Toyota Tsusho Manufacturing Ghana Co Ltd (TTMG), Toyota Tsusho Corporation’s vehicle assembly company in the Republic of Ghana, has begun semi-knocked-down production of Suzuki Motor Corporation’s Swift hatchback in Ghana. The official announcement has come today even though the assembly operations kicked off in September 2022.

Semi-knockdown essentially is a method of vehicle assembly that the welded and painted body is imported and the components parts are assembled with body and chassis, or its parts configuration.

To mark the start of production, a ceremony was held in Ghana on January 30 in the presence of the Minister of Trade and Industry Samuel Abu Jinapor, Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana Hisanobu Mochizuki, and Suzuki Managing Officer Koichi Suzuki.

This SKD production of the Swift has been executed as part of strengthening and expanding the alliance between Suzuki, which concluded a collaboration agreement with Toyota in March 2019, and Toyota Tsusho, which received the full transfer of sales and marketing operations in Africa from Toyota in January 2019.

The Toyota Tsusho Group currently produces vehicles in four countries in Africa: Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana. The TTMG plant in Ghana has an annual production capacity of 1,700 units and approximately 50 employees.

TTMG began SKD production of Toyota's Hilux pickup truck in June 2021. This is the first time that Toyota Tsusho produces Suzuki vehicles in Africa as well as mixed production of the two brands.

Going forward, Suzuki and Toyota Tsusho will continue to strengthen and expand their alliance and tailor local production to market needs, further contributing to the development of the automobile industry in Africa.