10 Cars made in Africa – completely African made

The following cars are made entirely in Africa.
The following cars are made entirely in Africa.

We are familiar with cars but definitely not the ones made in Africa. But in reality we have lot of cars which are entirely made in Africa and we are going to explore these car brands.

Here are 10 car brands completely made in Africa.

1. Mazibuko Motor Company, South Africa – one of the cars made in Africa

Image of Mazibuko cars the future of African electric cars.
Image of Mazibuko cars the future of African electric cars.

Mazibuko Motors Company is an electric motor company founded by a Nhlanhla Mazibuko from Evaton, Vereeniging, South Africa. The car is still conceptual meaning its not yet on the manufacturing process. And there is not yet its prototype but the founder is absolutely sure of how he will bring it to life.

“Everything is still in concept stage, but we plan to source the electric motors from an outside supplier”, says Mazibuko according to Timeslive.

On the matter of production premises he doesn’t plan to build the car locally. “Yes, the ideal situation would be local production but the reality of the kind of money needed to run such a business is that you have to find the quickest, least painful route to have the car on the roads and thus our plan is to have the first model built internationally.”

2. Mureza Auto Company, car made in Zimbabwean

Image of Mureza car, made in Zimbabwean car
Image of Mureza car, made in Zimbabwean car.

Mureza Auto Company was founded by a Zimbabwean businessman Tatenda Mungofa who is based in South Africa. The company was launched in 2019 in Zimbabwe and South Africa under its name Mureza Auto Company.

The started assembling and distributing Iranian developed vehicles in Southern Africa through a joint venture with the SAIPA Group (Société Anonyme Iranienne de Production Automobile as registered in French) based in Tehran in September 2019.

Their main objective is to design and manufacture vehicles in Africa for African drivers. They also aim to make these automobiles relatively cheaper than the imported ones.

“There is a space between new and used automobiles currently offered in African countries,” says Tatenda Mungofa, CEO of Mureza Auto. “We propose to fill this gap with new models priced not much over the cost of a used import, which is significantly taxed in certain markets.”

According to News24 article published in September 2019, the business is being backed by funders in the United Arab Emirates.

3. Kiira Motors, the third on cars made in Africa in Uganda

Image of Kiira Motors, the third on cars made in Africa in Uganda
Image of Kiira Motors, the third on cars made in Africa in Uganda.

Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) is a Ugandan government-owned company that was founded to promote the development of the domestic automotive value chain in order to create jobs and wealth, as well as to commercialize the Kiira Electric Vehicle Project.

The Government of the Republic of Uganda, represented by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Office of the President, owns 96 percent of the initial stock, while Makerere University owns 4%.

In 2011, the Kiira Electric Vehicle Project built Africa’s first electric vehicle. In 2014, KMC released the Kiira EVS, Africa’s first hybrid car, and in 2016, the Kayoola Solar Bus, Africa’s first solar electric bus.

The Kayoola EVS, a fully electric low-floor city bus with a range of 300 kilometers on a single charge, and the Kayoola Coach, a luxury highway coach with both electric and diesel powertrains, are KMC’s market entrance vehicles.

4. Kantanka Automobile Company, African based, in Ghana

Image of Kantanka cars founded by a preacher in Ghana.
Image of Kantanka cars founded by a preacher in Ghana.

Kantanka Automobile, a Ghana-based automotive company that designs, manufactures, assembles, and sells luxury cars, was founded in 1994 by entrepreneur and preacher Kwadwo Safo Kantanka as a limited liability corporation to manufacture automotive components and combine them with other parts outsourced from component suppliers to form a complete built unit.

Kwadwo Safo Kantanka founded the Kristo Asafo (Christ Reformed) Church, a Ghanaian seventh-day movement. His motor vehicle company first completed built unit (CBU) in 1998, with over 75% of local components, including the engine block, fabricated locally. The Onantefo, the first SUV, was produced in 2006.

Its vehicles are assembled in Ghana with parts supplied by a Chinese company. They have manufactured various models including Kantanka Nkunimdie SUV, Kantanka Omama Pickup – Foday Lion, Kantanka Onantefo 4×4 pickup/SUV, Kantanka Onantefo SUV Foday Explorer 6, Otumfuo SUV to name a few.

They also make military vehicles like armoured vehicles, armored personnel carriers, tanks, and helicopters.

5. Birkin – made in South Africa car brand

Image of a South African sports car.
Image of a South African sports car.

Birkin car manufacturer company was founded by John Watson in 1982 to manufacture performance cars and components. In 1983 the Birkin S3 was born out of a love for the legendary Lotus Super Seven and has been widely acclaimed as one of the finest quality classic reproductions in the world — quite an accomplishment for this small but dynamic company based in Pinetown, South Africa.

Their first models of Birkin S3 was first launched in 1983 and initially build 12 successful cars of this brand. By 1988 about 8000 cars of Birkin S3 were already produced world wide “with numerous awards and glowing endorsements in kit car magazines and web rings.”

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6. Laraki automobiles, Morocco

Image of Laraki automobiles made in Morocco.
Image of Laraki automobiles made in Morocco.

Laraki automobile company was founded by Mohammed Laraki in 1973 and was established by his son Abdeslam Laraki in 1999 as a car manufacturing company. Then following the steps of his father, Abdeslam Laraki studied automobile design in Switzerland and soon after launched his first model, the Laraki Fulgura, in 2002.

The Fulgura Laraki type and sports automobile debuted as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show. A year later, at the same event, a planned production version premiered. In 2005, a significantly revised version of the bodywork was presented.

The Laraki Borac was introduced as a concept at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. The automobile was supposed to go into production in 2011, however no final design was ever revealed.

In 2013, the Laraki Epitome made its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This model will be produced in nine units. The Epitome made headlines when it was announced that it will cost $2 million, making it the most expensive car on the market.

7. Wallyscar, one of the cars made in Africa, Tunisia

Image of Wallyscar cars from Tunisia.
Image of Wallyscar cars from Tunisia.

Wallyscar was founded in Tunisia in 2006 by two brothers Zied and Omar Guiga. The Iris, a Jeep-inspired front-wheel-drive car, is the company’s product line. The ‘Wally’ name is a riff on Jeep’s renowned ‘Willys’ roots, and its style is unabashedly similar to that of Jeep’s round headlamp crossovers.

The Wallyscar Iris was designed for Tunisian conditions and can roll thousands of kilometres on gravel roads. Despite being front-wheel-drive, the car features a distinct steel chassis with fibreglass bodywork on top, which should make it exceptionally robust. A steel ladder frame crossover is a revolutionary concept.

8. Innoson, a car made in Nigeria

Image of Innoson vehicle - made in Nigeria.
Image of Innoson vehicle – made in Nigeria.

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing company was founded by Chief Innocent Chukwuma Nwala from Nigeria. Its shortened name is IVM with various brands already on the matket. Innocent Nwala is a Nigerian businessman and investor who founded this Nigeria’s first indigenous automobile manufacturing company.

70% of the car parts are produced locally, while the rest is sourced from Japan, China, and Germany. Innoson vehicles Innoson vehicles are being used in some West African countries like: Mali, Sierra Leone and Ghana.

9. Mobius Motors Kenya Ltd, Kenya

Image of Mobius cars made in the African country of Kenya.
Image of Mobius cars made in the African country of Kenya.

Joel Jackson, a British entrepreneur, launched Mobius Motors in 2009. Jackson was working in rural Kenya when he discovered that many individuals possessed automobiles incapable of navigating the country’s harsh terrain and long distances.

“Millions of people are having their productivity undermined because of the time it takes to move around and get from place to place, and that problem could be solved with a better type of product,” Jackson tells CNN.

He assembled a small team that spent ten months researching and developing the Mobius I, the company’s initial prototype. Jackson’s approach to simpler design and judicious use of off-the-shelf components to keep development costs down was shaped by the Mobius I.

The automobiles are inexpensive and within reach of the typical person. The cheapest model is 1.3 million Kenyan Shillings ($12,500). “It’s about the same price as a 5- to 6-year-old sedan car in Kenya,” Jackson claims.

10. SNVI cars, Algeria – the tenth of the cars made in Africa

An Image of SNVI Truck - one of African made truck.
An Image of SNVI Truck – one of African made truck.

SNVI is an abbreviation for Société Nationale des Véhicules which translates to National Company of Industrial Vehicles in English, this a car manufacturing company founded by State of Algeria in Africa in 1967. The SNVI company is a subsidiary of Société Nationale de Construction Mecanique and has car models that are some of the best cars made in Africa.

The company makes trucks, military vehicles, civilian cars, buses, semi trailers and civilian trucks. The company has made exports to several countries including Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Iraq, Libya, Mali to name a few.

 

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