Sigma Motor Corporation
The Sigma Motor Corporation was a South African motor vehicle assembler and distributor. It operated under the Sigma name until 1985 and was based in Silverton, Pretoria. Among the vehicles sold were various models of Mazda, Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Citroën.
History
The Silverton Assembly Plant was originally built in 1961 for Chrysler, and assembled Chrysler Valiants. At some time it operated under the name of Amcar. Chrysler sold its 25% shareholding in January 1983[1] with the remaining shares being held by Anglo American. Sigma was briefly merged with British Leyland's South African filial in 1979 but the deal fell through almost immediately, leaving Leyland South Africa without a dealer network.[2]
Peugeot and Citroën South Africa (PACSA) was taken over by Sigma in early 1979 and french car production was brought to their "Sigma Park" plant east of Pretoria.[3] Sigma's Mazda and Peugeot light commercials were briefly assembled by Sigma Leyland at Blackheath, Cape Town.[3]
Products
Sigma made great efforts to develop local models, not sold elsewhere in the world. In their first three years, they developed three such models: the Mitsubishi-engined Mazda 323 GLC 1.6, the luxurious Chrysler L-series, and the 2.6-litre Colt Galant.[4] Sigma also sometimes had to choose between Mitsubishi and Mazda products, since the market was limited and local content laws made small production runs uneconomical. For instance, the second generation Mazda Capella was never offered in South Africa, as Sigma chose to build the Colt Galant instead.[3]
It is unclear what models were actually assembled at the Silverton Assembly Plant. Some models may have been imported rather than locally assembled. In 1982, models listed for sale were:[5]
| Model | Local Price (ZAR) |
|---|---|
| Mazda 323 1.3/1.5/1.5 AT/S/SL/SLX | R7,220 - R9,450 |
| Mazda RX-7 (probably imported) | R27,000 |
| Mitsubishi Colt 1600/2000/2000 AT/2600/2600 AT | R8,795 - R11,995 |
| Peugeot 305 Sedan/GR/ST | R8,600 - R9,630 |
| Peugeot 504 GR/GR SW/Super 7 | R8,910 - R11,030 |
| Peugeot 505 SR/SR AT/STI/STI AT | R11,875 - R15,700 |
| Citroën CX2400 Prestige (probably imported) | R38,000 |
| Mazda B-Series 1600/2000 | R6,595 - R8,050 |
| Mazda trucks T2000 petrol /T3000 diesel | R10,450 - R13,050 |
| Mitsubishi Canter L300 van/minibus | R10,115 - R11,355 |
| Peugeot trucks Canter SWB/LWB | R12,550 - R13,150 |
By January 1984, Mazda 626 and Mitsubishi Tredia models had been added to the line-up, together with additional variants of the 323, L300 and B-Series (B2200). The Canter trucks were then badged as Mitsubishi rather than Peugeot.[6]
In May 1984, the Mitsubishi Starion EX was added at R31,995.[7]
Successor
In 1985, Sigma was merged [8] with Ford South Africa to create the South African Motor Corporation (Pty) Ltd., known as Samcor for short. Samcor continued to build Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi products. In 2000, Ford Motor Company completed a buyout of Samcor shares and renamed [8] the company Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA). As of 2015, FMCSA still operates from the same site in Silverton.
Slogan
The slogan "Quality First" was used in advertising.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ "Chrysler ends South Africa Role". New York Times. 1983-01-27.
- ↑ Haler, Justin, ed. (July 1979). "Editor's Log". SA Motor. Randburg, South Africa: SA Motor (Pty) Ltd. 17 (7): 7.
- 1 2 3 Howard, Tony, ed. (June 1979). "From the Marketplace". SA Auto. Pretoria, South Africa. 1 (10): 21.
- ↑ Haler, Justin, ed. (July 1979). "Super-Lux version of Sigma Colt". SA Motor. Randburg, South Africa: SA Motor (Pty) Ltd. 17 (7): 19.
- ↑ CAR magazine (South Africa) October 1982 p237
- ↑ CAR magazine (South Africa) January 1984 pp205-206
- ↑ CAR magazine (South Africa) May 1984 p221
- 1 2 CAR magazine (South Africa) October 2000 p80
- ↑ CAR magazine (South Africa) October 1982, multiple pages