South Africans bought more new-energy vehicles in the first nine months of 2026 than in the whole of last year, and most of them now of the plug-in variety. Plug-in hybrids outsell fully electric cars by more than 2.5 to one. Sales of new-energy vehicles – hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles – reached 22 389…
The Durban arrival highlighted growing EV choice and charging access, while industry representatives called for policy certainty to support wider adoption. South African Automotive Week (SA Auto Week) 2026 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, was the destination for electric vehicle (EV) road-trippers from Johannesburg, Cape Town and East London. According to The Electric Mission, the 2026 road…
Gehard Moolman LDV South Africa isn’t courting buyers whose fathers and grandfathers drove the same bakkie brand. CEO Gerhard Moolman wants the fleet owner replacing five vehicles who will try one LDV. Moolman, who took over in March after 23 years with Land Rover dealer groups, told Watts & Wheels‘ William Kelly that the brand’s…
Chinese brands are turbocharging South Africa’s electric vehicle shift. Generation X is emerging as a significant force in South Africa’s shift to new-energy vehicles (NEVs), with NEV finance applications from people born between 1965 and 1980 outpacing those for conventional vehicles. This is according to data from the Cars.co.za Industry Report 2026, which shows Gen…
The Mzansi EV Truck Super Test 2026 is being led by flx EV, GoMetro and the Kuehne Climate Centre, with SANY supplying the vehicles. Two battery electric trucks have begun a planned 4 000km journey across South Africa in a test aimed at measuring the viability of heavy electric vehicles on the country’s major freight…
GWM’s Ora 5 battery-electric vehicle Much has been written about how miserable electric vehicle sales have been in South Africa. Car makers evidently think that is about to change. At the Festival of Motoring at Kyalami from 28-30 August, at least 19 battery-electric models were on display, several still without confirmed pricing. Only one of…
The Electric Mission’s Hiten Parmar South Africa has still not crossed 1% of new vehicle sales going to electric vehicles, well short of the 5% mark at which adoption typically accelerates, The Electric Mission executive director Hiten Parmar told TechCentral’s Watts & Wheels with Wills. Parmar, who heads the non-profit advocacy body and co-founded the…
PHEVs are proving popular in South Africa, but consumers are still shunning full EVs One in every 17 new vehicles sold in South Africa is now electrified, according to automotive industry body Naamsa. But only one in 123 is fully electric. Naamsa reported 3 045 new-energy vehicle sales in June, a 104.2% increase on the same…
TechCentral is proud to present the first episode of Watts & Wheels with Wills, our new interview show about electric vehicles and the fast-changing world of e-mobility in South Africa. In the debut episode, host William Kelly speaks to John Ford, sales manager at Aeversa, a fleet-focused electrification specialist helping some of South Africa’s biggest…
The Chery Tiggo 4 Cross HEV. (Image source: Chery) Chery plans to manufacture new energy vehicles (NEVs) in South Africa, as part of a broader localisation strategy centred on its newly-acquired Rosslyn manufacturing plant. This positions SA as the Chinese car maker’s African manufacturing, research and development (R&D), and export hub, it says. In an…
