Samcor
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The South African Motor Corporation, known more commonly as Samcor, was a South African car manufacturer created in 1985 through the merger of Ford's South African subsidiary and Anglo-American Motor Corporation, which produced Mazdas for the local market. In 1988, Ford divested from South Africa and sold its stake in Samcor.
As a result of the merger, Ford and Mazda began to share models in South Africa, as they already did in other markets, with the European-sourced Ford Escort and Sierra being replaced by the Laser/Meteor and Telstar, based on the Mazda 323 and 626 respectively. This badge engineering of Mazdas as Fords proved less popular with buyers in South Africa than in other countries such as Australia.
In addition to Ford and Mazda products, Samcor also assembled Mitsubishi commercial vehicles, with a Mitsubishi minibus being badged as the Ford Husky.
Although Samcor's exports were mainly confined to Southern Africa, in 1992, it exported the South African version of the 1987 Mazda 323 to the UK, as the Sao Penza.
In 1994, Ford bought a 45 per cent stake in Samcor, and in 1998, bought the remaining share, renaming the company Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
