BAIC South Africa confirmed yesterday that it will assemble the company’s new B30 SUV locally at its Coega facility in Gqeberha. The announcement follows the B30’s first showing at the Festival of Motoring 2025 and comes ahead of its official national launch next month.
According to BAIC South Africa, local assembly will begin shortly after launch, reinforcing the company’s strategy to build key models in South Africa and expand the plant’s production footprint. “Localising the B30 is about more than manufacturing – it’s about investing in people, skills and a sustainable automotive future for South Africa,” said Ameena Hassan, brand and PR manager at BAIC South Africa. “Our Coega facility was built to support long-term growth, and the addition of the B30 underscores our confidence in this market and our intention to become a truly local brand.”
The company said the R11 billion Coega plant, one of the largest industrial investments in the country’s automotive sector, currently assembles the BAIC B40 Plus and X55 Plus models. The inclusion of the new B30 SUV will expand capacity and sustain hundreds of local jobs across production, logistics and dealership networks. In line with BAIC’s global “Build Where We Sell” philosophy, the localisation of the B30 strengthens the brand’s supply-chain resilience, reduces import dependency and opens opportunities for future component sourcing through South African suppliers, according to the company.
“We see South Africa as the gateway to the continent,” Hassan added. “Building the B30 locally allows us to deliver vehicles faster, tailor them to local conditions and invest directly in the communities that support us.”
BAIC South Africa is part of the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. Ltd (BAIC Group), one of China’s top five vehicle manufacturers. It was established locally in 2016 in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Although designed for CKD (completely knocked down) kit assembly, the plant has been assembling SKD (semi-knocked down) kits since operations began.
