Nissan to spend R3 billion equipping its local plant

Nissan SA will invest R3 billion equipping its local plant to build the Japanese carmaker's new Navara model, the company said on Wednesday.

The manufacture of the model from 2020 will create 400 direct factory jobs with a further 800 jobs created along the car production value chain.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was invited to celebrate the investment milestone.

Capacity at Nissan’s plant in Rosslyn, near Pretoria, will increase by 30,000 units in the first phase, Mike Whitfield, managing director at Nissan South Africa said, while the plant’s permanent headcount will increase by 400.

"Today, we're able to announce that the Nissan South Africa Rosslyn facility will build the entire model range Nissan Navara for both local and export (markets)," Whitfield said at an event to announce the investment.

While production operations elsewhere will also build the new Navara, a pick-up, Nissan South Africa will supply the local and continental market.

Ramaphosa said Nissan's investment marked a "milestone" in his drive, and was a vote of confidence in South Africa.

In common with many global carmakers, Nissan doesn't currently have any significant production operations in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa, which it entered in 1963 and is the only substantial market for new cars in the region.

However Nissan, and many rivals, are hoping that will change. A number have recently opened or committed to open plants elsewhere, including in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.