Engineering News | Passenger Cars, Bakkies & Vans

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Follow @EngNewsZA

Advertise on this page? Click Here to Learn More

Passenger Cars, Bakkies & Vans News

Black-owned SPSS clinches contract from Merc SA

By: Irma Venter 28th January 2020 Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has awarded an enterprise and supplier development contract for bodyshop loader services to Specialised Productivity Support Solutions (SPSS). SPSS is a 100% black-owned enterprise, formed by two former employees from the MBSA Bodyshop Division. →

Audi cars aim to ride wave of green traffic lights in Germany

By: Irma Venter 28th January 2020 German premium car maker Audi has expanded its networked traffic light project from Ingolstadt to Düsseldorf. At the end of January, Audi drivers in Düsseldorf will see information from around 150 traffic lights in their cockpit, thus increasing their chance of catching a wave of green traffic... →

Key EV markets to start growing again – WoodMac

By: Creamer Media Reporter 28th January 2020 Following a year characterised largely by disappointing performances from the electric vehicle (EV) and consumer electronics sectors, better days are ahead for battery market participants, with key markets for electric cars set to start growing again. This is according to consultancy firm Wood... →

Mini South Africa to launch car-sharing scheme in Sandton in Q3

By: Irma Venter 27th January 2020 Mini South Africa, part of the BMW Group South Africa, aims to launch a pilot car-sharing scheme in Sandton, Johannesburg, in the third quarter of this year. Participants will be able to use the participating cars with “just a few taps on their smartphones”, says the car maker. →

EV pilot programme can help Rwanda go green

By: Cameron Mackay 24th January 2020 Electric mobility through electric vehicles (EVs) in Rwanda can help the country in its efforts to go green, says Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) CEO Thomas Schäfer. This comes after Volkswagen launched a pilot project in the country in October last year, where it introduced its first EV in Africa. →

Photo by Creamer Media
THOMAS SCHÄFER Africa will develop in many ways with cooperation. We need to learn to work together across the continent, find shared value, and ways of collaborating

Auto industry seen consolidating as falling demand, higher costs bite

By: Reuters 23rd January 2020 The auto industry faces further consolidation and jobs will migrate to lower-cost countries as companies struggle to develop cleaner vehicles in an economic downturn, European Auto Industry (ACEA) president Mike Manley said on Wednesday. Tighter emission rules introduced in the wake of... →

Local lithium-ion battery plant to open its doors this year

By: Irma Venter 20th January 2020 The Megamillion Energy Company intends to be Africa’s first large-scale producer of lithium-ion batteries, with a mandate to make batteries “in Africa, for Africa’s benefit first”. Megamillion aims to have Africa’s first lithium-ion battery production pilot plant up and running in the second half... →

Nechan Naicker

Several South Africans, ladies included, made for a memorable Dakar 2020

By: Irma Venter 20th January 2020 While there was no South African on the overall winner’s podium at Dakar 2020, the country did manage to notch up quite a number of memorable finishes. Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Giniel de Villiers (from South Africa) and Spanish co-driver Alex Haro powered their South African built and run factory... →

Alex Haro and Giniel de Villiers

Grindrod breaks ground at R105m AutoPort project

By: Irma Venter 17th January 2020 Freight logistics group Grindrod has started construction on a new, R105-million AutoPort, just off the N3 in Camperdown, KwaZulu-Natal. The 270 000 m2 property is located between Pinetown and Pietermaritzburg. →

BMW’s Abbott takes on mantle of Naamsa president

By: Irma Venter 17th January 2020 The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) has elected BMW Group South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa CEO Tim Abbott as its new president. He will serve a two-year term. →

Tesla in talks to buy Glencore cobalt for Shanghai car factory

By: Bloomberg 15th January 2020 Glencore is negotiating a long-term contract to ship cobalt to Tesla’s new electric-vehicle factory in Shanghai, according to people familiar with the matter. A deal would help Tesla avoid a supply squeeze on the key battery metal as it pushes into the world’s largest car market, and mark a win... →

Two manufacturers now produce 19-inch tyres in South Africa

By: Irma Venter 14th January 2020 Two tyre manufacturers announced in December that they have started 19-inch tyre production in South Africa, in what they say is a first for the domestic industry. Bridgestone South Africa (SA) says its production of 19-inch tyres is the results of an unquantified investment in new technology at... →

The CTSA team with the 19-inch General Grabber AT3

VW, Nissan chase an African market where car loans are rare

By: Bloomberg 10th January 2020 Volkswagen and Nissan Motor Co are among automakers planning new plants in Ghana to target West Africa’s 382-million people. Their challenge: Finding banks that will offer loans to make new cars affordable. In a country where about 70% of imports are second-hand, new car ownership is rare, said... →

Ghosn goes on the offensive in first appearance since escape

By: Bloomberg 8th January 2020 Carlos Ghosn went on the attack against Japan’s criminal justice system less than two weeks after becoming the world’s most famous fugitive with a daring escape to Lebanon. “I was brutally taken from my world as I knew it,” the former head of Nissan Motor and Renault SA said in Beirut on... →

Hilux, Suzuki, Vivo big winners in 2019; premium brand sales on the decline

By: Irma Venter 8th January 2020 New-vehicle sales in South Africa in 2019 showed a strong buying-down trend, with under-pressure consumers either opting for trusted and/or value-for-money brands, rather than more premium cars. The South African total new-vehicle sales market declined by 2.8% in 2019, to 536 626 units, down from... →

New-vehicle sales dip 2.8%; exports set new record

By: Irma Venter 7th January 2020 The domestic new-vehicle sales market yet again retreated into negative territory, declining by 2.8% in 2019, to 536 626 units, down from the 552 227 units sold in 2018. New-vehicle sales declined by 1% in 2018 from the 557 703 units sold in 2017. →

Japan moves to contain fallout from Ghosn's daring escape

By: Bloomberg 7th January 2020 Waking from a week-long national holiday, Japan’s institutions are being spurred into action by Carlos Ghosn’s daring escape, which has shocked the nation and exposed shortfalls in its bail system and border control. The country’s transport and justice ministries moved to close the loopholes... →

Toyota Tsusho wins contract to build Egyptian vehicle terminal

By: Reuters 19th December 2019 A consortium led by Toyota Tsusho, a unit of Japan's Toyota Group, signed a contract on Thursday to set up and operate a roll-on, roll-off vehicle terminal at East Port Said in Egypt, the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) said. The consortium, which also includes Bollore Africa Logistics and... →

SA wants to be continent’s automotive producer of choice – Patel

By: Creamer Media Reporter 13th December 2019 Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel is hoping that regular meetings between government, labour and representatives from the vehicle assemblers and automotive component suppliers, will create a stable and predictable environment for automotive investment. The Automotive Executive Oversight... →

Bloodhound chief engineer on heat, dust and record-breaking dream

By: Irma Venter 13th December 2019 Dusty Hakskeenpan, in the Kalahari desert, is not exactly the place one expects a bunch of Brits to hang around during a hot African summer. It’s 260 km from the nearest big town – Upington – and average daytime temperatures hover somewhere in the mid-thirties, if not higher. But, the men and... →

BMW boss elected as new Naamsa president

By: Irma Venter 10th December 2019 The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) has elected BMW Group South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa CEO Tim Abbott as its new president. He will serve a two-year term. →

Tim Abbott

Correct textiles selection key in meeting standards

6th December 2019 The selection of textiles for use in automotive design and manufacture that adhere to stringent quality, acoustic, safety and environmental requirements is critical, says textiles manufacturer Fibertex SA sales manager Rosa Naidoo. She adds that Fibertex SA – part of the global Fibertex group –... →

INNER BEAUTY Fibertex nonwovens are used in automotive components and for vehicle interiors

Manufacturers join forces for sector development

6th December 2019 In the spirit of Kyodo, automotive manufacturers Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) and Isuzu Motors South Africa (IMSAf) have joined forces to create a black supplier development programme for local manufacturer Algoa Components Manufacturers (ACM). When ACM reported concerns about the future... →

'COMPONENT' SOCIAL INVESTMENT Both Toyota and Isuzu have undertaken the responsibility of developing an beleaguered local manufacturer

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... →

STEELY INVESTMENT Allied Steelrode CEO Arun Chadha and automotive sales GM Lee-Ann Geyser hope to meet customer expectations through investing in new equipment

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... →

New-vehicle sales decline by 5.8% in November

By: Irma Venter 2nd December 2019 New-vehicle sales in November declined by 5.8%, to 44 738 units, compared with the same month in 2018. The newest sales numbers, released on Monday, indicated that November new-passenger car sales increased by a modest 1.3%, to reach 31 444 units, with strong support from the car rental industry,... →

Ford South Africa to pay R35m penalty in Kuga fire matter

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th November 2019 The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has determined that Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) had not been negligent in its conduct with regard to 56 Ford Kuga 1.6 Ecoboosts that had caught fire in 2016. The commission did, however, find that FMCSA had engaged in prohibited conduct. →

South Africa’s auto sector most likely to attract more German investment

By: Marleny Arnoldi 28th November 2019 Through the Southern African–German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the German government on Thursday hosted a Baden-Württemberg Meets Gauteng business forum, to promote further trade and investment. Baden-Württemberg is the third-largest state in Germany and has as a gross domestic product... →

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,... →

Datsun launches automatic Go; says it is here to stay

By: Irma Venter 25th November 2019 The Datsun brand is set to remain in South Africa, says Datsun South Africa (SA) head Hide Kuwayama. He describes current media reports around the future of the brand as “speculation”. →

The Datsun Go CVT

Value-added service to enhance in-vehicle video camera solution

By: Darren Parker 22nd November 2019 Fleet and mobile asset management solutions group MiX Telematics has launched the gold MiX Vision Bureau Service, which further extends the value of the in-vehicle MiX Vision video camera solution. The service is managed by MiX Telematics’ team of professional video analysts and is offered as... →

GOING FOR GOLD The gold programme includes an array of driver-coaching tools to ensure that risky driver behaviour can be addressed proactively

Road wear an ongoing concern

By: Darren Parker 22nd November 2019 There are multiple factors that contribute to deteriorating road conditions in South Africa, and the road freight industry cannot be held solely responsible, says Road Freight Association (RFA) CEO Gavin Kelly. The volume of cars, trucks and buses using the roads far exceeds the volumes of 30 to... →

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

Renault edges out Suzuki in inaugural WesBank Fuel Economy Tour

By: Irma Venter 19th November 2019 Renault has edged out Suzuki to take the crown as South Africa’s most fuel efficient brand in the inaugural WesBank South Africa Fuel Economy Tour. The five-day, 2 500 km event saw 40 competing vehicles travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town, via Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and George. →

Second-hand tyre survey shows 61% are not fit for use

By: Irma Venter 14th November 2019 The 2019 South African Tyre Manufacturing Conference (SATMC) Used Tyre Survey indicates that only 39% of tyres surveyed this year were deemed safe for use on the road. This is a sharp decrease on safe-to-reuse second-hand tyres when compared with the 47% recorded in the 2014 survey, says Sumitomo... →

Global appetite for SUVs could offset benefits of switch to EVs, IEA warns

By: Terence Creamer 13th November 2019 The growing global consumer appetite for bigger and heavier sports utility vehicles (SUVs) could offset the emission benefits set to arise from electric cars, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns in its latest World Energy Outlook. The global fleet of SUVs increased from 35-million in 2010... →

IEA executive director Dr Fatih Birol

Isuzu announces R1.2bn investment in next-gen bakkie programme

By: Irma Venter 11th November 2019 Isuzu Motors, of Japan, has confirmed that it will be investing R1.2-billion in the production of its next-generation one-ton bakkie in South Africa, while an additional total local parts and content value of R2.8-billion should be generated through the lifecycle of the assembly programme. This... →

The current generation Isuzu bakkie

Company Post

Local Manufacturing and Assemblies

more

Topics In These Articles

RSS Feed

About

Engineering News is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa
Polity

Newsletters

Sign up for our FREE daily email newsletter

Receive daily sector news alerts

More

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Engineering News is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options

Subscribe