Toyota Could Help Accelerate Transition To Electric If It Promoted More Plug-Ins in South Africa - CleanTechnica

The article highlights the slow adoption of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in South Africa, where BEVs accounted for only 0.24% of the 2024 vehicle market, with just 3,212 BEVs sold since 2018. BMW South Africa has been a pioneering promoter of electric vehicles since 2015, consistently introducing BEVs like the i3, iX3, iX, and MINI Cooper SE, maintaining a strong presence in the market. Volvo has also made significant inroads with plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and BEVs, with the Volvo EX30 leading BEV sales in early 2025. However, high import duties and taxes on electric vehicles—25% customs duty on EVs compared to 18% on petrol/diesel vehicles—pose a major barrier to wider EV adoption. This has even deterred Tesla from entering the South African market. While BMW, Volvo, and emerging brands like Chery, Omoda, Jaec