A boda boda rider traveled over 900 kilometers from Malaba, on Kenya’s western border with Uganda, to Mombasa, on the southern coast of Kenya, on the ROAM Air electric motorcycle, using only a portable charger. We have been covering developments in the electric motorcycle sector in a number of African … [continued]
Volvo’s flagship luxury SUV, the EX90, will join the South African lineup in the 1st half of 2025. After several years of having BMW top the BEV sales charts and also have the largest market share, Volvo Cars South Africa is now firmly in the driving seat. BMW had been … [continued]
Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV) breached the 1,000 units per year mark in South Africa for the first time ever in 2024. Last year, 1,257 BEVs were sold in South Africa, up 35% from 929 units sold in 2023. The Volvo EX30 led the way with 406 units, taking … [continued]
Last week, Car & General launched a brand new dealership in Kitui, Kenya. The dealer, Salaba Holdings, will be retailing the company’s Piaggio three-wheelers and TVS motorcycles as well as offer service and parts in the eastern region town. Kitui is 162 km east of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, and … [continued]
I have fond memories of Mazdas. Mazda had a significant footprint in Zimbabwe’s vehicle assembly sector during the heydays of auto assembly in Zimbabwe. During its peak era (from the 1980s to the late 1990s), vehicle assembly plants assembled about 20,000 vehicles per year. One of the main plants during … [continued]
We have been covering developments in the electric motorcycle sector in a number of African countries for over 6 years now. During that period, many startups went through several phases — from early pilots to early commercialisation of their products. A number of them are now ramping up production of … [continued]
South Africa is one of the largest markets for sales of brand new vehicles in Africa. Just over half a million new vehicles are sold in South Africa each year. South Africa is the biggest economy on the continent. However, what really makes a big difference is the country’s well … [continued]
In the EV world, I think most would agree that the biggest story of 2024 was the rapid scaling up of EV sales in China, particularly from future automotive king BYD. The Chinese EV market had been growing fast for years, and BYD had more than a decade of EV … [continued]
Growing competition from EVs in key markets cited as one of the reasons for sharp decline. Six years ago, I wrote an article on how South Africa could miss out on the massive opportunities from the EV transition if the country did not act fast enough. That’s because the auto … [continued]
According to Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Finance and the national statistics agency Zimstat, in 2024, Zimbabwe’s merchandise imports were projected to reach $9.08 billion. On the other hand, exports were projected to be close to $7.4 billon. The means the trade deficit was estimated to be close to $1.7 billion. This … [continued]
