GMSA head Bob Socia, in his address at the CAR Conference at Auto Africa on Wednesday, made strong reference to the conference’s theme of Affordability, Mobility and Growth and the way in which GMSA could contribute to this.

GMSA head Bob Socia, in his address at the CAR conference at Auto Africa on Wednesday, made strong reference to the conference’s theme of Affordability, Mobility and Growth and the way in which GMSA could contribute to this.

According to Socia, these three elements are closely linked. Economic growth translates into more people being able to afford cars, which, in turn, increases peoples’ mobility.

However, he added that, currently, only about 12 per cent of the world’s population is able to own motor vehicles. In South Africa, approximately 10 per cent own a car, which means “there is clearly room for growth”.

Although Socia conceded that this situation is not unique to South Africa, it is particularly tough in SA when considering the high unemployment levels.

“It is clear that the focus for OEMs and government should be on the implementation of joint initiatives that will spur economic growth,” Socia recommended.

Socia said that GMSA was contributing to this by offering buyres entry-level vehicles such as the Opel Corsa Lite and the Chevrolet Spark. He added that his company remained committed to finding better ways of servicing this market segment by leveraging global resources and opportunities available to it.

Original article from Car