The growth of the African auto market is opening up new routes for freight and logistics suippliers. Africa is one of the few continents in the world where growth in vehicle sales is predicted for 2009 as most of the world’s new vehicle markets face plunging sales, according to the director of Automechanika South Africa, Philip Otto. Anthony Black, economics professor at the University of Cape Town, says African vehicle markets are growing rapidly – albeit from a low base. For instance, in 2008 SA exported 23 403 vehicles to the rest of Africa, which was a significant rise from the 4 986 in 2007 – a big jump from 1 200 in 2006. All of this, according to Black, is evidence that South Africa’s vehicle export prospects are more promising over the long term.
