Toyota SA plans to export about 147,000 vehicles to around 40 markets this year after a five-year revamp of its Prospecton plant south of Durban.
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The enthusiast website wheels24.co.za cited a local Toyota South Africa official as saying the 220,000-unit facility was now aligned closely with a number of other Toyota global production facilities, each with annual manufacturing capacity of 200,000 to 250,000 vehicles.
The process started in 2002 when TSA began with Corolla exports to Australia with volumes of around 10,000 units a year. It then became a global manufacturing hub for Hilux trucks exported to Europe and Africa.
According to wheels24.co.za, the third phase was export of the latest Corolla sedan to Europe and African with both right- and left-hand drive.
Local content of Hilux and Corolla models is over 60%, making both models compliant with the requirements of the European Free Trade Agreement with South Africa and eligible for duty-free import into Europe – a first for a South African vehicle manufacturer, the report added.
South Africa has also at times built Mercedes-Benz, BMW 3-series and Volkswagen Golfs for export to Europe.
