adminHarare Bureau
Quest Motors Manufacturing says a single order for vehicles from state-owned institutions would help revive over 10 local companies and in the process ensure that the government meets the objectives set out in its economic blueprint, Zim-Asset. Operations manager Carl Fernandez said that ministries, state-owned enterprises and parastatals had not followed the government order compelling 80 percent of vehicles to be procured locally.
In March, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development ordered all line ministries, public institutions and parastatals to buy at least 80 percent of their vehicles from local car assemblers. Zimbabwe has five car assemblers.
“No big order has come through from the government. If high vehicle users such as the army, TelOne and Zesa make an order, it would fix half the economy of Manicaland. The glass company would be in business, Karina Textiles would still be opened and the timber companies, the spring companies wouldn’t be struggling.
“The downstream effects of reviving the firms is massive. Instead we’re exporting our labour and resources to South Africa. It’s a pity that Zimbabwe has to close its factories when solutions are right in front of us.”
Zimbabwe is the only country outside South Africa where car assembling can be done but the country is not taking advantage of this. In most instances, Fernandez said Zimbabwe is ahead of South Africa.
He said Quest will start assembling the Mitsubishi Triton in August while South Africa will only start next year. “The Triton was launched worldwide in March and Quest will start assembling in August compared with South Africa which will only start next year.” The company will assemble the Oajero Sport, Suzuki Carry and the Toyota Revo from September.
Fernandez said 4,200 new vehicles were imported into the country last year, 92 percent of which were taken up by the government. However Quest had only sold 24 Foton Tunland twin cabs. The twin cabs were priced at $42,000
“It’s not even about the brand of vehicles we have. People are importing Chinese buses such as the FAW which are much lower quality than what we’re making. If you drive past the Zupco premises you’ll see broken down buses… you never saw that when they were driving AVMs.
“Secondly, they’re importing the same vehicles we’re making at lower specifications and higher prices. An institution came here and tested the double cabs and were impressed. However that institution went and imported the same vehicle at lower specifications and higher prices.”
Quest has started assembling Q-buses modelled around the Yuton bus but custom built to withstand Zimbabwean conditions. Fernandez said that the body of the bus is different compared to the Chinese version as it is all steel while the chassis has been strengthened to suit the country’s roads.
He said the idea was to get 40 percent of the material (tyres, seats and glasses) locally. “Zimbabwe should in the end become a net exporter of buses. The market should not be 12 million Zimbabweans but 600 million in the Comesa and Sadc regions. The local content push will take about a year to get right and then we can start exports but we’re looking at Comesa as our main market.”
Fernandez also said the company will add tractors to its products. The group has in the past assembled John Deere tractors and Massey Fergusons. “The investment into models is much lower on tractors as we’ve facilities already available such as the paint shop.”
Quest was the first assembling plant to be built in the country. It was built in 1958 while the first car was produced in 1960.
Online Reporter