Toyota South Africa Motors has completed over 77 percent of its 10.4 billion rand ($634 million) investment program, officially launching pilot production of the ninth-generation Hilux pickup truck at its Durban plant.
The milestone was marked Thursday by an official line-off ceremony at the Prospecton facility in eThekwini, with President Cyril Ramaphosa hailing the project as a major boost for the domestic economy.
Once production fully ramps up ahead of the scheduled project completion in June 2027, the upgraded plant is expected to manufacture approximately 140,000 Hilux units annually for local and export markets.
The automaker allocated 7.2 billion rands toward advanced robotics and tooling to prepare for the ninth-generation model, alongside 3.2 billion rands for a new parts logistics center and chassis facilities.
An additional 2 billion rands was invested by local component suppliers to expand localization, reinforcing South Africa’s domestic automotive supply chain amid intensifying competition from emerging Chinese automotive brands.
This massive capital injection future-proofs the Durban facility against tightening European emissions standards, safeguarding critical manufacturing capabilities as the global automotive market transitions toward cleaner mobility technologies.
The investment also marks a major recovery milestone for the Prospecton plant, which previously suffered severe disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, July 2021 civil unrest, and devastating 2022 floods.
South Africa’s automotive sector remains a critical economic pillar, contributing roughly 5 percent of national gross domestic product and supporting over 115,000 direct manufacturing jobs across the country.
