Africa’s vehicle production and distribution sector still trails much of the rest of the world, but the signs are that this is beginning to change. South Africa is still the only significant producer and distributor of vehicles and parts on the continent, but other countries are now laying the groundwork to follow in its footsteps. Nigeria and Kenya, in particular, are dipping their toes into the industry, though they have a long way to go to catch up with their southern rival.

South Africa is home to the plants of seven of the world’s major OEMs – BMW, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Ford, Nissan, Toyota and Fiat. It is also home to smaller niche plants that build or assemble light commercial vehicles, in particular buses and trucks…