Shanghai, June 4 (Gasgoo.com) Zhejiang Gonow Auto, a minor manufacturer of vehicles in China, plans to invest $10 million in South Africa to set up an assembly plant by 2013, Business Report (www.busrep.co.za) said today. The Chinese automaker has also appointed a new southern African distributor.

The plant may be built either in Durban or Pretoria, Ruan Zaosheng, the executive director of Gonow Auto International, said yesterday at the official launch of Vermillion Motor Holdings, the wholly Chinese-owned company that has been appointed the distributor of Gonow vehicles in South Africa.

Gonow has already established three factories outside China, in Thailand, Egypt and Iran, and its vehicles were now exported to 80 countries. In its future global market expansion, the company will build another three assembly plants in South America, South Africa and Poland.

Gonow was previously launched into South Africa in 2007 by GoNow Auto South Africa, a 100 percent empowered subsidiary of holding company Boston Super Group in Boksburg, which went into liquidation in October last year.

Vermillion has signed import distribution agreements with Zhejiang Gonow Auto from Taizhou and Tianjin-based Tanqi Tianjin Meiya, which manufactures and markets the Meiya vehicle brand.

In October 2009, the Iranian plant of Zhejiang Gonow Auto had a pickup truck roll off the production line, the first vehicle that the company made at its overseas operations.

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