Japanese auto giant aims to make Africa’s richest country the hub of continental truck production

The South African arm of Japanese automaker Isuzu Motors is positioning itself as a manufacturing hub for commercial trucks on the continent

The South African arm of Japanese automaker Isuzu Motors is positioning itself as a manufacturing hub for commercial trucks on the continent, part of a strategy to boost production volumes and deepen the use of locally sourced parts.

Billy Tom, President and CEO of Isuzu Motors South Africa, told Reuters that he has been in discussions with Japan regarding the relocation of more production to Africa.

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Isuzu has already run successful trials of locally building truck bodies, though it still imports some from China and the Middle East.

While export volumes for trucks remain small, Isuzu already ships pickups to more than 30 countries in Africa. Tom said the company is targeting West Africa as a starting point for scaling up truck exports.

Isuzu has set an ambitious target to grow its African production volumes to 45%, up from about 15% six years ago and the current 22–23%.

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