Performance Of South African Automotive Exports Under The African Growth And Opportunity Act From 2001 To 2015

Abstract

The South African automotive industry is faced with the challenge of how to expand through exports in a saturated global automotive market, characterized by overcapacity. The vision of the South African automotive industry is to double its vehicle production to one million units per annum by 2020.  However, domestic market limitations impede the ability to achieve sufficient economies of scale.  Trade arrangements contribute towards increasing market access. The impact of the AGOA on automotive trade between the United States of America and South Africa was analyzed. It was found that the AGOA resulted in a substantial increase in two-way trade. Further research is encouraged with regard to the potential of regional integration in Africa for automotive exports from South African and the USA.