Schaefer was elected at a general meeting of AAAM members held at the end of June.
Schaefer is the chairman and managing director of Volkswagen Group South Africa. He takes over after the managing director of Ford Motor Company of
South Africa, Jeff Nemeth, returned to the United States in June.
Mike Whitfield, managing director of Nissan South Africa remains vice-chairperson of the AAAM.
The AAAM deals with the development of business and trade relations in the automotive field, including vehicle and component manufacturing, between South Africa and African countries.
The organisation also assists a number of African countries with the formulation of automotive development policy options.
