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Volkswagen Group Africa chair and MD Martina Biene said that the company was not moving its operations to Egypt from South Africa, despite swirling rumours
The African vehicle industry was expected to boom over the next 15 years, with sales of about three- to five-million vehicles across the continent, Volkswagen Group Africa chair and MD Martina Biene said. Biene made it clear that the company was not moving its operations to Egypt, despite swirling rumours.
She was the guest speaker at the Govan Mbeki lecture hosted by Nelson Mandela University’s Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy (Canrad). The two-hour lecture, hosted at NMU on Tuesday night, was facilitated by eNCA producer Slindile Xaba. Biene said the automotive industry acted as an important engine for jobs and economic growth in several countries.
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In SA alone, the industry affects close to one million jobs, she said, including original equipment manufacturers, suppliers, component manufacturers and logistics providers. The industry is responsible for 5% of SA’s GDP. She said by 2035, between three- to five million vehicles would be sold in Africa, compared to 1.2 million at present. The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM), of which she is the president, is actively lobbying governments across the continent to stimulate the new vehicle market.
