State of South Africa’s Motor Industry: Interview with Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa
In this exclusive podcast, Ciro de Siena sits with Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa on the state of the South African automotive industry.
Naamsa (National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA) is the trusted voice for and on behalf of the South African automotive industry. Its job is to support the local industry through engagement with the government on behalf of the automotive industry in South Africa.
Its CEO, Mikel Mabasa chats with Cars.co.za’s YouTube presenter Ciro De Siena in this tell-all podcast ranging from its endorsement of the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards to dealings with the government surrounding EV taxes and local production. If you enjoy digging into the behind-the-scenes of big business, as well as the politics that go with it then this one is definitely worth a watch/listen.
With the winners of the 2023/24 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, sponsored by Absa due to be announced this week, Mzansi’s most authoritative automotive awards programme has achieved even greater significance by being endorsed by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa).
The Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, sponsored by Absa (widely known as the #CarsAwards) is in its 7th – and, to date, most elaborate – iteration. Cars.co.za hosted its first Consumer Awards Roadshow at the Mall of Africa late in 2023 and recently concluded a partnership agreement with Absa, a leading South African Financial Services Provider (FSP), to take the #CarsAwards into the future.
Established by Cars.co.za in 2015 as part of the brand’s mission to help car buyers make informed purchasing decisions, the CarsAwards programme has now been bolstered by the endorsement from Naamsa – the voice and a trusted ambassador for, and on behalf of, the South African motor industry.
Naamsa is an association that represents the South African automotive industry, but not a lot of people know that Naamsa is 89 years old – it was established in 1935 and, at the time, it purely represented vehicle manufacturers, which is why it came to be known as the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (the name has stuck, even though the association’s role has changed).
That’s what Naamsa represented at the time, but the industry body began to incorporate other key stakeholders into its ecosystem because the automotive industry was becoming quite dynamic… South Africa also went into the retailing space in a very, very big way… and started importing quite a lot of vehicles in the 2000s. The biggest volumes of vehicles sold in South Africa country are imported.
In 2023, for example, 77% of all new vehicles sold in South Africa were imported brands. A total of 7 brands manufacture vehicles locally and there are 42 brands in the market.
This week, Naamsa chief executive officer Mikel Mabasa told Cars.co.za video presenter Ciro De Siena that the association had decided to rebrand itself (as the Automotive Business Council) to represent “a multiplicity of different partners; not only brands that manufacture vehicles and those that import vehicles, but also those who have vested interests in the automotive sector”.
Naamsa wants to grow industry through CarsAwards
“Naamsa has evolved and we’re grateful to have Cars.co.za as a partner,” he added. “When Amasi Mwela became the Managing Director of Cars.co.za last year, he said: ‘Look, we can’t afford to be outside of Naamsa’, so we’re very proud that Cars.co.za is one of our members.
“We are working very closely with all our partners to take the automotive industry to greater heights. Although we took a decision a while back that Naamsa would no longer endorse awards events and activities, when we connected with Cars.co.za (to add gravitas to CarsAwards) it was a no-brainer…”
“For us, the CarsAwards represents a number of things that should be going right in the country. If you look at South Africa today, a lot of people are talking about a very subdued sentiment that is going around (because) the economy is not where it’s supposed to be.”
Mabasa added that business leaders and organisations involved in the motor industry could play a progressive role in turning the negative sentiment in the market into positivity.
“In the last 3 years, Naamsa has noted a downward trajectory in terms of new vehicle sales and we are now associating ourselves with products, brands and also with partners that can help us to bring this ‘mood’ back up because that’s what South Africa needs,” Mabasa said.
“I think South Africans are pretty much exhausted about hearing negativity and I think Cars.co.za can really play a very important role in lifting that mood,” Mabasa concluded.
“Naamsa endorsed the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, powered by Absa because our company is committed to using the programme to grow the motor industry,” said Cars.co.za’s managing director, Amasi Mwela, “and because we have worked hard to earn the trust of consumers, as well as invested in building the digital- and media capabilities to deliver the vision of the CarsAwards.”
“This endorsement is a big win for Cars.co.za. It gives us a voice in the industry,” he added.
Drawing on input from car owners, rigorous test drives by a panel of 20 judges, plus extra data provided by Lightstone Consumer, the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, sponsored by Absa, recognises the best vehicles in 13 categories of the new-car market. Its unique scoring system involves extensive testing at Gerotek and real-world input from car owners about product quality, reliability and after-sales service.
The winners of the 2023/24 #CarsAwards will be announced at a gala event in Sandton on 29 February 2024, where the prestigious Brand of the Year award will be presented by none other than Mikel Mabasa.
In addition to announcing the winners via traditional media platforms, Cars.co.za and Absa will present the second Consumer Awards Roadshow of the 2023/24 #CarsAwards at the Sandton City Mall from 1 to 3 March 2024. With all 13 category winners and 26 other finalist vehicles on display under one roof. Visitors will have the opportunity to inspect Mzansi’s most highly recommended new-car derivatives for themselves – and one lucky roadshow visitor will win R500 000 to buy a new or used car of their choice.
The patent image shows off a smart-looking compact SUV and Ford looks set to return to India. Could this be the return of the EcoSport?
Remember the Ford EcoSport? The cute crossover from the Blue Oval was a popular model in South Africa and once production ended in India in July 2022 and Romania in December 2022, the SA market had a void. Sure, the Puma is a pleasant enough vehicle, but its pricing is out of reach for EcoSport customers.
With production ending in India, Ford had a staged departure from the Sub-Continent and put its manufacturing plant in Chennai up for sale in 2021. Now things have taken an interesting turn, with Ford retaining the plant and indications of an Indian market relaunch are strong.
Along with the registration of the Endeavor (Everest SUV), a patent of an interesting-looking SUV was also discovered. Like all patents, a basic design is shown, but there’s not much detail. We believe this new product will be the next-generation Ford EcoSport. It’ll be pitched against the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser and Honda Elevate.
If you cast your mind back to 2020, there was talk of a collaboration between Ford and Mahindra, and the above leaked image of a prototype looks very similar to the patent image.
It’s too early in the development and production process, but we can speculate that Ford’s 1.0-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder engine will be used in this new SUV. Some renders have given us a potential look at what the newcomer will resemble and if they’re anything like this, well consider us excited.
Indian-built Skoda Previews New VW Compact SUV for SA
The Volkswagen Group subsidiary plans an affordable compact SUV for March 2025 and we believe this model previews the all-new AO VW to be built in SA.
What you’re looking at here is a teaser image released by Skoda India of a new MQB A0 compact SUV that will be hitting showrooms in India in 2025. The name hasn’t been decided yet, but Kwiq, Kymaq, Kylaq, Kariq, and Kyroq are in the running.
What has this got to do with Volkswagen Group Africa (formerly Volkswagen South Africa)? Well, it is no secret the carmaker will be changing strategy as its European market for internal combustion engine-powered Polo and Polo GTIs dries up. The focus will be on retaining manufacturing capability and selling cars into the rest of Africa.
VWGA Kariega plant in the Eastern Cape
At the start of November 2022, Volkswagen South Africa announced plans to build a 3rd product – alongside the Polo hatchback and the Polo Vivo – at its Kariega plant in the Eastern Cape. Thanks to economies of scale and modular platforms, developing an all-new vehicle isn’t the outrageously high expense it used to be, as both the VW Group powertrains and MQB platform are off-the-shelf items. The list of vehicles using MQB as a base is extensive, but things like the Audi A1, Q3, Volkswagen Polo, Golf, T-Cross, Tiguan and many more all have one major thing in common: platform.
Virtus = Polo Sedan
Where does India come in? Well, its common knowledge that Volkswagen India and Volkswagen Group Africa have a relationship, our market sources its Polo sedans from the factory in Pune, India. Interestingly, the product is known as the Volkswagen Virtus in its home market. Volkswagen/Skoda have two factories in India which produce numerous Skoda, Volkswagen and Audi products.
It is therefore not unreasonable to think that Volkswagen Group Africa will be using the new Skoda compact SUV blueprint/know-how in India for the new A0 product which will be assembled in South Africa. You could ask why doesn’t VW just source the vehicle from India? Right now, there’s no indication from Volkswagen India of a new product coming.
We expect Volkswagen to follow its naming convention for all of its SUVs and crossovers, so the new A0 entry-level model’s name will start with a “T”. We won’t be surprised if Volkswagen uses its tried-and-tested 1.0-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine either. The choice of transmission is still vague, as the Virtus is offered with a 6-speed torque convertor as opposed to the quick-shifting dual-clutch transmission. We won’t rule out a manual gearbox for the new sub-4-metre SUV either.
Of course, South Africans will be excited to hear there’s a potential small bakkie on the cards too…
And then there were 3! Yes, the top trio of finalists in each of the 2024 World Car Awards categories have been announced. Here’s which models made it through…
The 2024 World Car Awards jury has whittled down the list of finalists in each of the competition’s 6 categories to just 3 vehicles. And we can confirm the overall winner to be announced next month will indeed be fully electric.
As a reminder, the World Car Finals (powered by Brembo) boasts a jury of over 100 judges from 29 countries, including Cars.co.za’s very own Hannes Oosthuizen. The winners will be announced at the 2024 New York International Auto Show on 27 March 2024.
The Volvo EX30 is a finalist in 3 of the 6 categories.
So, which models – drawn from an initial list of 70 eligible vehicles across all categories – made the cut? Well, fascinatingly, all 3 finalists in the running for the overall World Car of the Year title are fully electric vehicles: the BYD Seal (aka Atto 4), the Kia EV9 and the Volvo EX30.
Meanwhile, the BMW 5 Series (including the battery-powered i5) will battle it out with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the electric Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV for the title of World Luxury Car. Munich’s premium automaker dominates the World Performance Car category, where the BMW M2 and hybrid-powered BMW XM will take on the electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
The BMW M2 is in the running for the World Performance Car category.
The World Electric Vehicle class will be contested by the BMW i5, Kia EV9 and Volvo EX30 – models that all feature in other categories, too. The top 3 finalists in the running for the World Urban Car gong are the BYD Dolphin, hybrid-powered Lexus LBX and Volvo EX30.
Finally, the Ford Bronco, Ferrari Purosangue and Toyota Prius will square up for the World Car Design of the Year title. In this category, a design panel consisting of 6 “highly respected world design experts” was asked to review each candidate before establishing a shortlist of recommendations for the jurors’ final vote.
Check out the list of finalists in each of the categories below…
World Car of the Year top 3 finalists
BYD Seal/Atto 4 Kia EV9 Volvo EX30
World Luxury Car top 3 finalists
BMW 5 Series/i5 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV
The 8th-generation new BMW 5 Series will be launched to the media this week and we have specs and pricing for the executive sedan. Here’s how much you can expect to pay.
The new BMW 5 Series is an executive sedan going up against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (also recently facelifted) as well as the Audi A6.
When the new BMW 5 lands locally, the lineup will consist of two models initially, the 520d and the all-electric i5 M Performance. The new 2024 BMW 5 Series and its all-electric i5 sibling have grown in size in comparison with the outgoing generation. The newcomer is longer than before at just over 5 metres, and its wheelbase has increased too, by 20 mm.
Inside, the new BMW 5 Series gains the curved infotainment screen setup that we’ve experienced in other products from the Munich-based brand. In this application, a 12.3-inch digital cluster is connected to a 14.9-inch central screen that runs BMW’s iDrive 8.5 operating system.
New BMW 520d Engine
The first model to reach showrooms will be the diesel-powered 520d. The 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel motor features mild-hybrid technology and has outputs of 153 kW and 400 Nm. BMW claims a 0-100 kph time of 7.3 seconds and it will consume 5.6 L/100 km.
Electric i5 M60
Right now, there’s no confirmation of any other powertrains, other than this diesel and the all-electric i5 M60 xDrive which packs 442 kW and 795 Nm. It’s good for a 0-100 kph in just 3.8 seconds and run to a top speed of 230 kph. It has a range of 516 km based on the WLTP cycle.
Options
A quick glance at the BMW SA configurator shows that customers can choose from 12 colours, 6 wheels and your usual BMW packages like M Carbon exterior (R35 000) and Equipment package professional (R40 000) are on offer.
How much does the new BMW 5 Series cost in South Africa?
The Cars.co.za Consumer Awards (CarsAwards) are back this year and sponsored by Absa. The most extensive automotive awards program in South Africa aims to provide South Africans with the best cars across 13 carefully selected categories.
We understand that not everyone is in the market for the same type of car, so we have categorised every new car in SA into a segment that makes sense. Check out how we select the finalists, test them and ultimately, award the winners!
For this year, we are taking the finalists to Sandton City and displaying them from the 1st – 3rd March 2024. Come down to the mall, meet the Cars.co.za team and check out all the cars on display.
At Sandton City, Absa will be giving away R500 000 for one lucky winner to spend on the car of their dreams. You have to be at Sandton City in order to stand a chance of winning. Follow all the results and info on #CarsAwards on all you favourite social apps.
Stellantis has announced plans to offer a family of new Fiat Panda models, revealing as many as 5 concept cars – including an interesting small bakkie…
Stellantis plans to create an entire family of new Fiat Panda models, marking its announcement with the reveal of a raft of “Panda-inspired” show cars. Perhaps the most interesting from a South African perspective is the inclusion of a small bakkie concept.
But before we take a closer look at the Panda pickup, let’s take a step back. Fiat, which was the best-selling Stellantis brand in 2023, says its new Panda family will comprise “global” models. The first – likely the next-generation version of the standard city car – is scheduled to be revealed in July 2024, followed by the launch of another Panda spin-off every year until 2027.
All body styles will be based on a Stellantis multi-energy platform, which Fiat says will allow the use of “all types of powertrain” (in this case, internal combustion, hybrid and fully electric).
“Fiat is a global brand with 1.3 million cars sold last year and solid leadership in many parts of the world. We are in a global game and our next step will be to transition from local products to a global offer that can benefit all of our customers everywhere in the world,” said Olivier Francois, Fiat CEO and Stellantis Global CMO.
“We are excited to share this glimpse into our future; a very near future, actually, since the first car will be presented in 4 months during the brand’s 125th anniversary celebration. That car will then be followed by one new model every year.”
So, back to the Panda bakkie concept. Referencing the Strada – again the best-selling vehicle in Brazil in 2023 – the Italian automaker says it’s “certain that this type of vehicle can replicate its success at a global level, even in Europe”. Still, we get the impression the production model will be more “lifestyle” than workhorse.
Indeed, Fiat claims its new pick-up concept “responds to the global rediscovery of free time as value for people”, saying the vehicle “blends the concept of a pick-up with the functionality of an LCV [light commercial vehicle] and the comfort of an SUV in a size that is suitable to urban environments all over the world”.
We’re guessing the production version will be far removed from the double-cab concept, which features a bluff front end, intricate lighting signatures, oversized alloy wheels, a high beltline and what appears to be a relatively compact loadbin.
While the current Strada half-tonne bakkie is not offered in South Africa (owing to the fact it’s built in left-hand-drive form only), Stellantis has pencilled in the next-generation version for Mzansi. Should the production version of the Panda pick-up also make it to local shores, Fiat could potentially offer a pair of bakkies in SA.
So, what about the other Panda concepts? Well, there’s a city car (though Fiat says it’s bigger than the current Panda), a fastback, an SUV and even a camper, all of which you can see in the gallery above. As a reminder, the Panda nameplate dates back to 1980, with the current (3rd) generation set to bow out when the new model debuts later this year.
It’s the end of the road for the Korean hot hatch duo as the Hyundai I30N and I20N are axed to make way for electric performance cars.
Yet more vehicles have been given the chop as production of the performance-orientated hatchback duo of the Hyundai I30N and I20N will come to an end in February 2024.
In an official statement, Hyundai said: ‘Production of the ICE N models has ceased for the European market starting from February, in line with our commitment to offering a zero-tailpipe-emission line-up to our customers by 2035 and to operating 100 per cent carbon neutrally by 2045. Going forward in Europe, Hyundai is developing Hyundai N as a pioneer of high-performance EVs. Our customers will benefit from technological developments that will make EVs even more attractive in the future.’
We’re hoping other markets like Australia will keep interest in these two fun cars alive, but we’re not holding out much hope. Pity, as the Hyundai I30N was a thoroughly entertaining product.
The Hyundai I30N was a genuine rival to the traditional hot hatches like the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Focus ST and Renault Megane RS. Both the Focus and Megane have already been cancelled, leaving the iconic Golf GTI to have the market nearly all to itself.
The I20N sadly never came to South Africa, but we reckon it would have been a great rival to the Volkswagen Polo GTI. It packed 150 kW and 275 Nm from a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine, and power reached the front wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission.
Ineos Fusilier Announced with Electrified Powertrains
The Ineos Fusilier is the brand’s third vehicle, after the Grenadier SUV and Quartermaster bakkie. Here’s a first look.
Following on from the Grenadier and Quartermaster is the Ineos Fusilier, which is physically smaller than the halo model, has reduced offroading capability, but is powered by a choice of either a pure electric powertrain or what the brand calls a range-extender.
No details were given on the engines, but we’d assume the range-extender follows the principle of having a small internal combustion engine which generates electricity, which in turn drives the wheels. We’ve already seen some working examples in the motoring world, with the Audi RS Q e-tron which won the 2024 Dakar rally.
“As we developed this vehicle, we quickly concluded that in order to move towards decarbonization but continue making cars that consumers want to drive, we need a mix of powertrain technologies,” said Ineos Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe. “That is the reason we are offering an additional powertrain for the Fusilier, one that dramatically reduces emissions but has the range and refueling capabilities needed.”
Under the skin, the Ineos Fusilier makes use of a bespoke skateboard platform and the company reckons this setup is good for 400 km of range. The new Ineos Fusilier is being developed with the assistance of Magna Steyr in Austria. This company has a stellar track record when it comes to the R&D and production of tough offroaders, and if you weren’t aware, the plant in Graz, Austria also makes the legendary Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Right on the factory’s doorstep is the brutal Schockl mountain trail, which all vehicles have to complete, and you can bet the Fusilier will be put through its paces.
The Ineos Fusilier will be launching globally in 2026 and we’re keen to see how the range-extender powertrain works. As a reminder, the Ineos Grenadier is on sale in South Africa, via selected BMW dealerships.
