Hyundai revs up production of first SA-assembled bakkies

The Commercial Vehicles Division of Hyundai Automotive South Africa has begun production of the popular H100 bakkie from its assembly plant in Benoni on the East Rand – little more than six months after the factory was opened in September 2014 for the initial production of the HD truck range.



“The establishment of the H100 production line forms part of a capital investment of about R110 million in the Commercial Vehicles Division of Hyundai in South Africa,” said Wade Griffin, director for commercial vehicles at Hyundai Automotive SA.



He said one of the reasons why the 1.3 ton H100 – or the ‘bakkie’, as it is known in South Africa – was considered for local assembly was because it was one of the most successful vehicles in the local model range of Hyundai Automotive South Africa.



“Close to 60 000 of the H100 bakkies have been sold since Hyundai Automotive SA started operating in the year 2000, and it has become a workhorse for many smaller as well as large, established businesses and organisations in South Africa,” said Griffin.



Assembly of the second batch of 60 H100 units has already started on the production line in the Apex, Benoni factory with the aim of rolling out 360 bakkies per month when full production is reached in September this year.



Components of the H100 – such as the engine, cabin, seats, tyres and different suspension elements of the ladder-frame chassis of the bakkie – arrive in South Africa in containers that have been packed economically, thus reducing the freight costs associated with the importation of a fully built-up unit.