Volkswagen opens first car assemble plant in Rwanda

It's expected to cater to the demand for ride-sharing services in Kigali

On the 27th of June, Europe’s biggest car maker, Volkswagen, opened their first car assembly plant in Africa. Though car ownership in Rwanda is low, the factory, which is the first car assembly plant in Rwanda, is expected to cater to the demand for ride-sharing services in Kigali. Volkswagen hopes to sell their vehicles and use them in Uber-like car-sharing services, but of course, there’s also the option to sell to neighbouring states in Africa.

VW “Polo” is the first model being made at the site and the company hopes to reach annual production of 5,000 cars in the first phase, by also building its Passat, Tiguan, Amarok and Tremont models. Though the factory will only be assembling the vehicles with their components being shipped in from South Africa, the $20 million investment will create up to 1,000 jobs.

The new factory is expected to assist in the economic transformation of Rwanda.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/Volkswagen


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