Production of the E-Golf in Dresden
Volkswagen wants to promote electromobility in Africa with a pilot project. In Rwanda’s capital Kigali will soon drive 50 e-Golf.
Johannesburg wants to pilot a project Volkswagen in e-mobility in Africa Set accents. In Rwanda’s capital Kigali 50 E-Golf will soon be driving, announced the CEO of Volkswagen South Africa, Thomas Schäfer, on late Monday evening.
The project will be officially launched in Kigali on October 29th. The infrastructure is from Siemens built up. Initially, the electric gulfs should not be sold to private individuals, but only be used by Volkswagen’s own mobility service.
Schäfer – who is also chairman of the African Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAAM) – announced at the same time for the next few months the opening of new production facilities in Ghana and Kenya. With initially modest numbers, they should be a kind of door opener for the planned African domestic market become so Schäfer.
He sees Africa as the world’s last unused market, and thus agrees with industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. “Yes, it is a potential market – but the potential needs an economic basis to be unfolded,” he told the German press agency, pointing to the weak economy.
Schaefer estimates the potential of the continent on up to five million new cars per year – provided the conditions are right. And they are currently doing neither from Dudenhöffers nor from Schäfer’s point of view. The VW manager is therefore working on a “pan-African autopakt” and is forging ahead with industrial partners in pioneering markets. A closely interlinked continental manufacturer market à la airbus hovers before him. He knows the car manufacturer association AAAM behind him.
Steep learning curve
Shepherd is about showing what’s possible. He refers in the context to the first attempts of the Wolfsburg in China, as she there with the in Germany barely in demand Santana model initially produced quite modest numbers. He sees the 50 E-Golf in Rwanda’s capital Kigali only as a start. A fleet of more than 200 assembled in the country VW vehicles are there according to his information already.
Schäfer speaks of a steep learning curve, which existed so far in Rwanda. It is also about data: How does a mobility service react in an environment with high temperatures and regions without street names? Useful experiences to be used in Ghana.
As the largest location on the continent so far, the Volkswagen plant is located near the South African port of Port Elizabeth, where 126,463 vehicles were produced last year. Schäfer expects to produce 162,000 vehicles there for the current year. The plant builds various polo versions for the export as well as the domestic market.
South Africa is considered a kind of test market for automotive manufacturers from all over the world, including BMW, Mercedes, ford or Nissan, but also Chinese or Indian manufacturers. The VW brand now has a market share of 20 percent – the highest in the Group.