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Vehicle prices increasing sharply – TransUnion

By: Irma Venter Updated 1 hour 42 minutes ago The latest TransUnion South Africa Vehicle Pricing Index (VPI) reveals some bad news for prospective car buyers: new-vehicle prices rose by almost three times the current inflation rate in the first quarter of the year and are expected to continue increasing in coming months. At the same time,... →

Automechanika postponed to next year

By: Irma Venter 7th May 2021 The sub-Saharan Africa trade fair for the automotive service industry is set to return to the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec, from March 15 to 18, 2022. Automechanika Johannesburg is co-located with the Futuroad Expo, which is aimed at the truck, bus and commercial vehicle industry, as well as... →

Mahindra opens new parts warehouse in Gauteng

By: Irma Venter 7th May 2021 Mahindra South Africa has cut the ribbon on its new national parts warehouse in the Linbro Business Park, Gauteng. The new warehouse, situated near the intersection of the N1, M1 and N3 highways in Johannesburg, is about a third larger than Mahindra’s old Jet Park warehouse. →

2021 market to be determined by stock availability – Toyota, Hino

By: Irma Venter 6th May 2021 The size of the South African new-vehicle market will be determined by the availability of stock this year, says Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) sales and marketing senior VP Leon Theron. “It’s a weird, weird year. The market is quite difficult to call. →

The new Hino 300

SA’s Supreme Spring and Ghana’s Springs and Bolts sign MoU

By: Irma Venter 6th May 2021 The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) has welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Supreme Spring, a subsidiary of JSE-listed group Metair, and Springs and Bolts, based in Ghana. Supreme Spring MD Mark Barley and Springs and Bolts CEO Derrick... →

The Supreme Spring, and Springs and Bolts teams at the South African facility

Johan van Zyl returns to Toyota SA to help plot company’s long-term strategy

By: Irma Venter 5th May 2021 Dr Johan van Zyl has stepped down as Toyota Motors Europe president and CEO, and has returned to Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) to serve as executive chairperson. Van Zyl was TSAM president and CEO, as well as Africa region CEO, before his departure to Europe six years ago. →

Johan van Zyl

New guidelines set to transform auto supply chain – AIDCEC

By: Irma Venter 5th May 2021 The newly drafted guidelines for the automotive aftermarket sector, set to take effect on July 1, will allow for the increased participation of small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs), and/or black-owned firms in South Africa’s aftersales value chain, says the Automotive Industry... →

April new-vehicle sales show recovery is continuing, but supply problems loom large

By: Irma Venter 4th May 2021 On paper, the South African new-vehicle market grew by an astounding 6 133.3% in April compared with the same month last year. However, this is not a fair comparison, as South Africa was in a hard Covid-19 induced lockdown during April last year, with only 574 units sold for the entire month. →

Electrified vehicle sales in SA remain dismal, says uYilo

By: Irma Venter 30th April 2021 The cumulative number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sold in South Africa since 2013 had reached only 637 units by the end of 2020, says uYilo eMobility Programme director Hiten Parmar. The BMW i3 leads the market by a substantial margin, at 445 vehicles, followed by the Nissan Leaf, at 94... →

Suzuki sets new sales record – again

By: Irma Venter 30th April 2021 Suzuki Auto South Africa (SASA) in March yet again set a new all-time sales record, this time of 2 397 vehicles sold during that month. In doing so, the Japanese vehicle manufacturer broke its month-old record by nearly 12%. →

No timeframe yet for the development of green hydrogen corridor – Toyota SA

By: Irma Venter 30th April 2021 There is no time or cost framework yet for the proposed pilot project by Sasol and Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) to develop a green hydrogen mobility corridor, says the local arm of the Japanese car maker. “We have just started this exploration, hence no time and cost information may be made... →

Electric car sales jumped by 41% last year; Europe now the largest market

By: Irma Venter 29th April 2021 The global sales of electric cars grew by 41% last year, despite the shock of Covid-19, says the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its ‘Global Electric Vehicle Outlook 2021’ report. The IEA’s Jacopo Tattini, who coordinated the analysis and production of the report, says many people expected... →

Battery metal rush pits miners against marine biologists

By: Bloomberg 26th April 2021 Controversial plans to mine the ocean floor face a key test this year when a United Nations body unveils rules that could spur the exploitation of hundreds of billions of dollars of battery metals. The International Seabed Authority is preparing to pass regulations in July that could trigger a... →

Volvo Cars implements 24 weeks paid parental leave, SA included

By: Irma Venter 23rd April 2021 Volvo Cars has implemented a new all-gender, paid parental leave policy as of April 1. The Family Bond policy will give all employees with at least one year’s service a total of 24 weeks of leave at 80% of their base pay, by default, and will apply to Volvo Cars’ 40 000-plus employees in all... →

Kia to assess local appetite for electric vehicles with newly unveiled EV6

By: Irma Venter 23rd April 2021 Kia Motors South Africa (KMSA) will “initially, at the very least” bring a single EV6 unit to the domestic market to “gather intelligence” and to conduct “feasibility studies” on the possibility of introducing this electric vehicle (EV) into the local market, says KMSA marketing GM Christo... →

Tata to increase product range, footprint in Africa

By: Irma Venter 23rd April 2021 Tata International Africa (TIA) aims to double its turnover in the next four years, says CEO Len Brand. He has been leading a turnaround at the group that will see TIA enter its third year of profitability for the financial year ending March 31. →

March sales hint at a more positive 2021 than initially expected – Nada

By: Irma Venter 23rd April 2021 Considering the number of vehicles sold in March, it is possible that 2021 may deliver better sales than expected, says National Automobile Dealers’ Association (Nada) chairperson Mark Dommisse. “It is evident that the delayed replacement cycle is starting to catch up, helped by interest rates... →

Consumers delaying car purchases owing to Covid-19

By: Irma Venter 23rd April 2021 Deloitte’s 2021 Global Automotive Consumer Study has found that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on consumer behaviour in the automotive industry. The study surveyed more than 24 000 consumers in 23 countries, including South Africa. →

GridCars warns fleet operators to time the EV revolution correctly

By: Irma Venter 22nd April 2021 There is a “very real danger” that fleet owners may be stuck with stranded assets if they do not time the change-over to battery electric or fuel-cell vehicles correctly, says GridCars MD Winstone Jordaan. GridCars is a South African EV charging solution specialist. →

Platinum use in vehicle emissions control systems increasing as new regulations kick in – WPIC

By: Simone Liedtke 21st April 2021 Automotive demand for platinum is expected to grow by 25% year-on-year to reach almost three-million ounces this year, the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) reports. The three-million-ounce demand forecast will be 5% higher than pre-pandemic levels. →

Photo by Johnson Matthey
Gasoline three-way catalyst.

Mahindra SA opens new training centre

By: Irma Venter 20th April 2021 Mahindra South Africa (SA) has opened the doors to its new training centre in Centurion, Gauteng. The new centre more than doubles the available space of the previous facility. →

No timeframe yet for the development of green hydrogen corridor – Toyota SA

By: Irma Venter 19th April 2021 There is no time or cost framework yet for the proposed pilot project by Sasol and Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) to develop a green hydrogen mobility corridor, says the local arm of the Japanese car maker. “We have just started this exploration, hence no time and cost information may be made... →

A new generation Toyota fuel-cell truck

2024 debut for first all-electric Land Rover, Jaguar to be EV-only brand

By: Irma Venter 16th April 2021 Jaguar Land Rover says its Reimagine plan will see the electrification of both the Land Rover and Jaguar brands on separate architectures with “two clear, unique personalities”. The British carmaker says Land Rover will welcome six pure electric variants in the next five years. →

Continental body, Germany partner to develop Ethiopian auto policy

By: Irma Venter 16th April 2021 The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) has been appointed to develop an automotive policy for the Ethiopian government that will ultimately aim to encourage global original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs, or vehicle manufacturers) and component manufacturers to invest in... →

Online vehicle searches jump to a record high

By: Irma Venter 16th April 2021 The latest biannual AutoTrader Car Industry Report shows that online vehicle searches on AutoTrader have reached a new record. Covering the period from July 1 to December 31, 2020, the report notes that 276-million searches were conducted on AutoTrader, which is 54.1% growth year-on-year. →

New VWSA chief outlines vision for navigating the electric revolution and African market growth

By: Irma Venter 16th April 2021 An informal ‘contract’ signed at a conference, on a serviette, can hardly be viewed as a binding document, but somehow it saw Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) chairperson and MD Dr Robert Cisek make his way to Kariega (formerly known as Uitenhage) to take over the reins at the local arm of... →

Nissan's Magnite small SUV finally lands in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 15th April 2021 The Nissan Magnite compact sports-utility vehicle (SUV) has officially landed in South Africa. It will participate in the highly competitive B-SUV segment, along with vehicles such as the Hyundai Venue and Suzuki Vitara Brezza. →

Volkswagen Rwanda unveils second charging station for electric vehicles

By: Irma Venter 15th April 2021 Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda (VWMSR) has unveiled its second charging station for electric vehicles (EVs) in the capital of Kigali. The Volkswagen brand introduced a fleet of four e-Golfs and one charging station in Kigali in October, 2019, as part of an e-mobility pilot project in... →

SVI puts a bulletproof vest on the VW Amarok

By: Irma Venter 13th April 2021 Armoured product manufacturer SVI Engineering has extended the range of armoured bakkies available in South Africa to include the 190 kW V6 Amarok. SVI’s clients opted for the ultimate civilian level of armoured protection, namely B6, on the vehicle, able to stop bullets fired from assault rifles... →

Electrified vehicle sales in South Africa remain dismal, says uYilo

By: Irma Venter 12th April 2021 The cumulative number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sold in South Africa since 2013 has reached only 637 units by the end of 2020, says uYilo eMobility Programme director Hiten Parmar. The BMW i3 leads the market by a substantial margin, at 445 vehicles, followed by the Nissan Leaf, at 94... →

Sales, profitability key focus areas for new BMW SA CEO

By: Irma Venter 12th April 2021 In the challenging economic climate created by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, new BMW Group South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen says his focus will be on the company’s profitability and that of its retail partners, as well as on having a customer-first approach. He says... →

Peter van Binsbergen

Mahindra opens new parts warehouse in Gauteng

By: Irma Venter 9th April 2021 Mahindra South Africa has cut the ribbon on its new national parts warehouse in the Linbro Business Park, Gauteng. The new warehouse, situated near the intersection of the N1, M1 and N3 highways in Johannesburg, is around a third larger than Mahindra’s old Jet Park warehouse. →

Rajesh Gupta at the new warehouse

Volvo Car SA to bring host of EVs to South Africa

By: Irma Venter 9th April 2021 Volvo Car South Africa (SA) MD Greg Maruszewski says the local arm of the Swedish car manufacturer plans to bring the full range of Volvo electric vehicles (EVs) to South Africa, but adds that “business dynamics will obviously contribute to the decision”. Volvo Car SA will launch the Swedish... →

SA-UK PACT announces funding for uYilo’s EV capacity building project

By: Irma Venter 9th April 2021 The South Africa-UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (SA-UK PACT) programme has announced that it will fund ten local projects to the tune of more than £3-million. The aim is to help South Africa transition to a low-carbon, inclusive, climate-resilient economy and society. →

Botswana seeks opportunities to integrate into South African auto value chain

By: Irma Venter 9th April 2021 The Botswana government believes there is an opportunity for the country to participate in the South African automotive sector. “Around 60% of the components used in South African vehicles are still imported from outside Africa. Given Botswana’s proximity to South Africa, we see this as an... →

Suzuki sets new record – again

By: Irma Venter 8th April 2021 Suzuki Auto South Africa (SASA) yet again set a new all-time sales record, this time at 2 397 vehicles sold for the month of March. In doing so, the Japanese vehicle manufacturer broke its month-old record by nearly 12%. →

Tata Africa to expand its product range and footprint in Africa, says Brand

By: Irma Venter 7th April 2021 Tata International Africa (TIA) aims to double its turnover in the next four years, says CEO Len Brand. Brand has been leading a turnaround at the group that will see TIA enter its third year of profitability for the financial year ending March 31. →

Len Brand

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