Korean carmaker Hyundai with a view to further strengthen its business in the South African market has reportedly set-up a new commercial vehicle assembly plant in Benoni, Gauteng located in South Africa. The Hyundai’s new assembly plant is expected to complete work by the end of this year and by early next year it is expected to be fully functional. For the initial period it is believed that the company may assemble only the HD 72 and HD 65 trucks, whereas the H 100 may be produced at a later date.
The upcoming Hyundai assembly plant is expected to create about 60 new job opportunities and hold a annual production capacity of about 6000 units. Among the total production numbers it is expected that Hyundai’s H 100 may account for about 4200 units. The local staff shall be trained and monitored by engineers from South Korea. Initially it is said that the company may only roll out about 500-600 delivery vans and the numbers may increase as the demand rises.
Post inauguration the plant may primarily serve the local market and then it may explore the possibility in the Sub Sahara markets. Reportedly, about 20% of the vehicles produced from this plant shall be exported to places like Botswana and Namibia. Speaking more about the plant, Wade Griffin, director of Commercial Vehicles at Hyundai Automotive SA, said, “The opening of this assembly plant forms an ideal platform from which to strengthen our business strategy, both in terms of commercial market growth and sustainability, as well as an increasing commitment and investment in the South African economy.”
