VWSA is the latest South African automotive manufacturer to announce an expansion in its built-up vehicle export programme, which makes a welcome change to the doom and gloom in the local vehicle market due to declining passenger vehicle sales.

Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) managing director David Powels has revealed that the Uitenhage-based company will build and export 10 260 fifth-generation Jettas to key right-hand-drive markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Great Britain and Ireland.

"The additional order of fifth-generation Jettas comes on top of the plan to export 21 000 fifth-generation Golfs and 8 800 Polos in 2008 to various countries in the Asia Pacific region with the bulk of these units going to Japan. This is a further opportunity for VWSA to demonstrate to the VW Group and its customers in numerous countries, that we are capable of producing world class quality products in our plant," said Powels.

VWSA will celebrate a number of export milestones this year. At the end of April 2008, 100 000 fifth-generation Golfs were exported to countries in the Asia Pacific region, and come the end of June 2008, VWSA will have exported a total of 350 000 vehicles to various markets around the world. "We plan to build around 100 000 vehicles in our plant in Uitenhage this year, of which 40 per cent will be exported," added Powels.

The government will welcome this situation as it is facing a growing negative trade balance, which was expected to have reached almost R40 billion by the end of last year.

Exports from South Africa in the first quarter of 2008 totalled 55 122 units, which was 37per cent up on the figure for the same period a year previously, The big jump came in car exports, that rose 57per cent, while light commercial vehicle exports increased only by 7per cent.

The reason for the overall jump, as well as exports in the car sector, is that Mercedes-Benz SA is now at full production of the new C-class, while Toyota SA has now added high volume Corolla exports to the already high number of Hiluxes and Fortuners that are shipped out of Durban harbour.

Toyota accounted for almost 40per cent of total exports, made up of 81,5per cent of LCV exports and 21,3per cent of car shipments. This makes the KwaZulu-Natal facility far and away the leading exporter with 21 871 units headed for foreign destinations.

Recent additions to this plant has increased its annual capacity from 100 000 units to 220 000 units and the company plans to export 147 vehicles to more than 40 destinations in Europe and Africa this year. Together with the company's component exports the value of Toyota's automotive exports this year will be close to R20bn - equivalent to almost 1per cent of SA's GDP

Although BMW maintained second position with a slight increase in volume, its total of 10 545 units now equates to only 19,1per cent of SA's total exports, with Mercedes-Benz's total of 6 229 units counting for 11,3per cent.

Ford's volume remained almost static, with 3 651 units shipped in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 3 680 units a year previously. Nissan (2 293 units, which was double that of the same period in 2007) and GMSA (1 430 Hummers) were the only other significant exporters.

Interestingly the United States was the largest market for SA exports, taking 14 537 units. Next most popular destination for SA-built vehicles was Australia (8 546), followed by Japan (5 070) and the United Kingdom (1 125).

Toyota's big push into Africa has had a beneficial effect on the country's exports to this continent, pushing the volume up by 79per cent year-on-year to a total of 15 282 units, with Toyota responsible for 79per cent of exports into Africa - 69per cent of LCVs and 98per cent of passenger cars (mainly the new Corolla).

The only other significant exporter of built-up vehicles from South Africa was Nissan with 14per cent of the overall market and 22per cent of the LCV sales, with total exports of 2 143 units.

Nigeria, with 4 080 South African imports, is by far the biggest market, followed by Algeria (2 987), Egypt (1 459) and Zimbabwe (1 184).