South Africa has long been Africa’s leader in motor vehicle production, but that dominance is now being challenged by Morocco, while Algeria is starting to ramp up production from a smaller base.
In 2024, South Africa produced 599,755 vehicles, only slightly ahead of Morocco’s 559,645. Morocco has already overtaken South Africa in passenger vehicle production, manufacturing 524,467 units – about 174,000 more than South Africa.
Morocco is increasingly focusing on the electric vehicle (EV) sector. In early June, officials in Morocco announced plans to boost EV production by more than 50% this year, targeting 107,000 EV units by the end of 2025.
Morocco’s proximity to the EU market is a clear advantage, while South Africa faces a number of challenges including stricter EU emissions targets on traditional combustion vehicles, transport costs and often unstable infrastructure.