Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma will today officially launch the new generation Toyota Hilux and Fortuner in Prospecton, Durban.
The event will take place at the Toyota plant where the President will launch the new models.
The new Toyota Hilux and Fortuner models are part of Toyota’s injection of R6.1 billion investment into South Africa’s manufacturing industry and the country’s local vehicle production.
During the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February, President Zuma announced that the support provided by government, through the Department of Trade and Industry, had attracted investments of over R25 billion in the automotive industry in the past five years.
“President Zuma will launch the new models as part of the implementation of the Nine-Point Plan that he announced last year to grow the economy and create jobs.
“One of the pillars of this plan is a higher-impact Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) that focuses on increasing manufacturing-based value addition, employment creation and export-intensity,” said the Presidency in a statement.
The investment by the Japanese car manufacturer is a demonstration of the continued confidence that global automotive producers have in South Africa as an investment destination and the supportive policy environment that the country offers.
The investment in the production of the new Hilux and Fortuner vehicle models will support more than 4 000 jobs, while total employment in the plant already exceeds 8 000 jobs. – SAnews.gov.za
