Have you ever wondered if there are African made cars? Well, there is, and I believe you have heard of at least one depending on your location.
This article is going to cover African made cars such as:
- Kantanka Cars (Ghana)
- Kiira Motors Corporation (Uganda)
- Laraki (Morocco)
- Mobius Motors (Kenya)
- Innoson Motors (Nigeria)
- Birkin Cars (South Africa) Birkin sportscar
If you are in Ghana, you have probably heard of Kantanka, and if you are also in Nigeria, I believe you have listened to Innoson motors.
But do you know there are more than two African-made car manufacturers on the continent?
This is what this article is about. In this article, we will dive into African-made cars and dive into everything you need to know about these car manufacturers.
For centuries, Africa has probably been the largest importer of various commodities globally. From food to clothing and a whole lot more.
One other thing that Africa imported in bulk was vehicles, and up to now, over 80% of the cars operating on the continent are all imported cars.
The majority of these cars imported into the continent are also second-hand vehicles. These vehicles are then subject to substantial import taxes, which costs the price of the vehicles to increase when they finally come on the market for sale.
This makes them so expensive than even brand new cars sold abroad.
But right, Africans do not want to be using leftover cars from abroad anymore as the genius minds on the continent have started answering back by building their vehicles.
Nigerians even have a word they use for foreign vehicles that have been dumped into their country.
Several vehicle manufacturing companies have sprung up on the continent with owners with the technological ideas and know-how to build a vehicle.
Several startup vehicle companies have been spotted on the African continent doing their own thing and defying the widely held notion that Africans could not manufacture equipment of such caliber. We have rounded some of these automotive companies leading the way in creating Africa’s mode of transportation.
Here Are The Most Popular African Made Cars
Innoson Motors (Nigeria)
Founded by a 25-year old in Nigeria in 1987, the company started as a motorcycle production company that ended the reign of foreign used motorcycles in the area.
This company is the first automotive manufacturing company in Africa and is already doing well since it started producing vehicles for sale.
Its customers include the Nigerian government as well as the citizens. The company produces a range of vehicles such as sedans, pickups, and buses.
Some of the models produced include the Innoson G20, Innoson IVM Granite, and Innoson 5000.
Kantanka Automobiles (Katanka)
Kantanka is a popular name in Ghana associated with a variety of unique inventions and products. The company does not manufacture cars alone.
They have produced things like TVs, fridges, and helicopters. The company, owned and led by Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Sarfo Kantanka, has made numerous vehicles such as Kantanka Odeneho, Onantefo, Omama.
Wallyscar (Tunisia)
This is a Tunisian brand that was founded in the year 2006. The company specializes in 4×4 vehicles, which are usually sold in Africa.
It was founded by two brothers known as Omar and Zeid Guiga. The main idea was to make and sell affordable vehicles to the African continent. The company also has plans to produce EV vehicles soon.
Mobius Motors (Kenya)
This is a Kenyan automaker established in 2011 by a Kenyan known as Joel Jackson. Its first vehicle, Mobius ii, was unveiled in 2015, and the subsequent model followed in 2019.
With a slogan like ‘Designed for Africa, Built-in Africa,’ the company is sure to keep to its word as a brand new SUV has a price tag of $10.000, which is the cost of a used sedan imported from outside.
It also unveiled its low-budget cars to the public near the end of 2017.
Kiira Motors (Uganda)
Africa also has some EV vehicles that are still in development and will soon be gracing the open roads.
An EV vehicle was designed and built by students of Makerere University in Uganda. The EV is named Kiira EV and was made with support from the government.
The students then later founded the Kiira Motors Corporation. This was after they had taken part in a vehicle design that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology organized.
Ownership of the KMC company was later handed to the Ugandan government and Makerere University in 2014.
The company received 100 acres of land to help them produce environmentally-friendly vehicles. The company has finished the designs of three concept cars, the first of their kind in Africa.
Conclusion
Very soon, Africans will no longer import cars from different continents because many companies have started manufacturing African-made cars. Its people have begun buying African-made ones instead of importing them from abroad.
In this article, we went through the most popular African-made cars and talked about the company behind these cars.
After getting this car, I know you also need to get yourself a driver’s license, read this article to know all the types of driver’s licenses in Ghana and the ones that you need to get.
