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Positive outlook promotes investment in sector

6th December 2019 In light of the positive industry outlook for major automotive manufacturers such as Nissan, steel distributor Allied Steelrode has invested in process technology to assist its predominantly automotive component sector clients. Allied Steelrode's suite of steel beneficiation equipment ranges from... →

Southern Africa has opportunity to lead in e-mobility space, says SAIIA

By: Marleny Arnoldi 5th December 2019 Irrespective of which policy position government and the private sector decide to take, the global and Southern African landscape will be affected by the e-mobility revolution. Independent public policy think tank, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) on Thursday discussed... →

Preparation work on world land speed record Bloodhound car begins

By: Marleny Arnoldi 4th December 2019 Although the high-speed testing of the Bloodhound Land Speed Record (LSR) car has been a resounding success, the “real work” would begin only now, the team said in a statement on Wednesday. The Bloodhound team is currently raising the necessary capital to move into the final phase of its... →

Bloodhound LSR driver Andy Green

EV charging network gears up for numerous new models

By: Irma Venter 26th November 2019 Few people know that it is possible to travel on the N1 from Johannesburg to Cape Town with an electric vehicle (EV). EV charging solution specialist GridCars, a Solareff subsidiary, has installed around 100 of the 200 existing public charging stations around the country. Of these 100, 52 are DC,... →

Bus and coach sector enjoys uptick

By: Darren Parker 22nd November 2019 Despite a difficult economic climate for most industries, there has been increased demand in the local bus and coach sector in the second half of 2019. “The demand for reliable, safe transport for commuters is growing, owing to increased urbanisation, thereby placing bus and coach manufacturers... →

JASON BRUNNINGER Advances in infrastructure are needed for the electrification of buses in Southern Africa

Decision on next-gen Isuzu bakkie to be made soon

By: Darren Parker 22nd November 2019 Truck and bakkie manufacturer Isuzu Motors South Africa (IMSAF), a subsidiary of Isuzu Motors, in Japan, is hoping that the next-generation (gen) Isuzu bakkie will receive manufacturing endorsement in South Africa later this year. The new bakkie was launched in Thailand last month before being... →

NEXT IN LINE The next generation Isuzu bakkie will replace the existing D-Max generation

BMW set to launch electric Mini in South Africa in 2020

By: Irma Venter 8th November 2019 BMW Group South Africa (BMW SA) will launch the fifth fully electric vehicle (EV) to enter the local market in the middle of next year – the Mini Cooper SE. This move means BMW SA will also be the first manufacturer to have two EV models available in the local market. →

Toyota to invest R2.4bn to produce new passenger car in Durban

6th November 2019 Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) will invest R2.43-billion in the production of a new passenger car at its Prospecton plant, in Durban. The model has not been named. →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Andrew Kirby

Service stations must invest in EV charging stations, says FNB’s Fester

By: Irma Venter 4th November 2019 With 867 electric vehicles (EVs) registered in South Africa, and with this figure likely to increase in the near future, fuel retailers can no longer ignore the imminent need to invest in battery electric vehicle charging infrastructure, says First National Bank (FNB) fuel brand specialist Ronél... →

BMW, ACSA unveil EV charging stations at three airports

By: Irma Venter 4th November 2019 Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and BMW South Africa have launched BMW ChargeNow electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA), Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) and King Shaka International Airport (KSIA). ORTIA and CTIA each have two ChargeNow... →

Tim Abbott and Fundi Sithebe

Tshwane Automotive SEZ expected to be jobs, industrialisation catalyst

By: Irma Venter 1st November 2019 The establishment of the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (SEZ) will – “without a doubt” – aid in job creation and economic growth, says Gauteng Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Morakane Mosupyoe. The proposed SEZ will be developed on 162 ha of land... →

Next round of emobility innovation funding opens

By: Irma Venter 1st November 2019 The uYilo Electric Mobility Programme has opened the grant funding call for its 2019 Kick Start Fund Project. uYilo was established in 2013 as an initiative of the Technology Innovation Agency, with the aim to enable, facilitate and mobilise electric mobility (e-mobility) in South Africa. →

Volkswagen launches pilot electric mobility project in Rwanda

By: Irma Venter 30th October 2019 Volkswagen has launched a pilot project, in partnership with Siemens, to test the feasibility of electric mobility in Africa. The pilot project, which will form part of the German car maker’s operations in Rwanda, was announced by Volkswagen Group South Africa CEO Thomas Schäfer, who is also... →

The launch of the electric mobility agreement was attended by Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa CEO Sabine Dall’Omo, Rwanda Trade and Industry Minister Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Rwanda Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, Schäfer, and Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda CEO Michaella Rugwizangoga

Bloodhound clocks 537 km/h in third run profile

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th October 2019 The Bloodhound Land Speed Record team on Monday achieved the car’s highest speed yet on the Hakskeenpan desert racetrack, in the Northern Cape, clocking 334 mph, or 537 km/h. Bloodhound driver Andy Green said the max speed was reached going from 50 mph to 300 mph in 13 seconds. →

The Bloodhound vehicle with driver Andy Green

Mazda celebrates five years as a standalone brand with 60% growth

By: Irma Venter 24th October 2019 It has been a prosperous five years for Mazda as a standalone company in South Africa, following the split from Ford in the local market in 2014. Starting out with 9 067 vehicles sold in 2015, sales have grown by 60%, to around 14 500 units in 2018, says Mazda Southern Africa MD Craig Roberts. →

Craig Roberts

Cartrack to add ‘Airbnb for your car’, other mobility solutions

By: Irma Venter 23rd October 2019 Cartrack is looking at introducing a host of new mobility-linked services to its vehicle tracking and telematics platforms, says CEO Zak Calisto. Cartrack customers would, for example, soon be able to rent out their private vehicles – “as a sort of Airbnb for your car”, he notes. →

Zak Calisto

Fourth electric car to launch in South Africa next year

By: Irma Venter 22nd October 2019 Mercedes-Benz’s first battery electric vehicle (EV) will go on sale in South Africa in 2020, says Mercedes-Benz Cars South Africa marketing director Selvin Govender. This means South Africa will have four full EVs on the market next year, namely the Nissan Leaf, the BMW i3, the Jaguar I-Pace and... →

The Mercedes-Benz EQC

South Africa will not escape change in car-use patterns, says Absa

By: Irma Venter 21st October 2019 The rise of self-driving and electric vehicles (EVs) will impact the vehicle insurance industry, despite the fact that personal use cars will remain an aspirational consumer asset in South Africa for the foreseeable future, says Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance managing executive Faisal Mkhize.... →

Grant funding for local electric vehicle innovations up for grabs

By: Irma Venter 18th October 2019 The uYilo Electric Mobility Programme has opened the grant funding call for its 2019 Kick Start Fund Project. uYilo was established in 2013 as an initiative of the Technology Innovation Agency, with the aim to enable, facilitate and mobilise electric mobility in South Africa. UYilo says its 2019... →

Bloodhound car lands in South Africa, gears up for high speed runs

By: Irma Venter 18th October 2019 The Bloodhound land-speed record car has arrived safely at Hakskeenpan, in the Northern Cape, where it will stay for the next month as the team prepares for the car’s first high-speed test runs. The test runs are part of an effort to set a new world land-speed record. The current land-speed... →

Tshwane special economic zone will create jobs, says govt

By: Irma Venter 16th October 2019 The establishment of the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (SEZ) will – “without a doubt” – aid in job creation and economic growth, says Gauteng Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Morakane Mosupyoe. The proposed SEZ will be developed on 162 ha of land... →

Morakane Mosupyoe

Toyota gives R70m endowment towards manufacturing studies

By: Irma Venter 14th October 2019 The Toyota Wessels Institute for Manufacturing Studies (TWIMS) has received a R70-million endowment from the Toyota South Africa (SA) Educational Trust to create a manufacturing ambassador scholarship to fund promising students who want to complete a manufacturing-focused Master of Business... →

The TWIMS campus

Auto industry faces major paradigm shift, warns Toyota SA boss

By: Irma Venter 4th October 2019 It will be ten years-plus before South Africans will see a fully autonomous vehicle, or driverless vehicle, on the country’s roads, says Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) president and CEO Andrew Kirby. South Africa will need real-time data, he notes – infrastructure that will allow for constant... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Dylan Slater
TSAM president and CEO Andrew Kirby

SA auto industry prefers private, competitive EV charging network

By: Irma Venter 2nd October 2019 It will be best if South Africa’s automotive industry is not dependent on municipalities to provide charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs), says Jaguar Land Rover South Africa (JLRSA) network development director Brian Hastie. Hastie is also the chairperson of the EV subcommittee at... →

All mobility heading to electric future; solar and storage seen as key enablers

By: Schalk Burger 2nd October 2019 The Department of Science and Innovation’s (DSI’s) electric mobility initiative uYilo director Hilten Parmar on Tuesday highlighted that worldwide all forms of mobility, including personal, freight, aviation and marine transport, were moving towards the use or inclusion of electric systems. The... →

Entries open for revamped 2020 Sasol Solar Challenge

By: Irma Venter 25th September 2019 The 2020 Sasol Solar Challenge (SSC) is officially open for entries. Participants can look forward to a new route and changes in the format of the solar car race. →

The 2018 winner, Team Nuon

BNEF cuts 2019 EV forecast by 6%

By: Irma Venter 13th September 2019 Research service, BloombergNEF (BNEF) has cut its electric vehicle (EV) sales forecast for 2019 by 6%, to 1.5-million units. Global passenger EV sales fell in July for the first time in 30 months, with the last move into the red seen in January 2017. →

Bell to launch South African-made small truck in Las Vegas in 2020

By: Irma Venter 9th September 2019 Capital equipment manufacturer Bell Equipment (Bell) will in March launch a new addition to its product portfolio in Las Vegas, in the US. Bell CEO Leon Goosen said on Monday that the “small truck of less than 30 t gross vehicle mass" would be manufactured at Bell’s Richards Bay plant, in... →

Leon Goosen

Company launches management solution

6th September 2019 Petroleum products and solutions provider Masana Petroleum Solutions has extended its long-standing strategic partnership with oil industry company BP Southern Africa (BPSA) – which jointly runs the Sapref refinery located in KwaZulu-Natal – to deliver an innovative fleet management solution, BP... →

Development of South African EV ecosystem critical, says Nissan

By: Irma Venter 30th August 2019 It is critical that the South African government creates an enabling environment for the adoption and uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in South Africa, in order to catch up with global players, says Nissan Africa-Middle East-India connected cars and intelligent mobility coordination regional... →

EVs present economic and sustainability opportunities for SA

By: Schalk Burger 30th August 2019 Electric vehicles present economic and sustainability benefits for South Africa by offsetting fossil fuel imports and improving air quality, while providing potential storage and grid balancing benefits as the use of renewable energy grows, says electric vehicle and smart mobility company... →

Netstar unveils ‘connected vehicle’ partnership with Toyota

By: Natasha Odendaal 29th August 2019 Telecommunications and information technology company Allied Electronics’ Netstar subsidiary has stepped up its Internet of Things ambitions with plans in place to bring about a unique “connected” vehicle solution in partnership with automaker Toyota South Africa. Following the launch of its... →

Motus weathers buying-down trend, looks to acquisitions in Aus, UK

By: Irma Venter 28th August 2019 Current economic conditions are forcing South African consumers to buy down when it comes to vehicle purchases, moving either to pre-owned, entry-level or smaller cars, says Motus CEO Osman Arbee. Motus operates across the automotive value chain through four business segments, namely import and... →

Osman Arbee

Toyota, Suzuki to deepen ties

By: Bloomberg 28th August 2019 Toyota Motor and Suzuki Motor are strengthening their relationship by taking stakes in one another, the latest alliance in an industry that’s facing sweeping changes in technology, consumer preferences and business models. Japan’s biggest automaker will acquire about 5% of Suzuki shares for about... →

SKD production set to start at BAIC plant, CKD to follow in 2020, says IDC

By: Irma Venter 26th August 2019 Semi-knockdown production (SKD) is “about to start” at the BAIC South Africa (SA) plant in the Coega Industrial Development Zone, in the Eastern Cape, says Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Automotive and Transport Equipment head Joy Balepile. The IDC is a 35% shareholder in BAIC SA, along... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
The BAIC plant in Coega

Fancy a 1960s Land Rover? How about a lookalike made in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 26th August 2019 Accountant Willie Oosthuizen wanted a rough-and-tumble, simple-to-fix, fun-to-drive, affordable vehicle for use on the family farm near Potchefstroom. Unable to find one he liked on the open market, he turned to building one himself: the Farm Rover, or ANT. →

The Farm Rover

Volkswagen to launch EV in South Africa in 2021, urges govt support

By: Irma Venter 23rd August 2019 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) hopes to launch it first fully electric vehicle (EV) in the local market in 2021, should it be able to convince its German head office to bring the vehicle to South Africa. The ID.3 has a price tag of roughly $36 000 and a range of 420 km. →

A camouflaged ID.3

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