Nissan facing shutdown, major city says goodbye to broken streetlights, and a new Toyota SUV for South Africa

These were the five biggest stories in South Africa’s transport industry this week.

Nissan looking to close the book on South Africa

Nissan is reportedly looking to close its South African factory located in Rosslyn, Gauteng, by or before 2027.

A report out of Japan stated that the company plans to shutter seven factories around the world within the next few years.

Two of the factories allegedly facing shutdown are located in Japan, while the others include Nissan’s facilities in Argentina, India, Mexico, and South Africa.

Major South African city says goodbye to broken streetlights

The City of Cape Town has responded to more than 10,000 streetlight-related service requests within a 30-day period.

The city’s mayoral committee stated that the campaign has eliminated its streetlight request backlog, which will allow it to address new queries with a faster turnaround time.

In many cases, the non-functioning lights were the result of vandalism or theft, as criminals often steal the valuable metal components to sell as scrap.

Chery planting new seeds in South Africa

Chery has announced that it wants to build a new Research and Development (R&D) centre in South Africa.

This was confirmed by Tony Liu, CEO of Chery Group SA, during a recent press conference held in Wuhu, China.

The centre will allow the Chinese carmaker to develop new cars that are better-suited for African markets.

New Toyota RAV4 revealed for South Africa

Toyota has finally unveiled the next-gen Rav4, and it’s coming to South Africa.

The new SUV made its official debut in Japan, showcasing three models tailored to suit different customer needs.

The Rav4 is set to go on sale in America at the end of 2025, after which it will be rolled out to other markets around the world.

What to expect from petrol prices in South Africa in June

Motorists can look forward to another round of fuel price decreases in June.

According to the Central Energy Fund, petrol will drop by 35c per litre while diesel will see an even bigge reduction of 68c per litre.

Unfortunately, the government has also announced that it will raise fuel taxes in South Africa, which will reduce the impact of the savings.