Thomas Schaefer, the chairman and managing director of Volkswagen Group South Africa, said a team was established last month that would go from country to country to assess opportunities.   The establishment of the team follows Volkswagen South Africa earlier this year assuming responsibility for developing and networking 49 states to form the new sub-Saharan Africa region in the Volkswagen Group as part of a rationalisation.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 12th September 2017

 Simba Corporation is set to take full ownership of Mombasa-based Associated Vehicle Assemblers (AVA) after it received regulatory approval to acquire the stake held by Marshalls East Africa.   The AVA is currently owned on a 50/50 basis by Simba and Marshalls.   In a press statement, Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) said it had granted Simba conditional approval to “acquire control” of the vehicle assembly.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 12th September 2017

 Rising urbanisation is encouraging unprecedented infrastructural developments in Africa, especially across the construction and oil and gas sectors. Frost and Sullivan report that this is strengthening the regional market for commercial vehicles (CVs) like rigid trucks and flatbed trailers. Asian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Dongfeng, Sinotruk, Tata and Ashok Leyland have started making rapid inroads.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 12th September 2017

 The carmaker said that the first of the new models would be a fully electric vehicle, the Jaguar I-Pace, to go on sale in 2018.   JLR chief executive Ralf Speth said the move was aimed at “giving customers even more choice”.   The firm, Britain’s biggest carmaker, is owned by India’s Tata.   In July, Chinese-owned firm Volvo said all its new models would have an electric motor from 2019, one.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 12th September 2017

 The automobile industry in Tanzania is growing, supported by growing incomes, improving urban infrastructure and the supply of cost-effective vehicles by Asian manufacturers. This sector of Tanzania gives ample opportunities to other countries to enter the market.    There has been strong prediction that there will be growth close to 3% per annum in vehicle sales in Tanzania over the period of 2018. As per the statistics of the.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 26th September 2017

 The Volkswagen Group Wednesday unveiled its first locally assembled passenger vehicle in four decades during the official opening of its production line at the Kenya Vehicle Manufacturing plant in Thika.   The vehicle, VW Polo Vivo, which has been assembled in three months, will retail at Sh1.65 million inclusive of value-added tax.   The group will in its initial phase produce up to 1,000 vehicles per year, a number that.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 The appointment of Reel is the first Kenyan appointment to this position.   Reel takes over from Sachio Yotsukura who has been with the company for the last four and a half years and returns to Japan to pursue other duties under the parent company, Toyota Tsusho Corporation.   Reel comes back home to Toyota Kenya with extensive experience in the automotive industry spanning 20 years, having held various positions in.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 Daimler is bringing two new bus models to the important African market of Kenya. This is Daimler Buses’ response to the ever-growing demand in East and Central Africa for comfortable and safe buses for passenger transportation. Both bus models are built in Nairobi in cooperation with local sales partner DT Dobie Kenya for the domestic market and its challenging road conditions. The compact Mercedes‑Benz 917 city bus is ideal.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 Listed equipment supplier Car and General has launched a motorcycle, TVS StaR HLX 150, with state-of-the-art features in the local market.   “Kenya has recently witnessed a positive upswing in the economy, thus creating opportunities in the transport and mobility sector,” Car and General group managing director Vijay Gidoomal said in a statement.   The motorcycle is targeted at boosting the firm’s sales in.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 The change of name took effect from 1st August, 2017 after attaining the required regulatory approvals.   Speaking at Isuzu East Africa offices, Isuzu East Africa Managing Director, Rita Kavashe, noted that the change is a continuation of the vision the management and board of the company had for 40 years now.   “Over the last 40 years, GMEA has continued to assemble quality Isuzu vehicles for the market impacting.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th August 2017

 A South African trade delegation will next week embark on an “outward selling and investment” mission to Kenya and Tanzania aimed at increasing trade and investment opportunities between the country and the two East African states, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has said.Some 27 local companies in the agro-processing, automotive, infrastructure, built environment, mining and capital equipment, chemicals, plastics and.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 27th July 2017

 German automotive manufacturer, Daimler is targeting commercial vehicle market with its Kenyan-built bus models. The company known for vehicle models, Mercedes-benz, will stick with DT Dobie as its distribution partner to help drive that growth, joining a long list of vehicle manufacturers that have announced plans to set up locally.   Others are Volkswagen (VW), Peugeot, Iveco and most recently truck manufacturer, Volvo. DT Dobie.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 27th July 2017