COUNTRY OF BUILD

The country in which a car is manufactured is confusing. Are we talking about the assembly plant or where the parts are manufactured? For example, the Datsun Go is said to be built in India. Does this mean the car and all components are made there? Toyota develops most vehicles in Japan but because we assemble some of its products locally, they are labelled as “manufactured in SA”. Is this correct? JEREMIAH MNISI Hazyview

Country of manufacture or, perhaps more correctly, build, refers to where the vehicle is assembled. Remember, the assembly plant is where all parts come together. In a modern car, there are thousands of items from all over the world because so many suppliers are used in the automotive industry. We agree the R&D of Toyotas happen mostly in Japan but many carmakers, including Toyota, have technical centres of excellence all over the world. The automotive industry is truly a global one.