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Motus cuts deep into its car rental business as tourism grinds to a halt

By: Irma Venter 23rd June 2020 Automotive group Motus will reduce its vehicle rental fleet by 40% and will close 20 sites within its rental business, says CEO Osman Arbee. Motus operates the Europcar and Tempest vehicle hire brands, operating through 100 car rental outlets in South Africa and 17 outlets in neighbouring countries. →

Component makers face cash crunch, demand imbalance

By: Irma Venter 22nd June 2020 The National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) is not aware of any dedicated automotive component company that has closed its doors following the Covid-19 lockdown period, says executive director Renai Moothilal. “But, I don’t think the full impact of the... →

Photo by Donna Slater
Renai Moothilal

Electric vehicle rally to maintain demand for battery metals despite Covid-19

By: Donna Slater 19th June 2020 Although subdued as a result of Covid-19, demand for battery metals, including cobalt, lithium and copper, will remain strong as a result of growth in the global electric vehicles (EV) market, business intelligence company CRU UK cobalt, lithium and battery markets senior analyst George Heppel... →

Naamsa expects 25% drop in vehicle exports, production and sales

By: Irma Venter 19th June 2020 The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) expects a drop of roughly 25% in the production, sales and exports of new vehicles in and from South Africa, says Naamsa CEO Mike Mabasa. “This is a huge number. When we started the year, the outlook was for a 5%... →

Metair clinches multibillion-rand contracts as Ford expands in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 19th June 2020 Metair has secured multiple contracts from Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) as the local arm of the US vehicle maker prepares to launch new vehicles for the local and export markets. The new launches form part of a fresh investment and production expansion programme at Ford to meet... →

African car market can grow materially despite Covid-19 setback

By: Irma Venter 19th June 2020 Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, new-vehicle sales in sub-Saharan Africa, outside South Africa, can grow from about 100 000 a year to about two-million a year in the next 15 years – and this is a “very, very conservative” estimate, says African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) CEO... →

New refinery offers hope on clean fuels; Toyota SA to start hybrid production in 2021

By: Irma Venter 12th June 2020 There has been no progress on introducing cleaner fuel to South Africa since government withdrew the regulations regarding the Clean Fuels Two (CF2) programme in 2017, says Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM). CF2, first published by government in 2012, was originally scheduled to come into force... →

The Lexus UX 250h EX hybrid

Nissan plant rolls out INTUboxes to hospitals in bid to curb Covid-19

By: Irma Venter 12th June 2020 Local arm of Japanese vehicle maker Nissan and the University of Pretoria (UP) have partnered to create and manufacture INTUboxes. These are transparent vessel boxes that protect health professionals who have to intubate and treat acutely ill Covid-19 patients. →

Ford, Volkswagen to join hands on EV, bakkie projects

By: Irma Venter 11th June 2020 US car maker Ford Motor Company and its German counterpart Volkswagen have signed agreements that will expand their global alliance to medium pickups (one-ton bakkies) and other commercial and electric vehicles (EVs). The companies anticipate continued growth in global demand for commercial... →

BMW SA restarts exports from its Rosslyn plant

By: Irma Venter 11th June 2020 BMW Group South Africa (BMW SA) has restarted exports following the national lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19. The local arm of the German car maker has dispatched almost 2 000 BMW X3 vehicles to European export markets, in response to global demand, with an approximate value of... →

Metair clinches multibillion-rand contracts as Ford expands in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 5th June 2020 Metair has secured multiple contracts from Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) as the local arm of the US vehicle maker prepares to launch new vehicles for the local and export markets. The new launches form part of a fresh investment and production expansion programme at Ford to meet... →

South Africa broke auto-export records pre-Covid-19, but outlook is stifled

By: Irma Venter 5th June 2020 The nearly 100% decline in April new-vehicle sales and export figures serves as barometer of the impact of Covid-19 on the domestic automotive industry and the economy at large, says National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa and Automotive Industry Export Council executive... →

Covid-19 to exact heavy toll on SA’s production of vehicles in 2020

By: Irma Venter 5th June 2020 Taking into account an anticipated 6.1% decline in South Africa’s economic growth, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, new-vehicle sales will probably fall by between 20% and 30% in 2020, says a report issued by the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC), titled ‘Re-gearing the Gauteng... →

Hino, BYD to collaborate on development of electric trucks

By: Irma Venter 2nd June 2020 Japanese truck manufacturer Hino Motors has signed a strategic business alliance with BYD Commercial Vehicles, of China, to collaborate in developing battery electric vehicles (BEV). The objective is to find best-fit solutions for the customers of both companies while promoting low-carbon... →

ERG says cobalt market can only benefit from EU’s green plan

By: Marleny Arnoldi 2nd June 2020 Diversified miner Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) says the European Union’s (EU’s) green plan to make electric vehicles (EVs) a centrepiece of the continent’s economic recovery has injected confidence into the global cobalt market. CEO Benedikt Sobotka says the green plan has also renewed... →

Battery metals traceability project launched to enhance sustainability of industry

By: Donna Slater 2nd June 2020 Finland-based research, development and innovation organisation VTT says the success of electric vehicles (EVs) may be determined by production methods and information on the origins of battery materials in the future. VTT and the Geological Survey of Finland GTK, there, have launched a battery... →

Nissan plant rolls out INTUboxes to hospitals

By: Irma Venter 1st June 2020 Local arm of Japanese vehicle maker Nissan and the University of Pretoria (UP) have partnered to create and manufacture INTUboxes. The INTUbox is a transparent vessel-box which protects health professionals who have to intubate and treat acutely ill Covid-19 patients. →

Reopened Merc plant gears up for face-shield, breathing-aid production

By: Irma Venter 29th May 2020 Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) will manufacture three-dimensional- (3D-) printed recyclable plastic face shields for use in the mass screening for Covid-19, and for use at clinics and hospitals. In addition, and pending quality assurance regulatory approval, the local arm of the German auto... →

Cartrack says there has been no spike in cancellations owing to Covid-19

By: Irma Venter 29th May 2020 Cartrack CEO Zak Calisto is confident the asset management and workforce optimisation company will be able to weather the current Covid-19 storm, provided “the storm doesn’t last forever”. “We have been able to deliver a high level of service to all our customers, despite the economic disruptions... →

Auto industry to face up to 30% job, production losses, says AIDC report

By: Irma Venter 27th May 2020 Taking into account an anticipated 6.1% decline in South Africa’s economic growth owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, new-vehicle sales will probably fall by between 20% and 30% in 2020, says a report issued by the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC), titled Re-gearing the Gauteng... →

Festival of Motoring postponed to August 2021

By: Chanel de Bruyn 26th May 2020 Event organiser Messe Frankfurt South Africa is postponing its Festival of Motoring event to August 2021. The Festival of Motoring, presented by WesBank, is the largest automotive show on the African continent and the only national industry-supported event endorsed by the National Association of... →

Rear-eject body production expanded to Brazil

15th May 2020 Last month, off-highway truck customisation solutions provider Philippi-Hagenbuch (PHIL) announced that the production of its patented rear eject body will begin in Brazil in the second quarter of this year. The expansion of services in South America will better serve the construction and mining... →

TOUGH HAULING PHIL’s line of rear eject bodies are engineered to offer the ideal productivity-enhancing solution for challenging hauling applications

Joint venture formed for fuel cell production

15th May 2020 Automotive manufacturers Volvo Group and Daimler Truck have signed a preliminary non-binding agreement to establish a new joint venture (JV) to develop, produce and commercialise fuel cell systems for heavy-duty vehicle applications and other use cases. Both companies share the Green Deal vision... →

CARBON NEUTRAL TRANSPORT Both companies seek to to offer heavy-duty vehicles with fuel cells for demanding long-haul applications in series production in the second half of the decade

Re-opened Merc plant gears up for face-shield, breathing aid production

By: Irma Venter 14th May 2020 Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) will manufacture 3D-printed recyclable plastic face shields for use in the mass screening for Covid-19, and for use at clinics and hospitals. In addition, and pending quality assurance regulatory approval, the local arm of the German auto manufacturer will also... →

The CPAP device

Cartrack sees no spike in cancellations owing to Covid-19, says Calisto

By: Irma Venter 13th May 2020 Cartrack CEO Zak Calisto is confident the asset management and workforce optimisation company will be able to weather the current Covid-19 storm, provided “the storm doesn’t last forever”. “We have been able to deliver a high level of service to all our customers, despite the economic disruptions... →

Zak Calisto

The motor industry re-opens its doors

By: Irma Venter 13th May 2020 Newly published regulations by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition have allowed the motor industry to immediately open for business, albeit under strict conditions. “We have carefully crafted new directives which will empower our dealership network across the country to cautiously... →

VWSA lost 17 000 units owing to lockdown; restarts production

By: Irma Venter 11th May 2020 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) has lost production of around 17 000 vehicles at its Uitenhage plant, in the Eastern Cape, owing to the national Covid-19 lockdown, says chairperson and MD Thomas Schäfer. The plant produces the Polo hatchback for the local and global export markets, with the... →

Thomas Schäfer

Auto exports broke several records pre-Covid-19, says Lamprecht

By: Irma Venter 8th May 2020 The nearly 100% decline in April new-vehicle sales and export figures serves as barometer of the impact of Covid-19 on the domestic automotive industry and the economy at large, says National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa and Automotive Industry Export Council executive... →

Norman Lamprecht

Sasol Solar Challenge postponed to early 2021

By: Irma Venter 7th May 2020 This year's Sasol Solar Challenge (SSC) has been postponed until early 2021. The solar car racing event is provisionally scheduled to take place from February 19 to February 26, instead of September this year as initially planned, say the organisers. →

VW, German govt in project to convert PE plant into R135m medical facility

By: Irma Venter 5th May 2020 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) has made its Port Elizabeth plant available as a temporary medical facility in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The goal is to assist the local and provincial government in providing care to Covid-19 patients in Nelson Mandela Bay. →

The Port Elizabeth plant which will be converted into a medical facility. Thomas Schäfer is to the far left.

Toyota Yaris fastest-selling used car in South Africa, says AutoTrader

By: Irma Venter 4th May 2020 The Toyota Yaris was the fastest-selling used-vehicle in South Africa from February 1 to March 31, 2020, at 18 days, says online trading platform AutoTrader. This data is derived from AutoTrader’s Used Car Rate of Sale, a metric used to extract insight from AutoTrader’s vehicle taxonomy database. →

Automotive component manufacturer produces face shields for adults, kids

By: Irma Venter 30th April 2020 Rosslyn Automotive Supplier Park (ASP) tenant PolyGen has joined a group of factories in the automotive sector that are modifying their production lines to manufacture goods that will assist in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The company previously produced plastic parts for automotive... →

Toyota to produce face shields, hand over operation to small business

By: Irma Venter 24th April 2020 Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) president and CEO Andrew Kirby has announced that the local arm of the Japanese manufacturer has started production of face shields in South Africa. The Toyota team at the Durban plant has used the technical expertise of its production engineering department to... →

Daimler, Volvo form JV to develop, produce fuel-cell systems for trucks

By: Irma Venter 21st April 2020 Two truck-maker heavyweights, Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group, have signed a preliminary nonbinding agreement to establish a new joint venture (JV) to develop, produce and commercialise fuel-cell systems for heavy-duty vehicle applications and other uses. German truck maker Daimler will... →

VWSA produces ventilator parts, face masks in fight against Covid-19

By: Irma Venter 20th April 2020 With vehicle production halted owing to the Covid-19 lockdown, Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) has switched its focus to the manufacture of face masks and medical equipment. VWSA has partnered with Gusco, which has previously been a beneficiary of the company’s Community Trust, to produce... →

VWSA, Gusco face mask production

Ford acquires two humanoid robots

By: Irma Venter 16th April 2020 Ford Motor Company has acquired the first two robots off the production line at Agility Robotics, the producer of Digit, a commercially available robot with arms and legs designed to work with humans and in human spaces. This purchase continues the existing research partnership between Agility... →

Hino developing heavy-duty fuel-cell truck

By: Irma Venter 14th April 2020 While there is a swing towards electrification for many forms of transportation, Toyota Motor Corporation is continuing its development of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, while also bringing Toyota group electric vehicles to market. One of the Japanese’s company’s latest fuel-cell projects is a... →

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