Samcor - wikipedia Samcor The South African Motor Corporation, more commonly known as Samcor, was a South African car manufacturer created in 1985 through the merger of Ford Motor Company of Canada 's South African subsidiary and Sigma ( previously known as Amcar - American Motors Corporation ), which produced Mazdas for the local market. As a result of the merger, Ford and Mazda began to share models in South Africa, as they already did in other markets. For example, in 1986, the European - sourced Ford Escort was replaced by the Laser and Meteor based on the Mazda 323. Similarly, in 1993, the Ford Sierra was replaced by the Telstar, based on 626. However, this badge engineering proved unpopular with some buyers in South Africa. In 1988, Ford divested 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. In addition to Ford and Mazda products, Samcor also assembled Mitsubishi commercial vehicles, with the Mitsubishi L300 minibus being badged as the Ford Husky. In 1994, Ford ( USA ) bought a 45 per cent stake in Samcor, and in 1998, bought the remaining share, renaming the company Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. Contents 1 Background 2 Silverton Assembly Plant 3 Exports 4 Logo 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Background Ford South Africa was based in Port Elizabeth ( now part of the Eastern 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 with Sigma and the formation of Samcor, the engine plant continued to be operated by Samcor and in 2015 is still operating under Ford ownership. Both the assembly plants were closed and all vehicle production transferred to Samcor 's Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria. The Struandale assembly plant was subsequently sold to Delta Motor Corporation ( General Motors ). Silverton assembly plant 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 of Silverton. It is approximately 15 km ( 9 miles ) east of Church Square, the centre of Pretoria. The township of Mamelodi 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 for Chrysler, early models assembled at Silverton included the Chrysler Valiant and the Peugeot 504. As of 2015, the assembly plant is still operating under Ford ownership. It now assembles only the Ford Ranger pick - up and, in smaller numbers, the similar Mazda BT - 50. Exports Although Samcor 's exports were mainly confined to Southern Africa, from 1991 to 1993, it exported the South African version of the Mazda 323 to the UK, as the Sao Penza. However, just over 1,000 were sold and just four remain. Namibia was considered by Samcor to be part of the South African domestic market. Namibian and South African dealers were listed together on the dealer location map supplied with new vehicles. Logo 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 the old South African national flag pre-1994. After the introduction of the new 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 on Vehicle Identification ( VIN ) plates. Ford Sierra 1985 -- 1993 Ford Sapphire 1988 -- 1993 Ford Husky ( based on Mitsubishi L300 ) 1985 -- 1991 Ford Escort 1986 -- 1988 Ford Tonic / Mazda 323 1988 -- 2003 Ford Meteor 1988 -- 1998 Ford Laser 1988 -- 1998 Ford Bantam 2 / Mazda Rustler 1987 -- 2002 Mazda 323 1986 -- 1995 Ford Telstar 1993 -- 1998 Mazda 626 1993 -- 1998 See also Delta Motor Corporation References Jump up ^ Ford Divesture Plan Readied For S. Africa, Chicago Tribune, June 15, 1987 Jump up ^ South Africa 's Shrinking Auto Industry, Chicago Tribune, October 25, 1985 Jump up ^ Financial Mail, Volume 104, Issues 5 - 9, page 221 Jump up ^ Doing Business in South Africa, Jonathan Reuvid, Kogan Page, 1995, page 270 Jump up ^ Ford, Mazda Zoom Apart, CAR magazine, September 1st 2002 Jump up ^ Ford Discussing Plans to Divest in South Africa : Firm Would Give 24 % Stake to Workers, But Maintain a Presence, Los Angeles Times, June 15, 1987 ^ Jump up to : Apartheid Gone, Ford Back in South Africa, New York Times November 29, 1994 Jump up ^ BBC Top Gear 10 Forgotten cars - Sao Penza Jump up ^ Smith, Olly. `` SAO PENZA - How Many Left ? ''. Howmanyleft.co.uk. Retrieved 2011 - 08 - 07. Jump up ^ Ford Service Dealer Location Map - Feb 1992. Part No. 92BC - 980 - AA. External links Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa Ford Motor Company Marques Current Ford Lincoln Troller Discontinued Continental Edsel Mercury Merkur Meteor Monarch FPV Former Aston Martin Daimler Jaguar Lagonda Land Rover Th ! nk Volvo Divisions and subsidiaries Current Automotive Components Holdings Chariot Ford of Argentina Ford Brasil ( Troller ) Ford of Canada Ford of Europe ( Ford of Britain, Ford Germany, Ford Romania ) Ford India Ford Motor Company of New Zealand Ford Motor Company Philippines Ford Motor Credit Company Ford Performance ( Ford Team RS ) Motorcraft Special Vehicle Team Discontinued Ford of Australia ( FPV ) Ford of Russia Ford SAF Lincoln - Mercury Premier Automotive Group Special Vehicle Operations Former Aston Martin Lagonda Cosworth Ford Aerospace Hertz Corporation Jaguar Cars Kwik - Fit Land Rover New Holland Agriculture Visteon Volvo Car Corporation Joint ventures and shareholdings Current Aston Martin Lagonda ( 8 % ) AutoAlliance International ( 50 % ) AutoAlliance Thailand Changan Ford Mazda ( 35 % ) Ford Lio Ho Ford Otosan ( 41 % ) Ford Sollers ( 50 % ) Ford Vietnam ( 60 % ) Getrag Ford Transmissions ( 50 % ) Jiangling Motors ( 49 % ) Defunct Autolatina Ford Union Matford Mazda Samcor Facilities and products Engines Factories Platforms Proving grounds Transmissions Vehicles People Designers Ford Family Henry Ford ( Founder ) William Clay Ford Jr. ( Executive Chairman ) Jim Hackett ( CEO ) List of CEOs Other Big Three Dodge v. Ford Motor Co. Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co. Fordlândia The Ford Show History Kinetic Design New Edge Pay on production United States Council for Automotive Research Founded : June 16, 1903 Headquarters : Dearborn, Michigan Commons Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samcor&oldid=800062039 '' Categories : Motor vehicle manufacturers of South Africa Motor vehicle assembly plants in South Africa Ford Motor Company Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Deutsch Italiano Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 11 September 2017, at 09 : 20. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the first ford plant opened in south africa
Answer: early 1980s