SA scores premier automotive event

PREMIER AUTOMOTIVE exhibition and trade fair Automechanika will make its way to South Africa next year to help the local market capitalise on its growing dominance in this global arena. “This is an auspicious occasion for the motor industry in South Africa,” said Stephan Kurzawski, vice-chairman of Germany’s premier trade and exhibition firm Messe Frankfurt, at the launch of Automechanika SA last week. Johannesburg is the 13th city in the world to host this event scheduled for March 2009. The inaugural expo is expected to attract around 250 automotive exhibitors from across the globe to showcase products ranging from original equipment to aftermarkets and spares in direct B2B interactions with local players. “Internationalisation is a major part of the Automechanika success, and with all the hype building up to 2010 in this country, this is an ideal opportunity to put South Africa on the map as an automotive powerhouse,” Messe Frankfurt president Detlef Braun said. “The global motor industry was worth US$950bn in 2007, and 7.5% of SA’s GDP comes from this industry,” said MD of Vodacom Andrew Mthembu, speaking on behalf of Automechanika licensee Dogan trading. “Over 250 000 new vehicle units are expected to be exported in 2008, showing the power this country has in this sector, and further highlighting the need to bring this event to the African continent.”