SowetanLIVE reports that Toyota recently announced massive investments in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) that will lead to more jobs in the province. The first production run of the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid vehicle was recently celebrated in KZN, with President Cyril Ramaphosa present to witness the achievement.
The Corolla Cross is the first generation of commercial-scale hybrid electric vehicles to come off a South African assembly line and its production on home soil will see Toyota investing R2.6bn in the country. The Corolla Cross will be exported to 40 countries across Africa, which will boost the African Continental Free Trade Area. “I am advised that the company will seek to ramp up its projected 4,000 hybrid vehicles planned for next year, if the availability of batteries improves,” the president said. He added that the R2.6bn investment by the Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer was a vote of confidence in the country. Toyota SA chief executive Andrew Kirby said the company had invested over R6.1bn in the plant over the past five years. “So, we’re therefore committed to further developing and strengthening our business in SA,” he pointed out. Toyota has created 575 new jobs at the plant and a further 1,200 new jobs have been created in supplier companies. The auto industry is one of the drivers of the country’s localisation programme and a significant contributor to the gross domestic product, accounting for more than 100,000 jobs.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at SowetanLIVE
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page