American car brands are coming back to South Africa – But there’s a catch

South African motorists will soon be able to get their hands on a variety of iconic models sourced from the United States.

Several American carmakers have pulled out of South Africa over the last two decades, including Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, and Chrysler.

Right now, the only American brands left in our market are Ford and Jeep, the former of which is doing very well thanks to the Ranger bakkie, while the latter is a niche offering that provides models like the Wrangler SUV.

The good news is a number of American brands, ranging from GMC to Hummer and Chevrolet, are now set to reappear in our market, albeit in a non-official capacity.

This is thanks to Rospa International, a Durban-based company specializing in imported vehicles, which announced that it has signed a partnership agreement to ship American cars to South Africa.

Rospa has operated in South Africa for several years, primarily focusing on the import of highly-demanded sports cars from Japan.

The firm’s previous work includes importing motoring icons like the Nissan GT-R, Honda NSX, Toyota AE86, and Mazda RX-7 – all of which are incredibly rare to find in South Africa.

What’s to come

Following this success, the company has turned its attention to the American market, signing an agreement with Autogroup International (AGI) to source models straight from the US of A.

“We are pleased to make public this exciting new chapter in the Rospa story,” said Rospa International founder and director, Himal Chris Paul.

“Joining forces with Autogroup International will open up a wider market for us. It will enable us to make the dreams of a whole new group of car enthusiasts come true.”

Importantly, the American models imported to South Africa will be converted to right-hand drive.

“AGI firmly believes in right-hand-drive markets and the opportunities they present. Since the early ’90s we have carefully reengineered over five thousand LHD vehicles for export all over the world,” said the CEO of AGI, Rob Hill.

“We can now add South Africa to that list through Rospa International, a company that shares our vision and passion.”

AGI’s history dates back more than 30 years to 1993, when it started out converting GMC Sierra bakkies from left to right-hand drive.

Since then, the company has become a global enterprise specializing in vehicle conversions to bring popular models to new markets.

Rospa and AGI stated that the partnership will allow the companies to import a variety of American vehicles to South Africa, from pickup trucks to muscle cars.

A few of the models Rospa hinted at include the new Hummer EV (electric vehicle), and the Toyota Tundra and GMC Sierra bakkies.

It also mentioned that performance options will be on the cards, such as the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, and Chevrolet Camaro.

“These will all be available in SA soon,” it said.

Rospa also offers finance deals on its imported vehicles, which can be done through every major bank in South Africa.

Additionally, each car is sold with a 3-year/100,000km warranty and is backed up by after-sales support offered by technicians located in South Africa’s three biggest cities – Cape Town, Joburg, and Durban.

Rospa International American imports