SA's Mureza Auto Company reveals their plan to bring Iranian vehicles to SA
Mureza Auto Company, an African car brand registered in Zimbabwe and South Africa, will make its debut at Automechanika Johannesburg later in September and plans to initially assemble and distribute Iranian developed vehicles in Southern Africa through a joint venture with the SAIPA Group (Société Anonyme Iranienne de Production Automobile as registered in French) based in Tehran.
According to a media release from Mureza the company initially will have a joint venture with the SAIPA Group for platform-sharing and the supply of major components but the ultimate objective is to design and manufacture vehicles in Africa for African drivers. The business is being backed by funders in the United Arab Emirates.
Says Tatenda Mungofa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mureza Auto: "There is a void between the new vehicles and used vehicles currently sold in African countries and we propose to fill this gap with new models priced not much above the cost of a used import, which are heavily taxed in certain markets
“We will also engage with the people selling used imports to retail our new models and will assist them in setting up service facilities where this is viable, or else we will appoint independent servicing outlets in the various SADEC countries that we are targeting as a first step for our new company.
"Here in South Africa we are also looking to sell our various Mureza models through used vehicle outlets instead of setting up new car franchised dealerships. Online selling will be important for us too," says Mungofa.
The company has an ambitious product plan starting with a rebadged SAIPA Quick crossover/hatchback that will make its debut during Automechanika Johannesburg at the Expo Centre, Nasrec. A half-ton pick-up, a sedan and high-riding mini-SUV off the same X100 platform as used by the Quick is set to follow.
According to Mungofa there is even a battery-electric platform for the X200 platform under development in South Africa by Energy Doctors and the next step will be the local development of a range of one-ton pick-ups and a panel van under the Tusker model name.
Mureza Auto Company, an African car brand registered in Zimbabwe and South Africa, will make its debut at Automechanika Johannesburg later this week.
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