BMW CEO Peter van Binsbergen on the future of South Africa’s automotive industry

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South Africa’s automotive industry is in a state of flux. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen unpacks the challenges – and opportunities – facing a sector under pressure.
He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the future of BMW’s Rosslyn manufacturing plant in Pretoria, which was established more than half a centry ago, and the urgent need for new government policy to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa is future-fit and ready for the shift to electric mobility.
Van Binsbergen also discusses the rise of imported vehicles in the sales mix in South Africa – including the rapid expansion of Chinese brands. China is a market he knows well, having spent three years there with BMW.
In the interview, TechCentral Show viewers will also hear about:
• The state of the local automotive manufacturing industry;
• What South Africa needs to implement in policy reform to ensure the automotive industrial base in South Africa – and why this is urgent;
• How the country must adapt to the global shift to electric mobility;
• The role of BMW’s IT Hub in South Africa;
• BMW’s global EV strategy, and what that means for South African EV buyers; and
• BMW’s Neue Klasse vehicles, which run the company’s next-generation EV platform, and why they are significant to its future.
Don’t miss a fascinating discussion!
6 Nov 2025 4AM English South Africa Technology · Business

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