BUSINESS WATCH WITH MICHAEL AVERY
WATCH: SA auto industry looks to start up again
Michael Avery and guests discuss the state of the sector and the prospects for electric vehicles, sales of which are soaring worldwide
SA’s auto industry appears to be revving up again after the pandemic, notwithstanding a few misfires as manufacturers contend with supply chain issues, floods and intermittent power, and consumers consider whether to trade in their diesel-guzzling SUV for something more thrifty as the fuel price continues to smash records.
Global sales of electric vehicles (EVs), including fully electric and plug-in hybrids, doubled in 2021 to a record of 6.6-million units; more of them are sold each week now than in the whole of 2012, according to the latest edition of the annual Global Electric Vehicle Outlook.
EV sales have soared by 90% across Africa too, albeit off a low base, with BEVs (battery electric vehicles) accounting for 85% of the total.
Joining Michael Avery to look under the hood of the local vehicle industry are Mike Mabasa, CEO at Naamsa; Mark Dommisse, chairperson of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association, and Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, a senior economist at Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies