Japanese ambassador to South Africa, H.E. Norio Maruyama, visited Isuzu Motors South Africa’s (IMSAf) manufacturing plant in Struandale at Gqeberha, one of only three manufacturing operations on the continent to produce Isuzu vehicles.
High on the cards this year is the much-awaited new generation Isuzu D-MAX launch; this visit was an opportunity to showcase the investment of the state-of-the-art new assembly line to support the manufacture of the all-new D-MAX.
Very excited about the developments and business performance, H.E. Norio Maruyama, Japanese ambassador to South Africa says; “As Japan we have invested in South Africa and we are always keen to meet with our business partners. I believe in the automotive industry because it creates jobs, and those jobs are imperative in improving livelihoods. What we have seen here at Isuzu today is impressive, I am very happy to also learn more about their CSR initiatives, through our investment in Isuzu we are able to contribute to the betterment of the South African communities”.
With nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic has brought upon new business challenges, continued pressure on supply chain, export and imports. This has caused business leaders to strategise and find sustainable solutions to the high pressure that came with the impact of COVID on business.
This however has not deterred the IMSAf team from ensuring that they remain resilient. While many experienced a decline in sales, Isuzu has experienced an increase of about 1.2% in market share year-to-date, with a market share of 17.7%.
Billy Tom, President and CEO of Isuzu Motors South Africa says, “The investment made in 2019 was a demonstration of the confidence Isuzu has in this business and the African market, as IMSAf we continue to strive towards being an important base for our future growth on the African continent. We have a plan to launch the new generation vehicles and this will be coupled with the implementation of measures to increase our domestic share in our exports into Sub- Saharan Africa markets.”
Amongst their 2021 wins, IMSAf maintained an automotive industry-leading level one in their Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) audit for a second consecutive year. Isuzu also saw its best export volume in 2021.
Isuzu has led in the truck segment of the market for nine consecutive years. Isuzu D-MAX sales in Sub-Saharan Africa markets have more than doubled since 2017.
