Usually when we think of car manufacturing, Africa is not the first place that comes to mind, and even less so when we think about car brands. But as you might expect, the African continent also produces cars and has its own local brands, which, although not large in volume, help to activate the local industry. From small, affordable cars to supercars that cost much more than you would expect.
Here we have the top 5 cars and where they were made.
Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, Nigeria
Photo Courtesy Innoson Fox
This Nigerian brand is dedicated to manufacturing sedans and SUVs at affordable prices. They started as a bus manufacturer but the brand has grown so much that now they are starting to expand to other continents and are looking for foreign capital to do so. Their newest car is the Fox sedan and they are famous in their country for models such as the Umu, Uzo and G5.
Kiira Motors, Uganda
Photo Courtesy drivingyourdream.com
The first brand to develop an African hybrid vehicle, Kiira created the EV in 2014 with help of a group of students from Makerere University. The Ugandan government invested more than US$40 million in the project and although it is not yet for sale, they expect it will begin to be marketed in the coming years. With this project, they expect to employ 10,000 people and manufacture 300 units per year.
Wallyscar, Tunisia
Photo Courtesy Wallys Car Izis
This Tunisian brand produces small all-terrain vehicles that are exported to several countries such as Qatar, France, Spain, Morocco and even Panama. The small Izis is powered by a 1.4-liter Peugeot engine that generates 75 horsepower, which may not seem much, but considering its small size and light weight is more than enough to make this small car an all-terrain.
Libyan Arab Domestic Investment, Libya
Photo Courtesy nyongesasande.com
This brand is the creator of the Saroukh el-Jamahiriya, a luxury sedan built exclusively for former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The "Lebanese rocket" was conceived as one of the safest cars in the world in 1999. It was one of the safest cars of that time and was also one of the first cars to have airbags in all four seats. It could even be compared to Volvo or Mercedes-Benz. Unfortunately it was never produced on a large scale. It used a V6 engine that produced 230 horsepower.
Perana Performance Group, Sudafrica
Photo Courtesy es.motor1.com
This brand based in Port Elizabeth manufactures the Z-One, a sports car based on the Chevrolet Corvette with a body designed by Zagato. The Z-One uses a 7.2-liter V8 that produces up to 700 horsepower, making it a true high-performance sports car.
