has recently refreshed the Polo Vivo with a new front-end design, new infotainment, new seat trim design and enhanced safety features to continue its success in the South African and Sub-Saharan markets.
Isuzu D-Max
Down the road from Volkswagen in the Eastern Cape, another homegrown hero in the form of the Isuzu D-Max is built.
The Isuzu D-Max and the KB before it have enjoyed a long and proud legacy in South Africa and were responsible for creating and popularising the double cab bakkie segment.
Over its seven generations, the Isuzu bakkie range has remained one of the most compelling and popular models in the light commercial vehicle segment, ever since the first-generation KB came off the Kempston road production line in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) in 1979.
Toyota Hilux, Fortuner, Corolla Quest, Corolla Cross and Hi-ace
Just south of Durban is a massive manufacturing facility where Toyota build a variety of models.
Established some 60 years ago, Toyota in South Africa has grown significantly over the years and now manufactures Hilux, Fortuner, Corolla Quest, Corolla Cross and Hi-ace at its Prospecton Plant, while selected Hino and Dyna models are produced as SKD or semi-knocked-down assemblies.
The more recent introduction of the Corolla Cross to the manufacturing portfolio alone generated a total of 575 additional jobs at the Toyota South Africa plant while over 1200 direct jobs were created in the component supply base.
BMW X3
BMW Group Plant Rosslyn, located just outside Pretoria, recently celebrated a significant production milestone when the last vehicle of the current X3 model series was produced, bringing the total number of X3 models built in South Africa to 403 114 units.
At the heart of BMW Group South Africa’s operations since 1973, BMW Group Plant Rosslyn is a cornerstone of its global production network of more than 30 sites in 15 countries. It was the first plant established outside of Germany and has built more than 1.7 million cars since its inception, including the BMW 3 Series for 35 years.
Following a R6 billion investment into South Africa in preparation of the production of the BMW X3 the facility was upgraded into one of the most modern in the world. This was followed by a R4.2 billion investment to equip the plant to build the next generation BMW X3 plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV).
From October 2024, BMW Group Plant Rosslyn will build the fourth generation BMW X3, continuing the success story of this model while also securing the future of the plant.
Ford Ranger and VW Amarok
Just outside Pretoria, Ford produces the latest model Ranger and VW Amarok at its Silverton plant for local and export markets.
As part of the major investment program announced in 2021, Ford constructed its first on-site stamping plant, built a completely new highly automated body shop, and modernised its assembly line with the latest production technologies.
In preparation for production of the latest model the only Ford-owned and operated chassis plant was also constructed in the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) adjacent to the Silverton plant, and a specially developed vehicle modification centre was installed to fit factory-approved accessories to customer vehicles prior to delivery, using the same quality controls and processes as the main vehicle assembly line.
The Silverton Assembly Plant has an installed capacity for producing up to 200 000 vehicles per year, the highest volume yet for this facility, which assembles the latest Ford Ranger as well as Volkswagen Amarok as part of the Ford-VW strategic alliance. Based on three-shift 24-hour production, the plant is capable of producing up to 720 vehicles per day.
The Silverton assembly plant is supported by Struandale engine plant in the Eastern Cape which produces 3.0L V6 Diesel engine that is fitted to the top-spec Ranger Wildtrak and is responsible for machining the V6 cylinder heads and engine assembly. It is built on the same line that assembles the 2.2L four-cylinder and 3.2L five-cylinder Duratorq TDCi engines – making it the only Ford plant in the world that produces in-line and V-configuration engines (and a combination of four, five and six-cylinder engines) on a single line. The installed capacity for the line is 130 000 engines per year.
A promising outlook for South Africa’s automotive industry
South Africa’s automotive industry is currently in a very healthy condition, with many of the current local manufacturers recently announcing plans for additional investment or the securing of contracts for the production of new or additional models. Numerous new players have also expressed intent to set up manufacturing facilities here, including a variety of Chinese manufacturers as well as Stellantis who plans to build bakkies in the Eastern Cape too. This all bodes well for the entire industry, employees and the local economy and is something that South Africans can be proud of this heritage month.
