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Johannesburg - The government will support the motor vehicle sector, Deputy
Trade and Industry Minister Thandi Tobias-Pokolo said on Thursday.
"The South African government has, amongst others, prioritised
the automotive industry as part of the sectors in our economy with
the expectation that the country should produce more than 1.2
million cars per year by 2020," she told a automotive conference in
Port Elizabeth, according to a statement from her department.
"But we have all seen the challenges that result from the global
economic crisis.
"These are realistic and require to be dealt with by both
government and the automotive sector, as they impact negatively on
our strategies. This also calls for the review of the Vision 2020
strategy, in line with the new challenges that we have to contend
with as a country," she said.
Her statement came a week after the National Association of
Automobile Manufacturers of SA announced car sales dropped again in
August.
Tobias-Pokolo said new "innovative ways" of achieving targets
were needed.
"The government has come on board through the motor industry
development programme and its successor, the automotive production
development programme.
"We also need to shift from production of light vehicles and
focus on heavy vehicles, buses and their components," she said.
There was a need to improve on trade agreements, particularly
with the European Union and the United States.
- Sapa