Category: Automotor
COVID Lockdowns Scrambling Strategic Metals Sector
Disruptions caused by COVID-19 lockdowns in China, the Ukraine war and the ongoing crisis at the South African port of Durban are roiling the strategic battery sector, used for e-vehicles. While prices are falling in the short term due to pandemic restrictions, stocks for battery companies show that in the ...
Mounting Public Anger in Nairobi Over the Perception of Infrastructure “Apartheid”
While there's palpable excitement in Kenyan capital about the imminent opening of the new 27-kilometer Nairobi Expressway there's an equal amount of "anger, resentment, despair, and frustration" about the impact the new highway is having on the road below. People are ...
Nairobi Expressway Tolls Increase Before It’s Even Opened
Kenya’s new Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway is hiking its toll prices, even though it hasn’t opened yet. The government announced that motorists using the motorway will pay 350 Kenyan shillings ($3.03) more than previously announced, bringing the total toll to between 120 and 1,800 shillings ($1.04-$12.54), depending on the ...
Excitement Rising in Nairobi for Expressway Launch
Excitement is mounting in Nairobi in the runup to the formal commissioning of the Kenyan capital's new Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway. The online reaction ranges from praise for the highway as an expression of democracy, to angry refusals to participate in its automatic tolling system. ...
Chinese-Made Electric Buses Launch in Nairobi
The Kenyan mobility startup BasiGo has assembled its first electric buses, using components from the Chinese automaker Build Your Dream (BYD). BasiGo closed a $4.3 million seed funding round in February to assemble and sell electric-powered buses. The company plans to supply more ...
Chinese Motorcycle Factory Opens in Angola
A new Chinese motorcycle factory has kicked off in Angola, one of several new automotive ventures in African countries. The Chinese state-owned heave vehicle company Sinotruk announced a new $20 million assembly line in Tanzania, while China's First Automotive Works (FAW) has also started producing trucks in ...
Sinotruck to Open New Assembly Plant in Tanzania
Chinese state-owned heavy vehicle manufacturer Sinotruck announced this week that it plans an assembly plant in Tanzania. Sinotruck’s investment in the plant comes to $20 million and will create 500 jobs. One additional benefit from the new plant, and others ...
Meet the CityBug: The Newest Chinese-made EV to Go On Sale In South Africa
South Africa lags far behind other middle-income countries in the availability of electric vehicles but Chinese brands like Eleksa are hoping to change with the introduction of new cars like the $15,000 Citybug. The two-door compact seats four and has a ...
Chinese Auto Majors See South Africa as a Key Market to Compete Head-On With Global Rivals
South Africa's intensely competitive car market may provide a glimpse into the future of global automotive trade with Chinese brands successfully competing with rivals from the U.S., Germany, Japan, and South Korea. In fact, SA is one of the only markets in the world where a Chinese ...
Zhejiang Province Shutters Factories Due to COVID-19, Raising Concerns About the DRC-to-China Cobalt Supply Chain
The global cobalt supply chain is bracing for the impact from the closure of three of China's largest processing factories in eastern Zhejiang province in response to an outbreak of COVID-19. Provincial authorities shuttered more than a dozen massive factories in ...
First Trucks Roll Off the Assembly Line at a New Chinese-Backed Assembly Facility in Uganda
Chinese and Ugandan officials were on hand Wednesday to watch the first truck manufactured by the Uganda Automotive Group (UAG) roll off the assembly at the Namanve Industrial Park in central Uganda. The new factory is a partnership between UAG and China's ...
Chinese Trucks, Buses, Cars, SUVs, Vans… Gas Powered, Electric Powered… You Name It, They’re Coming to Africa
Chinese automakers have set their sights on the Africa market and are moving fast to grab market share from legacy players in the combustion engine side of the business and to snag the first-mover advantage on the EV side as well. ...