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Strong used-car, aftermarket sales see Motus bounce back

By: Irma Venter Updated 6 hours ago A buoyant used-car market and strong aftermarket parts sales have helped mobility group Motus bounce back from the significant decline the group experienced owing to the Covid-19 pandemic in the last half of the previous financial year. Reporting on the company’s results for the first six months... →

Nissan CEO who oversaw Ghosn’s downfall testifies in court

By: Bloomberg Updated 7 hours ago Former Nissan Motor CEO Hiroto Saikawa told a Tokyo court that he agreed that former chairperson Carlos Ghosn should have been paid more to prevent him from going to a rival automaker. Greg Kelly, the former Nissan director who was arrested on the same day as Ghosn in November 2018, is standing... →

Mercedes-Benz unveils the new C-Class to be assembled in East London

By: Irma Venter 24th February 2021 Mercedes-Benz has lifted the veil on its new generation C-Class. Production of the model is set to start later this year – for the local and export markets – at the Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) plant, in East London, following a R10-billion investment by the German parent company. →

The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Local advancement of electric vehicles must be accelerated, says Naamsa

By: Irma Venter 22nd February 2021 Electric vehicle (EV) sales are forecast to exceed internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales by 2038, with sales in the European Union (EU) projected to comprise 40% EVs by 2030, and 80% by 2040, says the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) in its fourth... →

WeBuyCars kicks off the new year with record trading month

By: Irma Venter 19th February 2021 WeBuyCars kicked off the new year with record trading numbers, with January sales up 10% on the same period last year, says CEO Faan van der Walt. The used-car trader says there has been a strong recovery in domestic used-vehicle sales, despite the prevailing economic climate, as can be seen by... →

Naacam optimistic positive momentum seen at end of ‘tough 2020’ will be sustained this year

By: Irma Venter 19th February 2021 The South African component manufacturing sector had a tough 2020, says National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) executive director Renai Moothilal. There is, however, hope that some of the positive momentum seen at the end of last year will be sustained in... →

Toyota projecting 21% new-vehicle sales increase this year

By: Irma Venter 19th February 2021 Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) believes the domestic new-vehicle market may grow by 21% this year, to about 460 000 units, following a decline of 29% in 2020. TSAM president and CEO Andrew Kirby says the recovery seen in the latter half of a Covid-19-hit 2020 bodes well for an increase in... →

New partnership to launch Cape Town eMobility Festival

By: Irma Venter 19th February 2021 Live Company Group has announced that it has, through E-Movement Holdings, its wholly owned subsidiary, partnered with Messe Frankfurt South Africa for the launch of the eMobility Festival 2021. The eMobility Festival will focus on electric vehicles (EVs) of all kinds, the future of e-mobility... →

Peugeot Citroen South Africa takes over local Opel distribution

By: Irma Venter 19th February 2021 Peugeot Citroën South Africa (PCSA) has announced that it will take over responsibility for German car brand Opel in the local market. This comes as US manufacturer General Motors (GM) sold Opel in 2017 to the French PSA group, which owns, among others, the Peugeot, Vauxhall and Citroën brands. →

OneLogix in good health despite Covid-19, says Lourens

By: Irma Venter 18th February 2021 OneLogix CEO Ian Lourens says that all of the niche logistics provider’s 12 companies “remain in good health”, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The group reported a 16% drop in revenue, to R1.22-billion, for the six months ended November 30, compared with the same period in 2019.... →

Afreximbank, AAAM sign MoU on Africa auto industry financing

By: Irma Venter 18th February 2021 The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the financing and promotion of the automotive industry in Africa. “The strategic partnership with AAAM will facilitate the... →

Nissan SA to push start of Navara assembly to Q2, halt NP300 production

By: Irma Venter 16th February 2021 Nissan South Africa (SA) will delay the start of volume production and sales of the Nissan Navara one-ton bakkie to June this year, says Nissan SA marketing director Stefan Haasbroek. He says this is owing to operational issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic. →

New-vehicle sales to recover, but market fundamentals not healthy, says WesBank

By: Irma Venter 16th February 2021 New-vehicle sales will show double-digit growth this year off last year’s unforeseen low base, but will also continue to show a decline in real economic terms, says vehicle and asset finance provider WesBank. WesBank CEO Chris de Kock says two considerations need to be taken into account when... →

Chris de Kock

Daimler to split into two; majority listing of Daimler Truck on the cards

By: Irma Venter 15th February 2021 German vehicle manufacturer Daimler says it plans a fundamental change in its structure, “designed to unlock the full potential of its businesses in a zero-emissions, software-driven future”. The supervisory board and the board of management of Daimler says they have agreed to evaluate a... →

Biden faces South African push to extend trade concessions

By: Bloomberg 15th February 2021 South Africa is apprehensive about striking a new trade deal with the US and would rather maintain existing relations with the world’s largest economy, the nation’s top trade official said. South Africa is currently party to the so-called Generalised System of Preferences and the African Growth... →

South African car market faces challenging 2021, says TransUnion

By: Irma Venter 12th February 2021 The South African automotive industry faces a challenging 2021, with new-vehicle prices continuing to climb well above the inflation rate in a market already severely constrained by the financial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is according to the latest TransUnion South Africa Vehicle... →

New owner sought for Bloodhound land-speed record project

By: Irma Venter 12th February 2021 The UK’s Bloodhound land-speed record (LSR) project is looking for a new owner to take the team through to its world LSR attempt in 2022. In 2019, the Bloodhound team deployed to South Africa to conduct high-speed testing, with the car hitting a peak speed of 1 011 km/h, thereby proving that the... →

Ford investing R15.8bn to build new Ranger in SA, mulling high-capacity rail corridor

By: Irma Venter 12th February 2021 Ford will invest R15.8-billion in its South African operations to produce the new-generation Ranger pickup at its Silverton assembly plant, in Tshwane, for the local, as well as more than 100 export markets, starting in 2022. The plant currently produces the current-generation Ranger pickup, also... →

Corolla Cross production at Toyota’s Durban plant to start in fourth quarter

By: Irma Venter 12th February 2021 Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) will start production of the Corolla Cross at its Prospecton plant, in Durban, in the fourth quarter of this year. The sports-utility vehicle will be produced in both left- and right-hand-drive variants for the local market, as well as markets in the rest of... →

Vehicle finance on cusp of revolution, says WesBank’s Msibi

By: Irma Venter 11th February 2021 The demands on financial institutions are changing rapidly as younger age groups start to actively participate in the acquisition of assets, says WesBank Motor CEO Ghana Msibi. “I expect the motoring industry, including vehicle finance, to evolve more in the next five years than it has in the... →

Ghana Msibi

Buying or servicing a car? Things are about to change, says AutoTrader

By: Irma Venter 10th February 2021 There are significant changes on the horizon for the local automotive industry, and they will affect every South African seeking to buy, repair or service a car, says AutoTrader. The changes, effective July 1, are owing to a series of guidelines published by the Competition Commission last year,... →

Suzuki launches new entry into highly competitive affordable SUV market

By: Irma Venter 9th February 2021 Suzuki Auto South Africa (SASA) this week unveiled India’s most popular compact sports-utility vehicle (SUV) to the local market – the Vitara Brezza. The Vitara Brezza was first introduced in India in 2016, with an upgraded model that arrived last year. It has since become the most popular... →

The new Vitara Brezza

Mercedes-Benz SA postpones the launch of its first EV to 2022

By: Irma Venter 8th February 2021 Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has postponed the local introduction of its first fully electric vehicle (EV), the EQC. “The market introduction and start of sales of the EQC was set to take place in 2020, but due to the significant disruption of Covid-19 and other contributing factors, we took... →

The Mercedes-Benz EQA

Ford adds armoured Rangers to its local product portfolio

By: Irma Venter 5th February 2021 Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA), together with SVI Engineering, have announced the availability of Ford-approved armoured protection for the Ranger pickup. “The Ranger is among the best-selling vehicles in South Africa, and the introduction of armoured protection will help establish... →

Private sector contributes R70m towards fight against gender-based violence and femicide

By: Yvonne Silaule 5th February 2021 Diversified miner Anglo American, financial services provider Absa and automotive manufacturer Ford have contributed a collective R70-million to support government's fight against gender-based violence and femicide. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement during the virtual launch of the... →

Suzuki sets new record, even as local market tumbles

By: Irma Venter 5th February 2021 Despite the overall domestic new-vehicle market contracting by 29.1% last year, Suzuki Auto South Africa (SASA) and its 71 dealers celebrated the company’s most successful year since the launch of the Japanese small-car specialist in the local market. SASA grew its sales by 6.7% in 2020, to 16... →

Motus sharpening aim at used-car market with Motus Select

By: Irma Venter 5th February 2021 The JSE-listed Motus group has kicked off the year with the launch of Motus Select, which replaces the long-standing Imperial Select as the retail motor group’s pre-owned vehicle brand. Traditionally Motus Select was the used-car brand for only the Motus Hyundai, Kia and Renault multifranchise... →

Barloworld restructures Motor Retail business in R947m deal

By: Irma Venter 5th February 2021 Barloworld has entered into an agreement with NMI Durban South Motors (NMI-DSM) to dispose of its Motor Retail business as a going concern for R947-million. NMI-DSM is a joint venture in which Barloworld and the Akoo family hold a 50% interest each. →

Despite Covid-19 hazard, auto industry hopeful of 2021 sales recovery

By: Irma Venter 5th February 2021 This year should see the South African automotive industry claw back some of the losses experienced in 2020, despite the second wave of Covid-19 raging across the globe. Market commentators believe the 2021 South African new-car market should improve on last year, and that the used-car market... →

International standards lacking locally

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 5th February 2021 Lubricants distributor OILY SA’s offering is comparable to that of other major oil companies, such as oil industry company Shell, petroleum refining company Total and independent lubricants manufacturer Fuchs, while the quality standards of locally manufactured lubricants have been found to be... →

Naacam hopes momentum seen at the end of 2020 carries through to the new year

By: Irma Venter 4th February 2021 The South African component manufacturing sector had a tough 2020, says National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) executive director Renai Moothilal. There is, however, hope that some of the positive momentum seen at the end of last year can be sustained in... →

Renai Moothilal

Ramaphosa lauds progress at Tshwane Automotive SEZ

By: Donna Slater 2nd February 2021 Despite the “massive challenges” posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, in visiting the newly established Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on February 2, said it was “great to see the progress” that had been made since construction started in August... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
President Cyril Ramaphosa attends a sod-turning ceremony at the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone in November 2019

Ford invests R15.8bn to build new Ranger in SA, high-capacity rail corridor in the works

By: Irma Venter 2nd February 2021 Ford will invest R15.8-billion in its South African operations to produce the new-generation Ranger pickup at its Silverton assembly plant, in Tshwane, for the local, as well as more than 100 export markets, starting in 2022. The plant currently produces the current generation Ranger pickup, also... →

Work on the expansion of the Silverton plant has already started

New-vehicle sales drop by 14%; three years to recover from Covid-19, says Naamsa

By: Irma Venter 1st February 2021 New-vehicle sales fell by 13.9% in January, to 34 784 units, compared with the same month last year. An estimated 28 716 units, or 82.6%, were dealer sales, with 11.4% going to the vehicle rental industry, 3.5% to government, and 2.5% of total sales to industry corporate fleets. →

Nada calls on government to reduce vehicle taxes

By: Irma Venter 1st February 2021 The automotive industry needs a “significant financial stimulus package” from government to allow it to accelerate its recovery, says National Automobile Dealers’ Association (Nada) chairperson Mark Dommisse. “The most effective way to increase sales will be to make new vehicles more affordable... →

Italy’s Energica electric superbikes make their debut in SA

By: Irma Venter 29th January 2021 The Electronia group has signed an exclusive deal with Italy’s Energica Motor Company (EMC) to become the official local agent for its Energica electric superbikes. Electronia is an electrical, solar and home automation company based in the Vaal Triangle, whose CEO, Kobus Janse van Rensburg, is... →

The Ego super bike

Toyota expects 2021 new-vehicle market to grow by 21%

By: Irma Venter 29th January 2021 Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) believes the domestic new-vehicle market may grow by 21% this year, to around 460 000 units, following a decline of 29% in 2020. TSAM president and CEO Andrew Kirby says the recovery seen in the latter half of a Covid-19-hit 2020 bodes well for an increase in... →

TSAM president and CEO Andrew Kirby discusses the new Corolla Cross that will be produced at the Durban plant from the end of the year.

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