Mercedes-Benz South Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Headquarters | East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
Key people | Claudius Steinhoff (President and CEO)[1] |
| Products | Luxury Vehicles Commercial Vehicles |
| Parent | Mercedes-Benz Group |
| Website | corporate.mercedes-benz.co.za |
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd. (MBSA) is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group that manufactures passenger cars and commercial vehicles in South Africa.
In 1896, the Benz Velo was the first car to be imported into South Africa.[2] The first Daimler-Benz branch in South Africa was opened in 1954 and four years later signed a contract with Car Distributors and Assemblers (CDA) in East London to assemble the W120, W121 and W180 series.[2][3] CDA had previously assembled Nash, Fiat, Renault, Land Rover, Hino (Briska model), Prince (Miler model) and Commer vehicles since 1950. Other brands assembled were Standard, DKW/Auto Union and Alfa Romeo.
CDA began producing Mercedes-Benz trucks in 1962 and was taken over by United Car and Diesel Distributors (UCDD) (Pty) Ltd in 1966, which at that time had been the sole sales company for Mercedes-Benz in South Africa for four years.[2] With the engine plant opened in 1973, Mercedes-Benz engines were manufactured outside of Germany for the first time. In 1979, the company Atlantis Diesel Engines received a license to produce commercial vehicle engines.[2] In 1984, Daimler-Benz AG acquired 50.1% of the shares in UCCD and changed the name to Mercedes-Benz of South Africa (Pty) Ltd.[2] The first managing director of the new company was Jürgen Schrempp, who had worked in South Africa with interruptions since 1974.[4] Other shareholders in the new company were the Ernst Göhner Foundation in Switzerland (23.4%) and Volkskas (26.5%), whose shares Daimler-Benz was to take over in 1992 (Volkskas) and 1998 (EGS).[2][5]
After the merger of the parent company, Mercedes-Benz of South Africa became DaimlerChrysler South Africa (Pty) Ltd. in 1999. After the parent company split up, DaimlerChrysler South Africa changed its name back to Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd. at the end of 2007.[2] The company had around 2,700 employees in 2013.[6]
