For South Africa as a whole, three quarters of its vehicle production is exported. At the same time, South Africa's policy paper on EVs is two years behind schedule. "The train (EV shift) is a global one, and it's leaving the station. If South Africa doesn't jump onto the train, it runs the risk of being left behind," Mark Raine, co-CEO Mercedes-Benz Cars South Africa, told Reuters in an interview. Specifically, South Africa will need to boost local demand by cutting the import tax for EVs, setting up large-scale EV charging stations and investing in skills needed for the new ecosystem that EVs bring, he said.

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Persons: it's, Mark Raine, Mercedes, Raine, Promit Mukherjee, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Mercedes Benz Group AG, Mercedes, Benz, Reuters, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Africa, Europe