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

  • Priority boosts ridership and cuts congestion
    May 4, 2016
    Transit priority is proving a win-win in Europe and Australia. David Crawford reports. Technology that integrates with the Australian-originated Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) is driving bus signal priority and performance analysis initiatives on both sides of the world; in its homeland, with a major deployment in 2015, and in the capital of the Republic of Ireland.
  • Tritium unveils European headquarters in Amsterdam
    March 14, 2018
    Australia-based Tritium has announced the opening of a European headquarters in Amsterdam as part of a strategic development plan to bring its services and the manufacturing of its electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging solutions closer to clients around the world. Additionally, the facility will manage its sales programme across the territory and house a training and accreditation unit for technical servicing and support. It can also customise the company’s product range to meet local market needs and spe
  • PwC surveys EV market potential
    April 19, 2012
    Collaboration between industry participants will be essential to bring alternative fuel applications to market, according to PwC's latest publication Charging Forward: Electric Vehicle Survey. While automakers continue to bring electric vehicles (EVs) to the marketplace, governments, local municipalities and utility companies are challenged with building the infrastructure required to support these vehicles long before mainstream consumption will take hold. PwC surveyed over 200 executives across multipl
  • Germany to toughen rules after VW scandal
    December 15, 2015
    In the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, Germany's transport minister Alexander Dobrindt has announced that major automakers would have to disclose their engine software to state regulators, according to German website The Local. Dobrindt also announced there would be follow-up tests by the state motor transport authority KBA to double-check the results of exhaust tests ordered by the manufacturers. The minister said there would be "a comprehensive package of measures" to tighten the approval