Chinese automaker plans electric car production in South Africa
Well, this took me completely by surprise! I'd always expected China to be pivotal with regards to creating a tipping point for cheaper more affordable EVs…. but little to nothing has actually happened within South Africa itself in terms of EVs. Production within South Africa is likely to have quite an impact for South Africa. This is something to watch closely within the country.
BAIC Group, a state-owned Chinese automaker, today announced plans to produce electric vehicles in South Africa, highlighting the growing role of the world's largest auto market in a technology seen as the global industry's future. BAIC is preparing to set up a "new energy car production base" in South Africa by the end of June, said chairman Xu Heyi.
Xu said it would have an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles but he gave no details of how much of the manufacturing would be done in South Africa.
Electrics are money-losers for most producers, but automakers are investing heavily in what they see as the wave of the future, especially in China. Its communist leaders want to make their country a center for the emerging industry and are promoting electrics with subsidies and other tools.
China accounted for half of last year's global sales of electrics.
See http://www.cbn.co.za/component/k2/chinese-automaker-plans-electric-car-production-in-south-africa
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Chinese automaker plans electric car production in South Africa BAIC Group’s announcement at the Beijing auto show, the industry’s biggest sales event of the year, came as Nissan unveiled its first electric car des |