The Mureza will make its debut on local soil at the Automechanika Johannesburg Expo taking place later this month. Assembled from SKD kits in Rosslyn, South Africa, the Mureza Prim8 (Primate) will also later be assembled in both Zimbabwe and Botswana. The African brand will initially be committed into a joint venture with the Iranian automaker, the SAIPA Group and funded by investors in the United Arab Emirates.
Mureza aims to offer the Prim8 between the R180 000 and R200 000 and is said to include features such as keyless entry, a 7-inch touchscreen with navigation and reverse camera and an audio system with Bluetooth. Occupants will also have access to cruise control, parking sensors, air conditioning, a power-adjustable seat, four airbags, electronic stability control, ABS brakes and tyre pressure monitoring system. Under the bonnet, owners will find a 1.5-litre petrol engine developing 87kW mated to either a five-speed manual or CVT transmission.
According to Tatenda Mungofa, the Mureza aims to fit in-between the second hand and new vehicle markets. “We will also engage with the people selling used imports to retail our new models and will assist them in setting up service facilities where this is viable, or else we will appoint independent servicing outlets in the various SADEC countries that we are targeting as the first step for our new company. Here in South Africa, we are also looking to sell our various Mureza models through used vehicle outlets instead of setting up new car franchised dealerships. Online selling will be important for us too,” Tatenda Mungofa, Mureza Auto Company.
While SAIPA is the second-largest automotive manufacturer in the Middle East area, South Africa is considered to be the automotive business hub in Africa and thus, the headquarters and first assembly plant will be created here, said Mungofa. “We are looking at cooperating with smaller component suppliers who not yet able to handle big production runs and our business will help them grow their businesses. We are also looking for local entrepreneurs to get involved with the various facets of our business to give it a true African flavour,” Tatenda Mungofa, Mureza Auto Company.
While Mureza will initially have one model on offer, it was revealed that a half-ton bakkie, sedan and a mini-SUV forms part of the production plan, later the brand plans to add a range of one-ton bakkies. Energy Doctors in South Africa is already developing a battery-electric platform for Mureza’s X200 platform.
“We see our venture as revitalising the motor industry in several African countries and providing much-needed job opportunities. For instance, we are looking to building up employment at Rosslyn to 1 000 people, with a lot of focus on manual work, as we grow production from 10 to 35 units a day. We intend starting assembly early in 2020. The word Mureza means Flag and we want to be the flag-wavers for indigenous African motor industry. We want to be like Henry Ford who replaced horses with affordable cars. In our case, it will be replacing imported used cars with affordable cars made in Africa. We have been preparing for three years to make our dream a reality and we already have many important pegs in the ground leading up to our display of the Prim8 at Automechanika in Johannesburg. I have been involved in selling used imports in Africa for the past 10 years and I know that Africans want to own their vehicles, not share them. Owning a vehicle is very much a demonstration of success and we want to build on this culture,” concluded the Mureza executive.
