 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Ford of Canada Sigma Motor Corporation |
| Defunct | 2000; 26 years ago (2000) |
| Successor | Ford of Southern Africa |
| Headquarters | South Africa |
| Parent | Ford Motor Co. |
TheSouth African Motor Corporation, more commonly known asSamcor, was a South Africancar manufacturer created in 1985 through the merger ofFord Motor Company of Canada's South African subsidiary andSigma Motor Corporation (previously known as Amcar),[1] which producedMazdas for the local market.[2]
As a result of the merger, Ford and Mazda began to share models in South Africa, as they already did in other markets like Australia. For example, in 1986, theEuropean-sourcedFord Escort was replaced by theLaser andMeteor based on theMazda 323 hatchback and sedan respectively and manufactured locally from 1986 up to the Ford Escort's re-introduction in 1995.[3] Similarly, in 1993, theFord Sierra hatch and Sapphire sedan were replaced by theFord Telstar (1993-1998), based on theMazda 626.[4] However, thisbadge engineering proved unpopular with many South African buyers and came to an end in 1998 when the Mondeo replaced the Telstar in this market.[5]
In 1988, Forddivested from South Africa and sold its 42 per cent stake in Samcor, although it would continue to sell Ford-branded automobile components for assembly and sale in the country.[6]
In addition to Ford and Mazda products, Samcor also assembledMitsubishi commercial vehicles,[7] with theMitsubishi L300 minibus being badged as the Ford Husky.[8]
In 1994, Ford (USA) bought a 45 per cent stake in Samcor,[7] and in 1998, bought the remaining share, renaming the company FMCSAFord Motor Company of Southern Africa in 2000.
In 2015 FMCSA, now under complete Ford (USA) ownership, closed all of the Port Elizabeth assembly plants and transferred all of their South African manufacturing activities to the Silverton, Pretoria assembly plant.
Ford South Africa was based inPort Elizabeth (now part of theEastern Cape province) and had been operating since 1923. In the early 1980s, it had both a vehicle assembly plant and an engine plant in Struandale, together with an older assembly plant in Neave. After the merger withSigma and the formation of Samcor, the engine plant continued to be operated by Samcor and in 2015 was still operating under Ford ownership. Both the assembly plants were closed and all vehicle production transferred to Samcor's Silverton Assembly Plant inPretoria. The Struandale assembly and engine plants were subsequently sold toDelta Motor Corporation (now General Motors).
In 1984, after undergoing losses over the past two years, Sigma was restructured into a new company known as Amcar.[9] The following year, it was merged with Ford South Africa to create the South African Motor Corporation (Pty) Ltd., known as Samcor for short.[10] In 1988, Ford Canada divested its equity interest in Samcor and donated most of it to the Samcor Employees' Trust.[11] However, Samcor continued to build Ford as well as Mazda and Mitsubishi products.[12]
The Silverton Assembly Plant (25°43′21″S 28°20′06″E) is located on Simon Vermooten Road, in an industrial area on the outskirts ofSilverton. It is approximately 15 km (9 miles) east ofChurch Square, the centre of Pretoria. Thetownship ofMamelodi is nearby, and many of Samcor's labour force came from there.
On the main site is the assembly plant itself and two office administration buildings. Adjacent is the Parts & Accessories warehouse which includes the Customer Service offices. Samcor also used to have a separate design studio and Service Training facilities, both in nearby Silvertondale. Both were closed in the 1990s.
Originally built in 1961 forChrysler, early models assembled at Silverton included theChrysler Valiant and thePeugeot 504. As of 2015, the assembly plant is still operating under Ford ownership. It now assembles only theFord Ranger pick-up and, in smaller numbers, theFord Everest.
Although Samcor's exports were mainly confined toSouthern Africa, from 1991 to 1993, it exported the South African version of the Mazda 323 to theUK, as theSao Penza.[13][14] However, just over 1,000 were sold and as of July 2025 just one remains, albeit in an unroadworthy state, rumoured to be in a barn in West Sussex owned by a private collector.[15]
Namibia, formerly South African-administeredSouth West Africa, was considered by Samcor to be part of the domestic dealership network.[16]
The European-market Ford Ranger has been supplied from South Africa since its introduction, due to a trade agreement between South Africa and the European Union which grants a lower import duty for vehicles made in South Africa.
The Samcor corporate logo was oval-shaped, similar to the Ford logo. Initially, both monochrome and colour versions were used. The colour version consisted of three horizontal bands of orange, white and blue with "SAMCOR" on the middle band. These were the main colours used on theold pre-1994 South African national flag. After the introduction of thenew national flag, the colour logo was dropped and only the monochrome version used.
The logos were mainly used on internal documentation and business cards. Vehicles were not badged as Samcor, but the Samcor logo and name was used onVehicle Identification (VIN) plates.
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