According to the ‘Automotive Export Manual 2021-South Africa’ report released by Automotive Industry Export Council (AIEC), India was the top country of origin in Volume terms for passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imports into South Africa in 2020, despite COVID-19 lockdowns & global decline in vehicle sales.
- India accounted for 43.2% (87, 953 units )of total passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imported by South Africa in 2020.
Based on Volume:
India topped by selling 87,953 Units followed by Japan(22,280 Units), Germany(21,699), and South Korea(14,854) were the top countries of origin for passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imported into South Africa in 2020.
Based on Rand Value:
India also topped based on Rand Value term accounting for 22.1% of total Import Value of South Africe. India was followed by Germany (19.9%).
Key Points
i.Most of the vehicles imported from India fell into the Entry-level and small vehicle category.
- India is considered a production hub for entry-level and small vehicles by several global brands.
ii.But on the other side due to the COVID-19 pandemic, South African vehicle exports declined by a massive 115, 804 units to 271, 288 units in 2020 (from 387, 092 vehicles exported in 2019).
iii.The export value declined by R 26.8 billion (R – South African Rand) from R148 billion in 2019 to R121.2 billion in 2020.
iv.In a recently released report, International Energy Agency (IEA) had stated that global car sales fell by 16% in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Recent Related News:
i.On December 16, 2020, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) & Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) announced a partnership with Google India to reduce the digital skill gap in India’s auto dealership sector.
About Automotive Industry Export Council (AIEC)
Chairman of the Board – Renai Moothilal
Headquarters – Pretoria, South Africa
