It’s interesting to think about all the different car manufacturers around the world. We often hear about American, European, and Asian companies, but it’s easy to forget that Africa has its own thriving automotive industry. In countries like Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Tunisia, Uganda, Algeria and South Africa., there are many African carmakers providing vehicles for people in cities and villages across the continent. It’s great to see these companies doing well and contributing to the economy of their respective countries.
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African companies in recent years only import car parts and assembled them into full-body vehicles. There were no locally made auto parts until car manufacturing industries were established in some African countries, which greatly helped boost the economy and independence of Africa. However, even with the rise of African car manufacturing, foreign-made cars still dominate the market due to neocolonialism. But the vision of African car manufacturing companies is to change this and make locally made cars the preferred choice on African roads. With a focus on quality, African-made cars have proven to be just as good, if not better than foreign-made cars.
Innoson Motors
Prominent entrepreneur, Innocent Chukwuma was 25 when he established his first motorcycle manufacturing company in Nigerian and christened it Innoson Motors.
This happened in 1987 and over the years, Innoson (Vehicle Manufacturing Co. Ltd; often shortened as IVM) has become one of the largest car manufacturers on the African continent.
It runs a plant in Nnewi in Anambra and has been nicknamed ‘Pride Of African Road.’ Did you know that 70% of the car parts are produced locally, while the rest is sourced from Japan, China, and Germany?
At the moment, Innoson Motors have been widely embraced in West African countries like Mali, Sierra Leone, and Ghana.
Wallyscar
Wallyscar was established in 2006 and manufactures an exciting range of small 4×4 vehicles that are predominantly sold in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
It was founded by two brothers, Omar and Zeid Guiga with the goal of making the vehicles affordable, sporty, and stylish. They sell to order between 300-600 units a year at a price point of around €15,000 and are now planning an electric version.
Production falls within 600 units per year and the brand sells in Panama, France, Spain, Qatar, and Morocco.
Kantanka – Ghana
Kantanka Automobile Company’s vehicles are manufactured in Ghana and they come in a variety of colours and models such as the Kantanka SUV and the Kantanka pickup.
The manufacturing plant is situated in Gomoa Mpota within the central region of Ghana and it was established by the Ghanaian Apostle Kwadwo Safo.
The Kiira EV Smack – Uganda
The Kiira EV Smack is an electric hybrid car manufactured in Uganda by Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC). The brand was born from an invention initiated by students and eventually gained the Ugandan government’s support.
Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) is a State Enterprise established to Champion Value Addition in the Domestic Automotive Industry for Job Creation and Diversification of the Ugandan Economy as a Key Growth Area in Line with Vision 2040. The Equity Partners are the Government of the Republic of Uganda represented by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (96%) and Makerere University (4%).
Mobius Motors – Kenya
Mobius Motors was founded in Kenya in 2011 by Joel Jackson. The first generation Mobius II was officially launched in 2015 with the next generation that was released in 2019.
Mobius runs with the slogan “Designed for Africa – Built in Africa.” The first batch of low-cost vehicles was released towards the end of 2017.
Mobius vehicles are built to withstand the African terrain and road transportation needs.
Nord Automobile – Nigeria
Nord Automobiles is a Nigerian automaker with its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. Nord Automobiles was conceived out of the need for a made-in-Nigeria car brand. Its activities centre on conveying quality aptitude in the worth chain – which incorporates the plan, sourcing, improvement, amassing, dispersion, showcasing, the arrangement of deals, and after-deal administration of our extraordinary Nigerian-marked cars.
Nord Automobiles’ armada of Nigerian marked vehicles is the Nord Max, Flit transport, Aso truck, Nord Lasgi, Q3 car, Q5 SUV, Nord Yarn, Ben SUV, and Urban Sedan and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Laraki Automobile – Morocco
Laraki was established in 1999 by Abdesslam Laraki, a Moroccan designer and entrepreneur who first became wealthy by importing cars in Morocco beginning in 1973. His son and the current owner of the firm is Abdeslam Laraki, a Moroccan designer who started out creating luxurious yachts and created the eponym company Laraki. Then following the steps of his father, he studied automobile design in Switzerland and soon after launched his first model, the Laraki Fulgura, in 2002.
In 2012, the conceptual artist Eric Van Hove arrived in Marrakech to resume work on an ambitious sculptural endeavour he had prepared for years: V12 Laraki. In the space of nine months, he gathered around him 42 master craftsmen from the region and began rebuilding a Mercedes 6.2 L V12 engine using rural materials and centuries-old craft techniques from the North African country. Conceptually, this sculpture is based on the story of the Laraki Fulgura, which was entirely manufactured in Morocco with the exception of its engine. The artist decided to try and reproduce that cutting-edge component locally using craft That sculpture was displayed at the 5th Marrakech Biennale and soon acquired by the Hood Museum of Art.
The technical director is Peter Tutzer, previously from Bugatti.
Birkin Cars (Made in South Africa)
This car is among the oldest cars made in Africa. It is made by a South African automotive company that began in 1982 by John Watson. It is sold in different parts of the world, including Europe, the United States, Japan, and many more. The brand is known for quality classic reproductions, including SS3 Street Series and the CS3 Clubman Series 3.
Saroukh El-Jamahiriya (Made in Libya)
This brand was launched in 1999 by the then Libya leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. He invented this rocket car to be the safest car in Africa and the world. It’s a five-seater saloon car with an inbuilt electronic defence system and a collapsible bumper that protects passengers in head-on collisions. The interior is equally designed with airbags to make it extremely safe.
The car is 17 feet long, over six feet wide, and comes with a 3-litre V6 gasoline engine. It also can run hundreds of miles on a flat tire. And it can easily cut off the fuel supply in case of fire. The prototype of this car was priced at 2 million euros.
