Manufacturers reveal bold plans IT'S LOOKING good for SA motor manufacturers whose increasing penetration of world markets is reflected in export targets for the short-term future.
With 1000 of a total order of 5000 completely built up Golf GTIs having already left the Volkswagen South Africa plant near Port Elizabeth for the UK, several other manufacturers also have hefty export orders to fulfil.
The VW order, worth R400m, will move exclusively on Mediterranean Shipping Company vessels, with final delivery date in April 1998.
BMW, in the meantime, which has for a number of years successfully marketed its 3-series range overseas, has built a whole transport infrastructure around these contracts. BMW anticipates exporting about 20 000 vehicles by the year 2000.
Samcor has also announced plans to boost its export revenue with Mazda and Ford components. A target of about R1,2 billion by 1999 has been set. Four years ago its export revenue managed only R50 million.
FTW recently carried the story of Toyota SA's (TSA's) large export of stamping equipment for its Corolla range to Turkey (FTW October 31, 1997). TSA already sells a considerable number of CBUs to African countries, including left-hand drives, and it is rumoured that locally produced CBU Toyota vehicles will shortly become an export item in other countries.
Even the luxury Audi has become an export item. Forty eight of the Audi A4 series motor cars built at the VWSA plant at Uitenhage are expected to arrive in Australia from South Africa during December. An initial order of 96 vehicles was offloaded there in June.
Meanwhile a spokesman for the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers (Naamsa) has revealed that CBU exports from South Africa are expected to top 70 000 by the year 2000, almost 1800% up on last year.
With about 80 000 motor vehicle units expected to be imported by the end of the next century, it seems the new car terminals at Durban, due for completion in March next year, and at Port Elizabeth, are likely to be kept busy.
By Terry Hutson
