Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation, better known by the abbreviation BAIC or BAIC Motor in the case of its automotive division, may well have held the distinction of being one of the first Chinese brands to set-up shop in South Africa, yet uncertainty about its presence has lingered ever since.
Factory of mystery?One of Chinas oldest vehicle brands, partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and previously Stellantis via the Jeep marque, has done little to silence the criticism surrounding its operations ever since the opening of its 41768 m 2 factory in the Coega IDZ outside Gqeberhain 2018.
Opened to significant fanfare, including a live stream to its office in Centurion where Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Xi Jinping pressed the button to reveal the first locally assembled BAIC X25, the R11-billion plant has, outwardly, delivered little since, with claims of it being nothing more than a white elephant having been constant.
At the time, the plant, which has the capacity to produce 50 000 vehicles a year, had been tipped to produce 1 540 jobs assembling vehicles from semi-knockdown kits (SKD) with the eventual aim of exporting to Africa and the Middle East.
While the introduction of upscale Beijing brands X55 two years ago had been expected to dial down on the upheaval, progress has been quiet as thoughts persisted that the smash-hit crossover may have had little bearing on the facility dispelling its white elephant notion.
