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Passenger Cars, Bakkies & Vans News

Volkswagen celebrates assembly of four-million vehicles at Uitenhage

By: Irma Venter 25th November 2020 Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) has celebrated the assembly of its four-millionth vehicle at its Uitenhage plant, in the Eastern Cape. The first of these vehicles was manufactured 72 years ago, in November 1948, when the premises still belonged to South African Motor Assemblers and... →

Toyota Gazoo Racing to field four locally built bakkies at the 2021 Dakar Rally

By: Irma Venter 23rd November 2020 Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) will be entering four crews in the 2021 Dakar Rally, scheduled to start on January 3 in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. The works team will consist of Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel; Giniel de Villiers and navigator Alex Haro; rookie Henk Lategan and... →

Car-buying patterns shifting on the back of Covid-19, says AutoTrader

By: Irma Venter 20th November 2020 The South African automotive landscape – especially when it comes to consumer buying behaviour – has changed more in the last year than in the last few decades, says AutoTrader CEO George Mienie. Accordingly, the industry has had to adapt like never before in order to survive and prosper during... →

New head for BMW SA as Tim Abbott leaves group but remains in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 20th November 2020 South African-born Peter van Binsbergen has been appointed as the new CEO of BMW Group South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa (BMW SA). He replaces outgoing CEO Tim Abbott. Van Binsbergen, who will take up his new position on January 1, started his career with the BMW Group more than 25 years ago,... →

Eastern Cape’s Localisation Supermarket sees healthy uptake

By: Irma Venter 20th November 2020 Local companies have made bids to produce 25% of the automotive parts listed in the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape’s (AIDC EC’s) Localisation Supermarket. The Localisation Supermarket is both a physical showcase and online catalogue of automotive components that are currently... →

Next year could see local auto industry regain some momentum

By: Irma Venter 20th November 2020 Next year could see the local automotive industry regain some momentum in terms of domestic sales, exports and production, but it will not manage to claw back all of the losses recorded in a Covid-19-hit 2020. The newest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa)... →

New-vehicle sales down 25.4% year-on-year in October

By: Irma Venter 20th November 2020 Total South African new-vehicle sales declined by 25.4% in October, to 38 752 units, compared with the 51 968 vehicles sold in the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market also fell by 25.4%, to 26 793 units. →

Automaker notes industry decline, expands African footprint

By: Mamaili Mamaila 20th November 2020 Global automotive company Isuzu Motors South Africa – a subsidiary of Isuzu Motors Limited – expects that domestic vehicle sales will decline by around 30% this year, compared with those of 2019. →

BILLY TOM Isuzu has maintained its number one position in Kenya, to which it exports semi-knocked down bakkies

Rough road ahead for VUCA-plagued trucking industry

20th November 2020 It is going to take at least five years for South Africa’s economy to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, says Road Freight Association (RFA) chief executive Gavin Kelly. →

DRIVING LEGITIMACY Road freight operators should transport efficiently, safely and refuse to operate in non-sustainable circumstances

Nissan to set up new assembly facility in Ghana with Japan Motors

By: Irma Venter 19th November 2020 Nissan has appointed Japan Motors Trading as its local partner in setting up a new vehicle assembly facility in Accra, Ghana. The appointment flows from a 2018 memorandum of understanding signed between Nissan and the government of Ghana. →

The new Nissan Navara

NADA calls on Transport Minister to address licensing department backlogs

By: Irma Venter 19th November 2020 The National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) has written an open letter to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, urging him to address backlogs at licensing departments countrywide. The association says that “extensive administrative delays in document turnaround times and vital operational... →

Britain to ban new petrol cars and vans by 2030 on road to net zero emissions

By: Reuters 18th November 2020 Britain will move up a ban on new petrol and diesel cars and vans to 2030 and is eyeing 250 000 new jobs as part of a green industrial revolution, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said as he tries to meet Britain's net zero emissions climate target. Johnson is seeking to show his government is on... →

Brabus armoured G-Class now available in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 16th November 2020 Local vehicle armouring specialist, SVI Engineering, has been appointed as the official distributor of Brabus Automotive armoured products in Africa, starting with the Invicto Mercedes-Benz G-Class range, says SVI Engineering business development manager Nicol Louw. →

South African-made MellowVan ready for global rollout in 2021

By: Irma Venter 16th November 2020 The South African conceived and developed MellowVan will enter commercial production next year, says MellowCabs founder Neil du Preez. The electric three-wheeler, aimed at the last-mile delivery market, is currently the subject of a number of advanced large-scale proof-of-concept projects with... →

The MellowVan

Solar roll-out at Ford start of project to be 100% energy self-sufficient by 2024

By: Irma Venter 13th November 2020 The Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has kicked off a 13.5 MW, R135-million solar-energy project at its Silverton assembly plant, in Pretoria. The project forms part of a larger programme to develop an integrated renewable energy solution for the facility, with the aim to be entirely... →

Africa new-vehicle sales to be 28% lower this year as pandemic bites

By: Irma Venter 13th November 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on new-vehicle sales in Africa, which are expected to drop from 1.16-million units in 2019, to a current forecast of 830 000 units this year, says African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) CEO Dave Coffey. “This is a 28% reduction, which is... →

Covid-19 taking heavy toll on dealerships, says NADA

By: Irma Venter 13th November 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has seen six amalgamations between dealerships from April 1 to September 30, as well as the sale of 19 others and the closure of a further 38 – all members of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) – the association’s national director, Gary McCraw, tells... →

Toyota replaces popular Etios with new Starlet

By: Irma Venter 13th November 2020 In August last year, Toyota and Suzuki announced a formal alliance between the two carmakers in order “to leverage each other’s strengths and compete in the evolving global vehicle market”. Toyota’s expertise in hybrid technology and autonomous driving would be of benefit to Suzuki, while Toyota... →

Absa considers a combined solar, EV finance package, should domestic market grow

By: Irma Venter 11th November 2020 Absa is mulling the roll-out of a finance mechanism for electric vehicles (EVs) that will incorporate a solar home installation to charge that vehicle, says Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance (AVAF) business analytics and strategy head Henry Botha. However, before that can happen, South Africa’s EV... →

Henry Botha

Motus launches its own digital vehicle marketplace

By: Irma Venter 9th November 2020 The JSE-listed Motus group has launched its own digital vehicle marketplace, called motus.cars. This platform ties together all the Motus business entities in one digital location, with the aim to provide a simplified online shopping experience. →

Tim Abbott to depart BMW, but stay in South Africa; Van Binsbergen new CEO

By: Irma Venter 9th November 2020 South African-born Peter van Binsbergen has been appointed as the new CEO of BMW Group South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa (BMW SA). He replaces outgoing CEO Tim Abbott. Van Binsbergen, who will take up his new position on January 1, started his career →

Peter van Binsbergen

Battery metals beneficiation holds ‘enormous potential’ for South Africa

By: Simone Liedtke 6th November 2020 There is “enormous potential” for South Africa, should the country pursue green industrialisation and its manufacturing sector invest in the beneficiation of battery metals and the manufacture of various green products, such as electric vehicles (EVs), Department of Trade, Industry and... →

Suzuki keeps on growing as it breaks through the 2 000-unit-a-month barrier

By: Irma Venter 6th November 2020 Suzuki Auto South Africa (SASA) sales have broken through the 2 000-unit-a-month barrier. The local arm of the Japanese small-car specialist started selling vehicles in South Africa in June, 2008. →

VW CEO Diess says pandemic poses biggest near-term challenge

By: Bloomberg 6th November 2020 Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said the coronavirus pandemic poses the biggest near-term challenge for the world’s largest carmaker, hitting as the company shifts strategy to tackle climate change. While VW has a “healthy order bank” and remains confident on sales in the coming weeks, its... →

BMW to set up pilot plant as it aims for large-scale battery-cell production

By: Irma Venter 6th November 2020 The BMW Group will set up a pilot plant to produce lithium-ion battery cells. This comes as the German carmaker seeks to penetrate all aspects of the battery-cell value chain: from selection of materials to battery cell composition and design, all the way to near-standard production and recycling. →

Number and prices of financed vehicles up in August, September – TransUnion

By: Irma Venter 6th November 2020 The South African car market showed signs of resilience in the third quarter of the year as it bounced back from an all-time-low second quarter to record month-on-month increases in the number of new and used cars financed in August and September, according to the latest TransUnion South African... →

Nissan unveils new-look Navara, local production to start early next year

By: Irma Venter 5th November 2020 Japanese car marker Nissan has unveiled the spruced up Navara bakkie that will be made in South Africa and exported to sub-Saharan markets. Production of the new Navara at the Rosslyn plant, in Pretoria, will start in the first quarter of next year. →

The new Navara

Eastern Cape’s localisation supermarket sees healthy uptake

By: Irma Venter 4th November 2020 Local companies have made bids to produce 25% of the automotive parts listed in the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape’s (AIDC EC’s) Localisation Supermarket. The Localisation Supermarket is both a physical showcase and online catalogue of automotive components that are currently... →

Fugitive auto executive Ghosn settles scores in new French book

By: Bloomberg 4th November 2020 Executive-turned-international fugitive Carlos Ghosn is gunning for revenge in a new book published this week about the events surrounding his November 2018 arrest in Tokyo, 130-day Japanese imprisonment and dramatic escape to Lebanon. The former high-flying chairman of Nissan Motor Co. and... →

Audi Africa appoints new head

By: Irma Venter 3rd November 2020 Audi South Africa has announced the appointment of Sascha Sauer as the new head of Audi Africa. He replaces Trevor Hill, who has taken up a position within the Audi Sport division abroad. →

Sascha Sauer

Next year could see local auto industry regain some momentum

By: Irma Venter 3rd November 2020 Next year could see the local automotive industry regain some momentum in terms of domestic sales, exports and production, but it will not manage to claw back all of the losses recorded in a Covid-19-hit 2020. The newest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa)... →

New-vehicle sales down 25.4% in October, exports at risk as second Covid wave hits Europe

By: Irma Venter 3rd November 2020 Total South African new-vehicle sales declined by 25.4% in October, to 38 752 units, compared with the 51 968 vehicles sold in the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market also fell by 25.4%, to 26 793 units. →

Local consumers ready for EVs, but they seek cheaper cars with more range

By: Irma Venter 2nd November 2020 The 2020 South Africa Electric Vehicle (EV) Car Buyer Survey shows that consumers are ready to buy EVs, and that they are willing to do so in the next five years. However, they want a vehicle that costs less than R500 000 and they want more range and faster charging than what is currently the... →

George Mienie

Hyundai South Africa expects 15% drop in sales for 2020

By: Irma Venter 30th October 2020 Hyundai Automotive South Africa (HASA) will probably record a 15% drop in new-vehicle sales in 2020, says CEO Niall Lynch. This is better than the 25% to 30% drop expected in the overall domestic new-vehicle market, he adds. →

The new Grand i10

GWM’s new P Series bakkie set for November local launch

By: Irma Venter 30th October 2020 Haval Motors South Africa (HMSA) has announced that the GWM P Series bakkie will make its local debut in late November. HMSA says the P Series will be available in 16 derivatives in South Africa and other countries in the Southern African Development Community region, including single and double... →

Cartrack's operating profit up 16%, despite Covid-19 disruptions

By: Irma Venter 30th October 2020 Covid-19 was like getting a puncture when you are driving really fast on the highway, says Cartrack CEO Zak Calisto. “We were ready to grow in the 2021 financial year, and we still got growth, but not quite what we anticipated, or what we had planned for, but our economies of scale allowed us to... →

Covid-19 taking heavy toll on retail market, dealerships, says NADA

By: Irma Venter 29th October 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has seen six amalgamations between dealerships from April 1 to September 30, as well as the sale of 19 dealerships and the closure of 38 dealerships among the members of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA), the association’s national director Gary McCraw... →

Gary McCraw

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