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4 days ago | 
miningweekly.com | Irma Venter
The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers’ (AAAM’s) new CEO, Victoria Backhaus-Jerling, says she has four main priorities for her tenure at the industry body. Before her appointment on March 1 – taking over from Dave Coffey –Backhaus-Jerling served as South African project office head for the German automotive industry association (VDA) for almost five years.
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4 days ago | 
miningweekly.com | Irma Venter
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (Ford SA) has launched the Ford Pro Convertor (FPC) programme for commercial market customers seeking specialised vehicle conversions.
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4 days ago | 
miningweekly.com | Irma Venter
Fiat Professional has introduced its first-ever three-wheeled electric vehicle – the Tris – in Africa and the Middle East. Focused on tasks such as micro-transport and last-mile delivery – think Takealot, Woolies and Amazon deliveries, for example – the Tris has a 90 km range, and will hit the market as an “affordable, ultra-light commercial vehicle”, says the Italian manufacturer.
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4 days ago | 
miningweekly.com | Irma Venter
South African truck assemblers are lobbying for two concessions from government as the world increasingly moves to electric mobility, says Volvo Trucks South Africa (Volvo Trucks SA) MD Waldemar Andre Christensen. “It’s a chicken and egg situation,” he explains. “The current demand for electric trucks is at such a low level in South Africa that it makes no sense to assemble these vehicles at our local plant.
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4 days ago | 
engineeringnews.co.za | Irma Venter
Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit boss Toby Venter says he has received confirmation that the Federation International de l'Automobile (FIA) has accepted the final design proposals to upgrade the Johannesburg-based circuit to Grade 1 status. The upgrade is a requirement to host a Formula 1 (F1) race and will cost between $5-million and $10-million. The 4.522 km Kyalami track, upgraded in 2016, currently holds FIA Grade 2 certification.
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5 days ago | 
engineeringnews.co.za | Irma Venter
The City of Cape Town’s Corporate Services Directorate will receive support from the Finnish government on how to apply data analytics in its long-term planning and decision-making processes. As the city works towards “optimising and rationalising its asset portfolio for greater synergy and cost-savings”, the Facilities Management Department believes it will benefit greatly from cooperation with Finland on centralising the facilities management function.
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5 days ago | 
engineeringnews.co.za | Irma Venter
The South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC) has appointed Bridgestone Southern Africa MD Jacques Rikhotso as its new chairperson. This move is aligned with a renewed focus on defending local manufacturing against an influx of imported tyres, especially from China, says the industry body. “Our top priorities are advancing regulatory alignment, promoting the use of locally manufactured tyres and ensuring fair competition in the domestic market,” summarises Rikhotso.
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6 days ago | 
engineeringnews.co.za | Irma Venter
South Africa’s efforts to restore its logistics infrastructure have seen it stabilise the system, but not yet execute a big leap forward. This was the consensus among members of a panel speaking on the topic at the SAPICS 2025 conference held in Cape Town last week. SAPICS is the South African Professional Body for Supply Chain Management.
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1 week ago | 
engineeringnews.co.za | Irma Venter
Goodyear South Africa (SA) has initiated a Section 189A process, related to a restructuring process that includes the tyre manufacturer’s operations in Kariega. The Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Business Chamber says it is deeply saddened at the proposed closure of the Goodyear tyre plant. “This comes just months after ContiTech announced that it is closing its plant, and the Bridgestone plant closure of over four years ago,” says CEO Denise van Huyssteen.
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1 week ago | 
miningweekly.com | Irma Venter
Total May new-vehicle sales, at 45 308 units, jumped by 22% compared with the same month last year, buoyed by a nixed value-added tax increase, a drop in interest rates and the tabling – finally – of the National Budget. The new-passenger-car market gained 30% in May, to reach 31 741 units, shows statistics released by naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. Car rental sales accounted for 8.5% of new-passenger-vehicle sales during the month of May.
