The South African Motor Vehicle Industry

As the largest manufacturing sector in South Africa’s economy, vehicle and component production accounted for 30.1% of the country’s manufacturing output in 2017 compared to 33% in 2016. The broader automotive industry’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) was 6.9% which comprised 4.4% for manufacturing; and 2.5% for retail. This contribution declined from 7.4% in 2016. New vehicle sales in 2017 recorded a year-on-year improvement for the first time in four years, although growth was a modest 1.8% in volume terms. Seven original equipment manufacturers invested a record R8.2bn compared to R6.4bn in 2016, while capital expenditure in the component sector was R4bn in 2017 compared to R2.6bn in 2016. South Africa has one of the most competitive trading environments in the world with 53 passenger car brands and 3,236 model derivatives, representing the widest choice to market-size ratio anywhere in the world.

Importance of the Export Market

Exports of automotive products reached R164.9bn in 2017, equating to 13.9% of total South African exports. Automotive export revenue did, however, decline in 2017 from a record R171.1bn in 2016, mainly due to the rand’s strength.

Report Coverage

The report on the South African Vehicle Industry provides an overview of the sector, outlines current conditions and discusses factors that influence the success of the industry including government support in the form of the Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP), the proposed South African Automotive Masterplan and other initiatives. The report profiles 110 companies active in the manufacture of vehicles and components, including importers, retailers, vehicle repair and auto salvage companies. Included are multinationals BMW, Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen and information on recent investments by Mahindra, Isuzu, BAIC, BMW and Nissan. The report includes significant factors influencing the industry including the substantial increase in ad valorem vehicle excise duty rates, VAT, emissions taxes, the fuel levy and petrol price.