Growth opportunities for the domestic new light vehicle market in South Africa

Abstract

The export-oriented South African automotive industry is in a typical position seeing that it needs to pursue growth strategies in an ever-evolving global marketplace. The industry must supply its main automotive export markets with the latest vehicle technology without losing sight of the domestic and African markets which currently trail behind international fuel and emissions standards. The study researched and identified growth opportunities for the domestic new light vehicle market in South Africa. The South African automotive industry has undergone significant changes in the past decades because of evolving automotive policies, pressure for a greener environment, the advancement of alternative energy sources, and other exogenous factors, such as the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Technological evolution brought the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, the decline of the internal combustion engine, the quest for cleaner fuels, technological leaps in the development of electric vehicles, changing consumer buying patterns, and the use of the digital economy to disrupt the status quo of the automotive industry. The importance of a vigorous South African automotive industry cannot be overemphasised because it is the country’s largest manufacturing industry, therefore a vital contributor to the economy and a major job creator. The research attempts to identify the different growth opportunities available to the South African automotive industry to ensure its long-term sustainability. The study used an embedded mixed methods approach as both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The research paradigms used is a combination of exploratory and descriptive research as well as pragmatism. The conclusions of the study established that growth opportunities for the South African automotive industry do exist in the form of enhancing automotive research and development, encouraging new vehicle manufacturing opportunities, increasing the localisation of automotive components, and improving infrastructure to attain the targeted growth objectives. The recommendations made are that government, in conjunction with the relevant stakeholders, must take joint responsibility to find innovative solutions to pursue the stated growth opportunities, while still managing rising costs which are negatively impacting the growth of the domestic market

Die uitvoergeoriënteerde Suid-Afrikaanse motorbedryf bevind hom in ’n moeilike posisie aangesien die industrie groeistrategieë ’n voortdurend wisselende wêreldmark moet nastreef. Die bedryf moet sy vernaamste motoruitvoermarkte van die nuutste voertuigtegnologie voorsien sonder om die plaaslike mark en die Afrika-mark, wat tans sleg by internasionale brandstof- en emissiestandaarde afsteek, uit die oog te verloor. Die studie het groeigeleenthede vir die plaaslike mark vir nuwe ligte voertuie in Suid Afrika nagevors en geïdentifiseer. Die Suid-Afrikaanse motorbedryf het in die afgelope dekades aansienlike aanpassing vanweë veranderende motorbeleide, druk vir ’n groener omgewing, die vooruitgang van alternatiewe energiebronne en ander eksogene faktore, soos die impak van die koronavirussiekte-2019-pandemie (COVID 19-pandemie), ondergaan. Tegnologiese verandering het die koms van die Vierde Nywerheidsrevolusie, die uitfasserinf van die binnebrandenjin, die soeke na skoner brandstof, tegnologiese innovasies in die ontwikkeling van elektriese motors, veranderende kooppatrone van verbruikers en die gebruik van die digitale ekonomie wat die status quo van die motorbedryf ontwrig, teweeggebring. Die belangrikheid van ’n lewenskragtige Suid-Afrikaanse motorbedryf kan nie oorbeklemtoon word nie, aangesien dit die land se grootste vervaardigingsbedryf is en ’n onmisbare bydrae tot die ekonomie lewer en ’n groot bron van werkskepping is. Die doel van die navorsing was om die verskillende groeigeleenthede wat tot die Suid Afrikaanse motorbedryf se beskikking is, te identifiseer om die bedryf se langtermyn volhoubaarheid te verseker. ’n Ingebedde gemengdemetode-benadering is vir die studie gebruik, waar beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes gebruik is. ’n Kombinasie van verkenningsnavorsing en beskrywende navorsing, sowel as pragmatisme, is as navorsingsparadigmas gebruik. Die gevolgtrekkings van die studie was dat die Suid-Afrikaanse motorbedryf wel groeigeleenthede tot sy beskikking het indien motorbedryfnavorsing en -ontwikkeling bevorder word, nuwe voertuigvervaardigingsgeleenthede aangemoedig word, die lokalisasie van motoronderdele verhoog word en infrastruktuur verbeter word ten einde die gestelde groeidoelwitte te behaal. Die aanbevelings wat op grond van die studie gemaak is, is dat die regering, in samewerking met die tersaaklike belanghebbendes, gesamentlik verantwoordelikheid moet neem om innoverende oplossings te vind ten einde die gestelde groeidoelwitte te bereik, en terselfdertyd stygende koste wat die groei van die plaaslike mark negatief beïnvloed, te bestuur.

Indasteri ya dikoloi e rekisetsang dinaheng tse kantle ho naha ya Aforika Borwa e boemong bo tlwaelehileng ka ha e hloka mawa a ho e hodisa mmarakeng o dulang o fetoha lefatsheng kaofela. Indasteri e tlameha ho fepela mebaraka ya yona e meholo ya dikoloi tseo e di rekisetsang kantle ho naha, theknoloji ya moraorao ya dikoloi e sa lebale mebaraka ya lehae le ya Aforika, eo ha jwale katleho ya yona e latelang dipehelo tsa matjhabeng tsa dibeso le ho ntshetswa ha kgase ya tsona moyeng. Phuputso e batlisisitse le ho hlwaela mmaraka wa lehae wa dikoloi tse ntjha tse rwalang thepa le batho ba banyane, menyetla ya kgolo Aforika Borwa. Indasteri ya dikoloi ya Aforika Borwa e bile le diphetoho tse kgolo mengwahashomeng e fetileng ka lebaka la maano a ntshetswang pele a amang dikoloi, kgatello ya ho ntlafatsa mokgwa oo disebediswa di sebediswang ka oona ho fokotsa kameho ya tsona maphelong a batho le tikolohong, ntshetsopele ya mehlodi e meng ya eneji, le dintho tse ding tse tswang kantle tse jwalo ka kameho ya sewa sa Lefu la vaerase ya Corona sa 2019 (COVID-19). Ntshetsopele ya theknoloji e fihlisitse phetoho e kgolo ya tshebediso ya theknoloji, ho fokotseha ha metjhini e fetolelang eneji e ka hara ntho e itseng ho ba eneji e e tsamaisang ka ho tjhesa dibeso tsa fosile, ho batla dibeso tse hlwekileng, dintshetsopele tse kgolo tsa bohlokwa tsa theknoloji tsa ho hlahiswa ha dikoloi tse tsamayang ka motlakase, ho fetoha ha ditlwaelo tsa bareki tsa ho reka le tshebediso ya theknoloji e kopanyang batho, dikgwebo, disebediswa le metjhini ya dijithale le ditselatshebetso tsa yona, ho sitisa boemo bo renang ba ditaba tse amanang le indasteri ya dikoloi. Bohlokwa ba indasteri e matlafetseng ya dikoloi Aforika Borwa bo ke ke ba toboketswa le ho feta hobane ke indasteri e kgolo ka ho fetisisa ya tlhahiso naheng, kahoo e na le seabo sa bohlokwa moruong le tlhahisong e kgolo ya mesebetsi. Patlisiso e leka ho hlwaya menyetla e fapaneng ya kgolo e fumanehang indastering ya dikoloi Aforika Borwa ho netefatsa tshehetso ya yona ya nako e telele. Phuputso e sebedisitse mekgwa e kopantsweng ka ha ho sebedisitswe mekgwa ya patlisiso e bokellang le ho hlopholla datha eo e seng ya dipalo le patlisiso e lekanyang maikutlo a bankakarolo ka ho sebedisa dipalo le dinomoro, ka bobedi. Mekgwa e sebedisitsweng ya ho etsa dipatlisiso ke e kopantseng patlisiso ya sehlooho se sa x hlaloswang hantle kapa se sa batlisisweng haholo le patlisiso ya mokgwa o hlalosang dintho tse ikgethang tsa sehlooho se batlisiswang mmoho le ho rarolla bothata ka tsela e loketseng maemo a renang ho na le ho latela mehopolo le melao e sa fetoheng. Qetelo ya phuputso e fumane hore indasteri ya dikoloi ya Aforika Borwa e na le menyetla ya kgolo ka ho matlafatsa dipatlisiso le ntshetsopele ya dikoloi, ho kgothalletsa menyetla ya ho etswa ha dikoloi tse ntjha, ho etsa hore dikarolo tsa dikoloi di hlahiswe dikhamphaning tsa lehae ka bongata, le ho ntlafatsa infrastraktjha ho fihlela dipheo tse batlwang tsa kgolo. Ditshisinyo tse entsweng ke tsa hore mmuso le bathahaselli ba amehang ba tlameha ho jara boikarabelo mmoho ho fumana ditharollo tse hlahisang mehopolo e metjha tsa ho phehella ho hlahisa menyetla ya kgolo e boletsweng, ha ho ntse ho laolwa ditheko tse phahameng tse amang kgolo ya mmaraka wa lehae hampe.