SA President hails BMW for hybrid X3 plant in country

Last week the BMW Group announced that it will be spending R4.2 billion (US$220 million) over the next five years to prepare its local manufacturing plant for the production of the next-generation BMW X3.
The plug-in hybrid X3 will be exclusively manufactured in South Africa at BMW’s Rosslyn plant in Pretoria from the second half of 2024 making it BMW’s first locally-produced electric vehicle.
“This investment announcement affirms the confidence investors continue to have in our economy. It also gives effect to the principle of our transition to low carbon energy.
While there are fears that the move towards de-carbonisation will result in job losses, BMW’s plans for job retention, reskilling and training on electro-mobility will provide certainty to more than 20,000 employees at the company’s facilities across the country.
Working in partnership as Government, business, labour and civil society, we have to ensure that the transition to new forms of production is managed in a just, equitable manner,” said Ramaphosa.
In addition Ramaphosa said reducing the country’s carbon footprint is critical to the health and well-being of the people as well as a great opportunity to grow and diversify the economy and create employment.
“For us, reducing our carbon footprint is critical to the health and well-being of our people, the sustainability of our society and ensuring that our goods and services remain competitive into the future. At the same time, it is a great opportunity to grow and diversify our economy and create employment.
We have said that our transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy must be just and inclusive. We have therefore, produced a Just Energy Transition Investment Plan to direct resources both to supporting workers, communities and industries affected by the shift towards renewable energy sources, and to investing in new industries like green hydrogen and electric vehicles.
The de-carbonisation of our society can be used to drive growth, improve industrial competitiveness, create jobs and harnessing the potential of innovation,” added Ramaphosa.
Already, the European Union (EU), has decided to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered motor vehicles from 2035.
However, South Africa has some important advantages as it has the world’s largest reserves of platinum which is an attractive location for renewable energy, both of which are important elements in the production of green hydrogen. Such hydrogen can be used as an e-fuel in some models of vehicles, which are exempted from the EU ban.