Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest car manufacturer, has reaffirmed its plans to establish a new factory in Coega, Eastern Cape by the end of 2025, and confirmed that the plant is scheduled to start production on a “1T [one-tonne] pick-up truck” in 2026.
Stellantis, which formed in January 2021, is the parent company of popular brands including Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Opel, and Peugeot – however, it has yet to reveal under which badge it will be selling the locally-produced bakkie, nor whether it will be an all-new model or one that already exists, such as the Peugeot Landtrek.
A big investment
Stellantis has committed R3 billion to establish its new South African plant, which is expected to provide employment to around 2,097 people in the Eastern Cape province.
The company will be investing over 500,000 hours in training and skills to “develop and support the local teams to the level of global standards” and it is targeting a localization rate of over 30%, too.
Upon completion, the facility will produce in the region of 50,000 completely knocked down (CKD’s) units per year including for export, with a capacity to go up to a total of 90,000 units if the need presents itself.
It forms part of Stellantis’ plans to reach over 22% market share in the Middle East and Africa region by 2030, with 70% regional localization of sales and one million units produced.
“The investment in the plant, employment, training, and skills transfer will certainly benefit the region tremendously,” said Khwezi Tiya, CEO of the Coega Development Corporation.
“This is a much-needed and welcomed economic boost for the Eastern Cape province with an anticipated economy-wide impact on the province’s GDP of R664 million. Household income is anticipated to increase to R558.4 million within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and R577.4 million for the entire province.”
Peugeot Landtrek
Stellantis launches spare parts shop in South Africa
Stellantis clearly has big plans for the African market, as this past weekend, it also announced the official entry of its Eurorepar spare parts business into South Africa.
Eurorepar operates in over 50 countries offering an array of over 15,000 part numbers for various automotive brands, and its components will be backed by a standard two-year warranty courtesy of Stellantis South Africa.
“The leap into the South African market is another demonstration of Stellantis’ global vision of connecting vehicles across continents,” said Jonathan Snow, the Project Lead for the development of the South African business.
“Our vision is crystal clear – to grow Eurorepar in South Africa into the largest supplier of automotive spare parts for all vehicle makes.”
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