Ahead of its local launch around November, the BAIC B30 that was first shown at the FOM 2025 was announced that it will be produced locally at the company’s Coega facility in Gqeberha. This marks a significant step in the brand’s said long-term commitment to our South African market.
So when exactly will the production of the B30 begin? they claim shortly after the local launching of the vehicle the full production will initialize. “Localising the B30 is about more than manufacturing - it’s about investing in people, skills, and a sustainable automotive future for South Africa,” said Ameena Hassan, Brand & PR Manager at BAIC South Africa. “Our Coega facility was built to support long-term growth, and the addition of the B30 underscores our confidence in this market and our intention to become a truly local brand.”
Since the officially opening 8 years ago, the Coega facility was placed as one of the largest industrial investments in the country’s automotive sector, which saw a sum of around 11 billion being invested into it. Currently the plant assembles the BAIC B40 Plus and X55 Plus models which means that the B30 addition will expand capacity and sustain hundreds of local jobs across production, logistics, and dealership networks.
In line with BAIC’s global “Build Where We Sell” philosophy, the localisation of the B30 strengthens the brand’s supply-chain resilience, reduces import dependency, and opens opportunities for future component sourcing through South African suppliers.
It is certainly encouraging to witness such scenes of various brands take a leap of faith and expanding into not only our market sales but now being apart of South Africa's economy, this would not only do good for the GDP but also play against the increased rate of unemployment. On the other hand, we eagerly await to get behind the wheel of this here B30 as it stands to be the new flagship of the market and debut new technology in the brands lineup.
it is officially set to launch nationally in November 2025.