Motor Company of Botswana
The Motor Company of Botswana Ltd. is a former joint venture of the Hyundai Motor Company with its local dealership Hyundai Motor Distributors Ltd. The company was founded in 1992 with its headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana. In February 1993 they began the assembly of Hyundai CKD kits until closing in 2001.
The company was co-founded by Billy Rautenbach, a wealthy businessman from Zimbabwe that also owned Wheels of Africa a large cargo trucking enterprise. Hyundai, however, only delivered the CKD kits, from which Hyundai models were made. At times, finished vehicles were imported from Mozambique, disassembled, reassembled and exported to South Africa in order to - compared to the direct import to South Africa - gain significant tax advantages.
In 2000, the company - along with the Swedish Motor Corporation at the same location - went bankrupt with high debts.
