The South African motor industry is an important player in the local economy with extensive plans for major investments into the future. Not only will it be one of the key industries under discussion at the upcoming South African Investor Conference, but the way forward for the industry will also be under the spotlight at the Hypermobility 2020 Conference on Wednesday 18 November.

The conference, brought to you by Messe Frankfurt and naamsa, in association with AutoTrader, is a red letter day for all involved in the varied aspects of the local automotive industry, from vehicle and component manufacturers to aftermarket suppliers.

This important conference, in association with AutoTrader, the largest automotive digital portal in the country, has an excellent speaker line-up who will cover a variety of hot issues for the industry in these times of radical change.

One topic not to be missed is Navigating the Turbulence which will consider how the South African government will stabilise, stimulate, and protect the South African automotive industry in these challenging times. The speaker will be Wamkele Mene, the recently appointed Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.

Imports of built-up vehicles and components are the lifeblood of the local motor industry, which has to deal with a domestic market in decline. Here Neale Hill, the Managing Director of the Ford Motor Company of Southern and Sub-Saharan Africa will stress the importance of the export market with facts and figures, but will also outline steps that are necessary to protect vehicle manufacturing and support mechanisms for OEMs and component manufacturers, where the Automotive Investment Scheme is an important programme.

The local motor industry roadmap and the benefits of the government’s Masterplan, which will be spelled out by Mikel Mabasa, the CEO of naamsa, is another segment of the conference which will be followed with interest as OEMs consider future investment in the local industry.

The economic outlook for South Africa and particularly the automotive industry, the impact of COVID-19 on future mobility solutions, the outlook for expanding the motor industry into more African countries and the changing expectations of today’s customers will all be subjects for discussion.

The afternoon will be given over to three streams of workshops dealing with specific interest subjects for the various players in the industry. Included as a key interest subject will be the topic by AutoTrader CEO, George Mienie answering if SA is ready for future mobility? The session will unpack how consumer attention has shifted, highlighting what was important before, and now, post Lockdown levels 4 & 5. “If the automotive retail industry wants to successfully rebound from this tough year, it needs to adapt quicker than it ever has. Data provides a roadmap to do just that.” says Mienie.

The conference starts at 08h00 and continues until 17h00. Register now at hypermobility.co.za.