German car manufacturer BMW will pour around about $218 million (over K230 billion) into its factory in South Africa where X3 models will be produced and exported to countries all over the world.
The production will start next year at Plant Rosslyn, in Pretoria, and will make South Africa the second country in the world, after the United States, to produce and export its X3 plug-in hybrid model.
“We will manufacture the BMW X3 as a plug-in hybrid for global export in South Africa,” Milan Nedeljkovic, board member for production, BMW said in a statement.
South Africa began manufacturing the X3, the firm’s best-selling model, in 2018 and the country boasts a booming automotive industry which according to news site VOA contributed 4.3% of the gross domestic product in 2021 according to the International Trade Administration.
BMW said its Pretoria plant has produced over 1.6 million vehicles, exporting to more than 40 countries globally including 14 across the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter:
