Electric car convoy rolls into Durban as SA Auto Week opens
KwaZulu-Natal wants a share of the investment and jobs as South Africa's car industry moves towards cleaner vehicles.
Durban — A convoy of new-energy vehicles has arrived in Durban from across South Africa to mark the opening of SA Auto Week, as KwaZulu-Natal sets out to win investment and jobs from the move to cleaner transport.
The province's premier, Thamsanqa Ntuli, welcomed the convoy at the Moses Mabhida Stadium precinct on Sunday, the government news agency SAnews reports. The vehicles had travelled from several provinces, with participants also setting out from Gqeberha, KuGompo and Cape Town.
The event
SA Auto Week runs from 13 to 16 October at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, alongside the KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference. It is the fifth edition.
- It brings together carmakers, government, investors and suppliers.
- Its theme covers rethinking policy, the shift to cleaner energy, investment and inclusive growth.
- The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, is taking part, including in a round table on what keeps suppliers from entering the industry.
- One session looks at infrastructure, energy and logistics as conditions for investment.
The trade department is marking the week with Naamsa, the Automotive Business Council, which represents manufacturers, importers and distributors.
Why the province cares
Mr Ntuli said cleaner and more efficient vehicles matter more as households and businesses come under pressure from high fuel and transport costs. Electric vehicles offer another way to travel and cut exhaust emissions, he said.
He described the motor industry as a major contributor to manufacturing and jobs in the province, and said new-energy technology offers further room for innovation and investment. The shift, he added, must support economic development and benefit South Africans.
The city's plan
The eThekwini Municipality, which covers Durban, said the initiative fits its aim of a low-carbon economy with stronger local industries. Takalani Rathiyaya, deputy head of its economic development directorate, said developing local suppliers and manufacturers in the car industry's supply chain would greatly expand manufacturing in the city, and invited investors to look at the region during the week.
Sources: SAnews, on the convoy and on Auto Week, 13 October 2026.
