Motor Company of Botswana

The Motor Company of Botswana (Pty.) Ltd. was joint venture of the Hyundai Motor Company with its local dealership Hyundai Motor Distributors (Pty.) Ltd. The company was founded in 1992 with its headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana. In February 1993 they began the assembly of Hyundai CKD kits until closing in 2001.

The company was co-founded by Billy Rautenbach, a wealthy businessman from Zimbabwe that also owned Wheels of Africa, a large cargo trucking enterprise.[1] Hyundai, however, only delivered the CKD kits, from which Hyundai models were made. At times, finished vehicles were imported from Mozambique, disassembled, reassembled and exported to South Africa in order to - compared to the direct import to South Africa - gain significant tax advantages.[2]

In 2000, the company - along with the Swedish Motor Corporation at the same location - went bankrupt with high debts.[3]

Model overview
  • Hyundai plant revving up to make new inroads in SA
  • SOUTH AFRICA: Job losses follow Hyundai liquidation
  • Hyundai write-off hurts clients
  • "Africa South of the Sahara 2004" Chapter: "Manufacturing and Construction" (page 97); ISBN 1-85743-183-9
  • Botswana car plant goes cheap

References
  1. Hyundai Gaborone plant for Kimberley, in News24 8 November 2000.
  2. John Boley: The Rise And Fall Of Billy Rautenbach. How a South African entrepreneur challenged the establishment - and lost., in: Automotive News 1 March 2000.
  3. "The Rise And Fall Of Billy Rautenbach". Automotive News. 2000-03-01. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
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