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EVs something to watch in ‘medium term’, says Motus; Kia mulls launching first EV by year-end

By: Irma Venter 4th July 2022 Fast-growing global electric vehicle (EV) availability will not impact Motus in the short term, but is rather “something to watch in the medium term”, says Motus Retail South Africa CEO Corne Venter. Motus is a JSE-listed vehicle importer and retailer. →

June new-vehicle sales up by 7.6%; exports grow by 18%

By: Irma Venter 1st July 2022 Domestic new-vehicle sales in June expanded by 7.6%, to 41 019 units, compared with the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market reached 29 545 units in June – a 20.6% jump on the same month last year. →

Eastern Cape port investment should foster auto sector expansion – AIDC EC

By: Irma Venter 1st July 2022 The Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC EC) says it applauds Transnet National Port Authority’s (TNPA’s) announcement that it will inject R9.1-billion into its three Eastern Cape ports over the next seven years. AIDC EC CEO Thabo Shenxane says the centre, as well as other... →

The East London port

South Africans can now order their Ineos Grenadiers online

By: Irma Venter 1st July 2022 South African customers can now order their Ineos Grenadier online, with the starting price for the base model set at R1.41-million. The vehicle launches as a five-seat sports utility vehicle, with permanent four-wheel drive, two-speed transfer case and centre-locking differential included as... →

Port Elizabeth Car Terminal sets new record amid expansion project

By: Irma Venter 30th June 2022 The Port Elizabeth Car Terminal has moved 5 700 export vehicles in a single vessel. This is the highest volume ever moved through the terminal, including the previous record of 4 500 export units moved in a single vessel, set in September, 2019. →

Vehicles being loaded at the Port Elizabeth car terminal

Vehicles being loaded onto the MV Silver Ray for export

Mercedes-Benz SA says pilot solar project a success; plans expansion

By: Irma Venter 29th June 2022 Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has declared its pilot solar energy project a success. MBSA piloted the project in order to evaluate the solar yield for the East London manufacturing plant, in the Eastern Cape. →

Image of the solar panel roof installation at MBSA plant

Motus secures R6.8bn in sustainability-linked finance from Standard Bank

By: Schalk Burger 28th June 2022 Automotive group Motus Holdings has secured a syndicated R6-billion sustainability-linked facility, facilitated by financial services firm Standard Bank, as well as an R800-million sustainability-linked working capital facility from Standard Bank. This South African rand-denominated... →

Three South African technologies pitch for Innovate UK funding

By: Schalk Burger 28th June 2022 During a briefing by energy technology innovation and funding network Innovate UK for technology innovators and entrepreneurs on June 27, three South African technology companies presented their innovations for potential funding from the UK organisation. The three companies also served as... →

Ducere MD André Reyneke discussing Miser Technologies drivetrain fuel savings and emissions reductions systems and Greenthermo Energy operations director Rearabetswe Dire discussing the company's project to increase production of biodiesel

Production continuing despite Nelson Mandela Bay water crisis – VWSA

By: Irma Venter 27th June 2022 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) says production of the Polo and Polo Vivo at its Kariega plant in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is continuing, despite the water supply crisis in the area. “Our Kariega plant is operating as normal and there are no issues as yet with the water supply,”... →

Corolla Cross announced as SA’s 2022 Car of the Year

By: Irma Venter 24th June 2022 The Toyota Corolla Cross has been named as the 2022 Car of the Year (COTY) by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists. The category winners for this year’s competition are: →

Testing of electric minibuses in SA conditions to start in Stellenbosch early next year

By: Irma Venter 24th June 2022 GoMetro has convened a project team consisting of companies and researchers to test the first electric minibus in South African conditions by January next year. GoMetro, a global mobility management technology company with its head office in Cape Town, has collected data on taxi operations across... →

AIDC EC, partners roll out Kaizen programme

By: Irma Venter 24th June 2022 The Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC EC) has partnered with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to roll out a Kaizen implementation programme aimed at improving the competitiveness of component suppliers within the province’s automotive industry. Kaizen... →

Numsa to picket the Japanese embassy on future of Nissan plant; Nissan denies closure rumours

By: Irma Venter 23rd June 2022 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) says it will be picketing the Japanese Embassy in Pretoria on Friday. The union intends to hand over a memorandum of demands regarding a “number of grievances” against Nissan’s management in South Africa. →

Image of Navara production at the Rosslyn plant

Driver assistance system wins gold at Automechanika Innovation Awards

By: Irma Venter 23rd June 2022 SynapCAM has clinched the top spot in the Automechanika Johannesburg 2022 Innovation Awards. The product was designed and developed in the US and South Africa by Synap, and launched on the local market at the Automechanika automotive aftermarket and related industries show held in Johannesburg in... →

Global on-road hydrogen vehicles to exceed one-million by 2027 – research study

By: Irma Venter 22nd June 2022 A new study from UK-based Juniper Research has found that the number of hydrogen vehicles in service globally will exceed one-million units in 2027, from just more than 60 000 in 2022 – growth of more than 1 500%. The Far East and China; West Europe; and North America are expected to lead the... →

Artist's impression of a hydrogen manufacturing site

BMW SA adds 16 African countries to its export list

By: Irma Venter 21st June 2022 BMW Group South Africa (BMW SA) has added 16 African countries to its existing portfolio of 30 export countries, including Senegal, Nigeria, Angola, Kenya and Ethiopia. BMW SA produces the BMW X3 sports activity vehicle (SAV) at the Rosslyn plant, in Tshwane. →

The BMW X3

Stellantis SA introduces something fresh to the SA bakkie mix

By: Irma Venter 21st June 2022 Stellantis South Africa (SA) has just added its entrant to the bakkie wars in South Africa – the Jeep Gladiator. The pickup is available in only one model in the domestic market, namely the Rubicon. →

The Jeep Gladiator

BMW, Mini to offer 12-month (or longer) rental periods at dealerships

By: Irma Venter 20th June 2022 BMW Group Financial Services South Africa has unveiled a new product called BMW and Mini Charter, yet again changing the way vehicles can be owned and/or utilised in the local market. Charter is a finance solution that allows consumers the use of a BMW or Mini vehicle, at a fixed monthly rental... →

Calls for petrol price deregulation display lack of knowledge – FRA

By: Irma Venter 17th June 2022 Increasing calls from the public for the petrol price to be deregulated speak of ignorance, warns Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) CEO Reggie Sibiya. “As fuel prices continue to rise, there is pressure on retailers to cut margins and be in competition with each other, which is absolutely... →

So you bought your first EV? Now, how do you look after it?

By: Irma Venter 17th June 2022 The continuing global mobility move away from fossil fuels means that more of us will drive battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sooner than we probably may imagine. Experts have spoken about consumers’ range anxiety – will my BEV make it to my destination before the juice runs out? – or the fear... →

In tight race to market, EVs becoming less green – research report

By: Irma Venter 17th June 2022 Independent research into electric vehicle (EV) development has found that most automotive companies are more focused on improving range and reducing costs than improving the carbon footprint of these vehicles. This new research has been published by the Manufacturing Intelligence division of... →

Electric vehicles in South Africa: how to avoid making them the privilege of the few

15th June 2022 In the early 1900s, automobiles took the streets of industrialised cities by storm, rapidly displacing horse-drawn vehicles. Fiercely contested at first, the internal combustion engine won the technological battle against electric vehicles which accounted for up to a third of vehicles on the road... →

GreenCape’s 2022 green economy market intelligence reports outline opportunities

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 15th June 2022 This year’s editions of nonprofit organisation GreenCape’s yearly green economy market intelligence reports (MIRs) have been made available. The reports were officially launched on June 7 by Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities Mireille Wenger and Western Cape Minister of... →

May marks a good month for automotive exports, says terminal

By: Marleny Arnoldi 15th June 2022 The East London Terminal recorded a 67% increase in container volumes at the end of May. The terminal originally budgeted for the handling of 3 058 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) but ended up moving 5 131 TEUs. →

The East London car terminal

Audi appoints Mulalo Makungo as national sales operations manager

By: Irma Venter 15th June 2022 Audi South Africa has appointed Mulalo Makungo as its new national sales operations manager. Makungo brings with her more than ten years’ experience in the automotive industry. →

Mulalo Makungo

SA faces unique EV conundrum, warns Frost & Sullivan research director

By: Irma Venter 15th June 2022 It is impossible to draw a direct comparison between South Africa and other countries that have adopted strategies to push the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs), warns Frost & Sullivan research director Craig Parker. He says that South Africa’s economic structure and demographic profile are... →

Craig Parker

VWSA builds wastewater recycling facility, installs solar plant

By: Irma Venter 14th June 2022 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) has implemented two projects to reduce the environmental footprint of its Kariega plant, situated in the drought-stricken Nelson Mandela Bay municipality. The first project is a wastewater recycling facility, which has been constructed onsite at the plant. →

Image of project team members for the wastewater facility are Nick Chapman, Hermann Ferreira, Manfred Gie, Gerhardt Goosen and Cibin Mathew

Project team members for the wastewater facility: Nick Chapman, Hermann Ferreira, Manfred Gie, Gerhardt Goosen and Cibin Mathew

Key questions remain on journey to a just transition in the liquid fuels industry – Crompton

By: Schalk Burger 10th June 2022 Key considerations and challenges to support a just transition in the liquid fuels industry to a low- and zero-carbon industry include the need for financing, the need to ensure financial viability of technologies proposed for the transition, the impact on the automotive manufacturing industry... →

S African coatings event well attended

By: Halima Frost 10th June 2022 This year’s Coatings for Africa 2022 conference, organised by global events organiser DMG Events, was held at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Gauteng, from May 4 to 6. The event was hosted by multinational coatings industry representatives The Coatings Group and supported by industry bodies... →

A man standing at a podium speaking on the topic of coatings and paint development at teh Coatings for Africa 2022 expo held in Sandton last month

HOT TOPIC The Coatings for Africa event was held in Sandton last month after a four year haitus

Electric vehicle sales surging, but future growth hinges on battery, critical mineral supply diversification – IEA

By: Irma Venter 10th June 2022 Despite electric car sales remaining strong this year, future growth will demand greater efforts to diversify battery manufacturing and critical mineral supply to reduce the risk of bottlenecks and price increases, says the International Energy Agency (IEA). Sales of electric cars (including... →

Africa new-vehicle sales starting to recover – AAAM

By: Irma Venter 10th June 2022 Sales of new vehicles in Africa have started to recover from a “disastrous” pandemic-hit 2020, says the African Association of Motor Manufacturers (AAAM). Fresh vehicle sales statistics, compiled for the AAAM by the Africa Automotive Data Network for Africa (AADN), show that 2021 sales increased... →

First electric minibus to start testing in Stellenbosch early next year

By: Irma Venter 9th June 2022 GoMetro has convened a project team consisting of companies and researchers to test the first electric minibus in South African conditions by January next year. GoMetro, a global mobility management technology company with its head office in Cape Town, has collected data on taxi operations across... →

Corolla Cross announced as South Africa’s 2022 Car of the Year

By: Irma Venter 6th June 2022 The Toyota Corolla Cross has been named as the 2022 Car of the Year (COTY) by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ). The category winners for this year’s competition are: Compact Category: Toyota Urban Cruiser Compact Family Category: Toyota Corolla Cross... →

The Corolla Cross

Suzuki yet again hits new sales record; firms up number three spot

By: Irma Venter 3rd June 2022 Budget brand Suzuki Auto South Africa has recorded a sales jump of 630 vehicles from April to May, to hit a new overall record of 4 331 new-car sales a month. This comes as cash-strapped South Africans continue to battle rising interest rates and fuel prices. →

Mercedes-Benz SA to sell Sandown Motor Holdings to Motus

By: Irma Venter 3rd June 2022 Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) will dispose of the passenger car business of its Gauteng West own-retail operations, as well as a portion of its commercial vehicle business, held in Sandown Motor Holdings (SMH), to the Motus Group. The value of the deal is not disclosed. SMH is a wholly-owned... →

Gearing up for Ranger, Grenadier production

By: Tracy Hancock 3rd June 2022 Towbar expert Brink Towing Systems, in Pietermartizburg, KwaZulu-Natal, is expanding its manufacturing capacity in preparation for the production of automotive manufacturer Ford’s new-generation Ranger pick-up at its Tshwane plant, in Gauteng, later this year. “We are undertaking an extensive... →

BIG IN BAKKIES Brink Towing Systems produces the towbars for almost all original equipment manufacturers, including Ford’s current Ranger, Raptor and Everest models

Local bus sector under the pump

By: Tracy Hancock 3rd June 2022 The South African bus sector has faced challenges over the past two years, with commercial-vehicle sliding-window designer and manufacturer Widney Transport Components noting a drop in volumes, says sales manager Lucas Mehlape. “Local demand is mainly driven by government tenders, so the more the... →

REDUCED DEMAND About 60% to 70% of Widney Transport Components’ bus orders are linked to government tenders, with activity currently muted

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