As Telsa raises the curtain on the all-new Tesla Cybertruck, we find ourselves, as South Africans, asking why Elon Musk has not brought Telsa to South Africa yet.
In a tweet posed to Musk, he sums up the situation quite well.
Currently, EVs imported from Europe attract a 25% tariff compared with the 18% tariff that combustion engines attract. This is due to EVs being viewed as luxury items.
We are keen to ensure that South Africa develops production capacity in what is anticipated to be a growing part of the car market. On conclusion of the discussions, a formal statement will be made.
Ebrahim Patel – Minister of Trade and Industry
In a recent parliamentary Q&A session, minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel said that the country does not currently subsidise the import or production of electric vehicles, but was working on plans to change this.