Toyota South Africa Motors (Pty) Ltd

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is the South African manufacturing and distribution business of Toyota, producing and marketing vehicles for the local market and for export. TSAM’s head office is in Sandton, and its manufacturing plant is in Prospecton, Durban, according to a provider record checked in August 2026. TSAM is one of South Africa’s largest vehicle manufacturers and automotive employers.

Registered name

Toyota South Africa Motors (Pty) Ltd

Type

Private company (vehicle manufacturing and distribution)

Fields funded

Engineering, commerce and other fields relevant to the automotive industry

Website

toyota.co.za

Durban’s car plant

TSAM’s Prospecton plant builds vehicles including the Toyota Hilux bakkie, one of South Africa’s best-selling vehicles, the Corolla Cross and the Fortuner, as well as the Hiace. The plant exports vehicles to Africa and Europe through Durban’s port, making it one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most important manufacturers and a major customer for local component suppliers.

In April 2022, devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal badly damaged the Prospecton plant and halted production for months. TSAM’s recovery showed how dependent thousands of workers and suppliers are on one large factory.

The Toyota Production System

Toyota is famous worldwide for the Toyota Production System, which pioneered ideas such as just-in-time production and kaizen, or continuous improvement. Engineers and managers at Toyota plants learn to eliminate waste, solve problems at their source and involve workers in improving processes, skills valued across manufacturing.

What we know about the bursary

Toyota South Africa Motors supports bursaries for students in mechanical, industrial and automotive engineering, according to the provider record. BursariesAfrica’s older guide describes a bursary administered through StudyTrust, with applications between 1 April and 30 September, household income below R750 000, at least 65% for English and Mathematics in Matric or 65% at university, vacation work and possible exposure to Toyota’s graduate programme. Those details date from earlier rounds and may have changed for 2027.

Toyota’s South African about page returned an error when BursariesAfrica checked on 15 September 2026, so this profile relies on the provider record and widely reported information.

How to research Toyota South Africa Motors

Check StudyTrust’s website for a Toyota bursary listing and Toyota South Africa’s careers pages for graduate and learnership opportunities. Read about the Toyota Production System and think about how you would apply continuous improvement in your field. Durban students should ask local TVET colleges about in-service training at Prospecton.

See the Toyota learnership and the BMW bursary.