Skip to main content

Volkswagen launches mobility solution in Rwanda

Volkswagen has launched its mobility solution in Rwanda in a bid to expand its reach in Africa's automotive industry. The package includes a car-sharing service, ride hailing service and a local vehicle assembly plant. The car-sharing service will mainly be aimed at companies in the capital Kigali, while the ride hailing service will follow later this year. Meanwhile, the assembly plant will be used to develop the latest Polo and Passat vehicles. Volkswagen says it intends to build up to 1,000 vehicl
July 17, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
994 Volkswagen has launched its mobility solution in Rwanda in a bid to expand its reach in Africa's automotive industry. The package includes a car-sharing service, ride hailing service and a local vehicle assembly plant.


The car-sharing service will mainly be aimed at companies in the capital Kigali, while the ride hailing service will follow later this year.

Meanwhile, the assembly plant will be used to develop the latest Polo and Passat vehicles. Volkswagen says it intends to build up to 1,000 vehicles per year depending on demand and the success of the mobility fleet, with an annual production capacity of up to 5,000 units. The German automotive manufacturer is expected to spend $20m.

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen South Africa, says the package is tailored to the region: “We intend to harness the opportunities for growth and create new opportunities.”

Volkswagen is already active in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Algeria.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Rwanda's mobility plan in seven junctions
    June 16, 2025
    ITS improvements at just seven intersections could be the key to improving transportation in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali: Shem Oirere reports from East Africa
  • VW launches electric car-share in Berlin
    July 9, 2019
    Volkswagen has launched an electric ‘free-floating’ car-share service called WeShare in Berlin. The fleet comprises 1,500 e-Golfs, and they are to be followed by 500 additional e-up!vehicles in the German capital at the beginning of next year. The first units of its full-electric ID.3 are due to be deployed in mid-2020, the manufacturer says. Initially, WeShare will cover around 150 km2 – in the city centre and beyond the city train ring line. The service costs €0.19 per minute but will increase to
  • Hamburg’s on-demand alternative to commuting by car
    December 5, 2017
    As Hamburg is confirmed as the host for the 2021 ITS World Congress, David Crawford looks at the city’s moves towards enabling MaaS-type operations. Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg, is pinning its civic reputation on having its promised all-electric, on-demand, shuttle bus ridesharing service up and running by 2018. Partners in the three-year project are regional metro and bus service provider Hamburger Hochbahn and Volkswagen Group’s Berlinbased mobility innovation subsidiary Moia, which was set
  • Volkswagen to launch e-mobility car-sharing service in Berlin
    September 3, 2018
    Volkswagen will deploy 2,000 all-electric vehicles in Berlin, Germany, under its We Share brand in the second quarter of 2019. The company says it will motivate young, urban users to engage with e-mobility and stimulate interest in the technology. According to Volkswagen, We Share is a free-floating car sharing service which is aimed at providing people who do not own a car with electric vehicles at any time. The first fleet will comprise 1,500 e-Golf vehicles while an additional 500 e-up! models will a