Exploring technology and change in the automotive industry MyZA

The automotive industry is on the brink of a technological revolution, driven by consumer demand for higher safety standards and a lower-carbon future. The 2013 CAR Conference at the Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) will present expert opinion on the changes and technology required to address the call for new-age technology, and consider how this will impact the automotive industry. The 2013 CAR Conference, held in association with Tracker, will take place on Wednesday, 23 October 2013 at the Expo Centre at Nasrec, Johannesburg.

The Department of Trade and Industry will be represented by the Deputy Director-General: Industrial Development Policy Development, Garth Strachan, who will speak about Government’s vision for the automotive industry. His address will cover how industrial policy frameworks drive this vision, and what change has to occur to continuously increase the South African automotive industry’s competitiveness in world markets.

Dr Johan Van Zyl – President of NAAMSA. President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors

Dr Johan van Zyl will speak on behalf of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). The current NAAMSA President, and President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors, will present his views on the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP). He will discuss the change, impact and viability of the target of 1.2-million vehicles to be produced in 2020, and how technology will help achieve that goal.

With the theme of Technology and Change at the heart of the conference, keynote speaker Doug Newcomb will address the topic of “The connected car and the shift from steel to silicon”, and will suggest where the change in innovation will take us. Newcomb is a recognized US expert on technology within the automotive industry.

The 2013 CAR Conference will be chaired by Barlow Manilal, CEO of the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC). The confirmed line-up of speakers also includes: Dr Brand Pretorius, Director of companies; Dr Martin Zimmermann, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa; Oona Scheepers, Head: Design Colour and Trim at Volkswagen AG; Sizwe Nxedlana, FNB Chief Economist; and Jakkie Olivier, CEO of Retail Motor Industry (RMI).

The 2013 CAR Conference will offer essential insights to those involved at management level in any aspect of automotive and component marketing, exporting, manufacturing and retailing. These include advertising, vehicle finance, fleet managers and buyers, insurance executives, dealer principals, sales and service managers, human-resource managers, shop stewards and other senior staff in the retail side of the motor industry and allied businesses.

The event, which has been convened biennially by South Africa’s leading motoring magazine CAR since 1996, is the definitive industry conference for the Southern African automotive industry. The conference is fully endorsed and hosted in association with NAAMSA.

The conference is sponsored this year by Tracker, South Africa’s leading vehicle tracking company since the 1990s. While vehicle tracking and Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) remains the company’s core business, the Tracker of today has evolved into a highly sophisticated technological company offering leading edge fleet management and telematics solutions to both individuals and organisations throughout Southern Africa.