By STUART LISULO in Pretoria, SOUTH AFRICA –
DAIMLER Trucks and Buses, a division of Mercedes-Benz South Africa, says it remains optimistic Zambia’s economy will rebound in view of the positive indicators currently obtaining on the ground.
And newly-appointed Daimler Trucks & Buses executive director Jasper
Hafkamp says the used truck market has continued to grow faster than the new vehicles segment in South Africa and the region.
In an interview on the side-lines of Mercedes Benz South Africa’s (MBSA) 2016 Annual Business Results, Mr Hafkamp expressed optimism that Zambia’s economy will turnaround given the current positive indicators, which would eventually help to boost its business profitability.
Over the last two years, Daimler, whose local dealership in Zambia is Southern Cross Motors Limited, experienced financial turbulence in the country exacerbated by the Kwacha depreciation, which affected its business planning.
However, the local currency enjoyed greater stability for larger parts of last year.
“I had an update last week of the economic situation in the different countries, and I think, within our regional centres, there are huge differences among the countries. Zambia is one of the countries where we see some positive developments at the moment so the economy will pick up,”
“About Zambia, I am pretty optimistic. There are some really good, positive indicators that it is going in the right direction and let’s hope this will continue over the next months and years,” Mr Hafkamp said at the Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria.
He said the used truck market remained a key strategic growth area of the automotive industry in South Africa and beyond.
“I do believe for development in our new countries, it is very important to first start with used trucks. I think our Truck Store is the biggest truck store outside of Europe and it is a big part in the South African market. But also, it is growing now through new countries like Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe,” Mr Hafkamp added.
And Mr Hafkamp, who is responsible for Daimler Trucks & Buses in southern Africa, said that the used truck market has continued to outperform the new vehicles segment in the region. – Story courtesy of SUMA SYSTEMS