General Motors South Africa
Encyclopedia
General Motors South Africa, or GMSA is a wholly owned subsidiary
of American
automobile manufacturer General Motors
. It manufacturers and distributes automobiles under the Chevrolet
, Opel
and Isuzu
brands. The company is headquartered in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
.
Founded in 1913, GMSA initially distributed Chevrolet vehicles before beginning to manufacture and distribute vehicles of all of GM's brands in 1926. It was sold off and relabeled the Delta Motor Corporation in 1986 as a result of the passage of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act
in the United States and subsequent divestment
of General Motors from apartheid South Africa. Following the transition to democracy in the 1990s, GM acquired a 49 percent stake in the company in 1997, and in 2004 the company once again became a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, reverting to its original name.
.
The locomotive
customers for GMSA (1974–1987) were:
After January 1987, GMSA was sold to local management which continued production as the Delta Motor Corporation. The company failed after one order of 11E-Type locomotives were constructed using GMSA leftovers. Delta Motor Corporation focused instead on automobile
engines rather than locomotives, shutting down the plant where the locomotives were constructed.
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
automobile manufacturer General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. It manufacturers and distributes automobiles under the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
, Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
and Isuzu
Isuzu
, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
brands. The company is headquartered in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Founded in 1913, GMSA initially distributed Chevrolet vehicles before beginning to manufacture and distribute vehicles of all of GM's brands in 1926. It was sold off and relabeled the Delta Motor Corporation in 1986 as a result of the passage of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act
Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act
The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was a law enacted by the United States Congress. Sponsored by U.S. Representative Ron Dellums in 1972, the law was the first United States anti-apartheid legislation. The act was initiated in reaction to the plight of blacks in South Africa and...
in the United States and subsequent divestment
Disinvestment from South Africa
Disinvestment from South Africa was first advocated in the 1960s, in protest of South Africa's system of Apartheid, but was not implemented on a significant scale until the mid 1980s...
of General Motors from apartheid South Africa. Following the transition to democracy in the 1990s, GM acquired a 49 percent stake in the company in 1997, and in 2004 the company once again became a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, reverting to its original name.
Locomotives
in 1974, General Motors South Africa Ltd. began to construct GM-Designed locomotives rather than importing them from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
customers for GMSA (1974–1987) were:
- South African Railways
- Iscor
- African Explosives & Chemical IndustriesAECIAECI Limited is a South African chemicals group and is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange.-History:The company was registered as African Explosives and Chemical Industries in 1924, with its headquarters in Johannesburg...
- Anglo-American Coal
- Middleburg Steel & Alloys
- Kwazulu Finance & Development Corporation
- Richards Bay Coal TerminalRichards Bay Coal TerminalThe Richards Bay Coal Terminal , located in the Richards Bay harbour, is the largest coal export facility in Africa. The Chinese port of Qinhuangdao maintains the largest coal exporting terminal in the world, at 209 Million tons compared to Richards Bay with 91 Million tons.Potential throughput is...
- Bophutatswana National Development Corporation
After January 1987, GMSA was sold to local management which continued production as the Delta Motor Corporation. The company failed after one order of 11E-Type locomotives were constructed using GMSA leftovers. Delta Motor Corporation focused instead on automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
engines rather than locomotives, shutting down the plant where the locomotives were constructed.
See also
- South African Class 34-600South African Class 34-600Between December 1974 and July 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-600 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 34-800South African Class 34-800Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
- South African Class 35-200South African Class 35-200Between November 1974 and August 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred and fifty Class 35-200 EMD GT18MC diesel-electric locomotives in service...
- South African Class 35-600South African Class 35-600Between September 1976 and June 1978 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 35-600 EMD GT18MC diesel-electric locomotives in service...
- South African Class 36-200South African Class 36-200Beginning in August 1980 the South African Railways placed one hundred and one Class 36-200 EMD SW1002 diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1984 one Class 36-200 locomotive was also built for the Bophuthatswana National Development Corporation, for use at the Ga-Rankuwa Industrial Estate...
- South African Class 11ESouth African Class 11EBetween 1985 and 1987 the South African Railways placed forty-five Class 11E electric locomotives with a Co-Co wheel arrangement in main line service on the Coalink line.-Manufacturers:...