GWM launches its first EV in South Africa; priced below R700 000 

Great Wall Motors, also the owner of the Haval brand, has launched its first electric vehicle (EV) in the domestic market. Ora is the Chinese car maker’s new-energy-vehicle-specific brand, with the... 

Richards Bay Port says it ‘may’ halt trucks carrying cargo to the port; RFA outraged

Richards Bay Transnet Port Terminals (RCB TPT) says it “may” suspend the processing of trucks bringing cargo into its terminals by road. Only trucks whose vessels have been already nominated shall... 

Daimler Truck Southern Africa goes digital with click-and-collect parts portal

Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) has launched a new e-commerce platform – the Daimler Truck Parts Portal. The platform works on a click-and-collect basis, which means customers can buy parts... 

Increased exposure, cost concerns among insights revealed by AutoTrader’s EV buyers survey

AutoTrader’s 2023 South Africa Electric Vehicle (EV) Buyers Survey shows that 63% of respondents believe they would purchase an EV within the next five years, down from 65% in 2022. Some marginally... 

Avis launches iLease as an alternative to vehicle ownership

Avis Fleet has introduced iLease, the company’s first leasing product in South Africa. iLease allows consumers the use of a vehicle for any duration between 12 and 48 months, as an alternative to... 

Electric vehicle market stymied by slow public charging roll-out – global study

A new study from Juniper Research has found that the lack of public infrastructure is severely limiting electric vehicle (EV) adoption in urban environments.  In particular, as flat and apartment... 

TNPA issues Eol for small, medium-scale LNG imports

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has published an expression of interest (EoI) document to determine market appetite for small- to medium-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports through... 

Cape Town to announce preferred bidders on power projects next year, says tariff reform required

The preferred bidders for the City of Cape Town’s 200 MW embedded independent power producer (IPP) programme will be announced in mid-2024, says Energy MMC Beverley van Reenen. The first power from... 

Toyota Gazoo Racing SA to contest Dakar 2024 with three new crews as Al-Attiyah bows out

Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGR SA) will field three crews at the 2024 Dakar Rally, with all three drivers hailing from South Africa.  Former TGR SA star and Dakar 2023 overall winner, Nasser... 

Volkswagen signs agreement with Egyptian government

Volkswagen and the government of Egypt have signed an agreement to develop a feasibility study on a shared automotive painting facility in the East Port Said Automotive Zone (EPAZ) within the East... 

Business vehicles twice as likely to be hijacked rather than stolen – Tracker

Tracker statistics for the period January to June show that hijackings still dominate national vehicle crime, accounting for 55% of incidents, versus theft at 45%.  However, while the... 

Mercedes-Benz SA to roll out 127 electric vehicle charging stations

Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) will roll out 127 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country in a R40-million investment. As demand for EVs continues to grow, “ensuring robust... 

City of Cape Town study proves business case for electrification of vehicle fleet

The City of Cape Town has wrapped up a three-year electric vehicle (EV) pilot project, which it says proves the business case for the electrification of municipal vehicle fleets.  “Battery EV... 

Rubicon aims to more than double its charging network by the end of 2024

Technology group Rubicon aims to expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging network from the current 90 chargers to more than 250 by the end of next year, says e-mobility director Greg Blandford.... 

Serco’s Gauteng premises now fully solar powered

Truck and trailer body-building company Serco is now fully powered by solar energy at its Boksburg facility in Gauteng. The installation consists of a 150 kW hybrid solar system with 370 x 405 W... 

Hino to take multiple pathways to develop cleaner trucks

Truck and bus manufacturer Hino Motors says it will follow its parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation, in championing multiple powertrains as it aims for carbon neutrality by 2050.  The strategy... 

Transnet expects 175 vessel calls as cruise liner season opens

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) says it expects 175 vessel calls at South African port cities in the 2023/24 cruise liner season, which opened earlier this month. The vessels are expected... 

Stellantis to launch Strada half-tonner in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding S Africa

Stellantis has announced that it will launch the Fiat Strada half-ton bakkie in left-hand-drive markets in sub-Saharan Africa, starting this month. This excludes South Africa, where the Strada was... 

Port of Cape Town agricultural exports heading for a crisis, warns Western Cape govt

The Western Cape is heading for an export crisis at the end of the year, warns Western Cape Finance and Economic Opportunities Minister Mireille Wenger. “With the good rains we have experienced,... 

Webfleet report shows jump in collisions involving trucks

The 2023 Webfleet Road Safety Report shows a jump in collisions involving trucks this year, at 1 313 incidents, compared with 1 252 collisions in 2022. The survey for the report was conducted... 

Contractors urge dialogue as 88 companies faced liquidation last year

Contract changes within the construction industry and conditions that are slashing margins are becoming a growing threat to contractors, “contributing to the downward spiral of the construction... 

naamsa disappointed at yet another delay in NEV policy announcement

naamsa | The Automotive Business Council says it is disappointed that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has postponed the long-awaited announcement on government’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) policy... 

China’s cheaper EVs are challenging Western market dominance – JATO report

A divide in the global transition to electric vehicles (EVs) has emerged as Chinese manufacturers seem to be rushing ahead of their Western counterparts in the production and sale of EVs.  This is... 

South Africa should not be ‘pushed into a corner’ on energy funding, say SANEDI and Eskom

While any funding of South Africa’s embattled energy sector is welcome, South Africa should not “be pushed into a corner” on how this money should be spent, said South African National Energy... 

New Hyundai boss expects negative 2023 as consumers battle tide of bad news

Newly appointed Hyundai Automotive South Africa (HASA) CEO Gideon Jansen van Rensburg steps into his new role at a challenging time. Not only is the domestic passenger-car market cooling, but the... 

Energy crisis being addressed, but implementation is slow, admits DMRE DG

One of the biggest positive developments over the last 12 months has been the “convergence of ideas on what we need to do to resolve the energy crisis”, said Department of Mineral Resources and... 

New-vehicle sales continue to drop, truck sales jump as rail system falters

Total new-vehicle sales in October dropped by 2%, to 45 445 units, compared with the same month last year, reports naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. This was the third consecutive month of... 

SA shark-barrier tech scores first commercial installation

The eco-friendly SharkSafe Barrier technology, developed by marine biologists at Stellenbosch University (SU) and their collaborators, and manufactured in the Western Cape, has been installed at a... 

Avis launches iLease as an alternative to vehicle ownership

Avis Fleet has introduced iLease, the company’s first leasing product, in South Africa. iLease allows consumers the use of a vehicle for any duration between 12 and 48 months, as an alternative to... 

European Space Agency cofunds autonomous shipping project

A project that seeks to guarantee uninterrupted data connectivity at sea should be able to boost the shipping industry’s ability to deploy safe and accurate autonomous shipping technology.... 

Transnet Ports to weigh interest in small- to medium-scale LNG imports

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has published an expression of interest (EoI) document to determine market appetite for small- to medium-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports through... 

EV buyers survey notes increase in EV exposure, while high prices remain problematic

AutoTrader’s 2023 South Africa Electric Vehicle (EV) Buyers Survey shows that 63% of respondents believe they would purchase an EV within the next five years, down from 65% in 2022. Some marginally... 

Broad-based strain evident in the logistics sector, Ctrack index shows

The Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (CTFI) retreated further during August, to an index level of 118.8, the lowest since February, when it was at 116.7.  This represents a 1.5% decrease. It is... 

Association warns of looming spate of retrenchments at dealerships, retail stores

The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) says a number of dealerships and retail stores have announced their intent to restructure, which could lead to a spate of retrenchments in the automotive... 

Africa using only ‘very small’ percentage of its wind power potential, says GWEC

Africa is using less than 1% of its wind power potential, which is “very, very, very little”, says Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Africa director Wangari Muchiri. A new report released at... 

Cape Town deploys new safety team at public transport facilities

Cape Town has added a Public Transport Facilities Safety Team to its Transport Enforcement Unit. The Western Cape Mobility Department is funding the new team as part of its safer public transport... 

Serco rolls out solar at Gauteng facility, Cape Town to follow at year-end

Truck and trailer body-building company Serco is now fully powered by solar energy at its Boksburg facility in Gauteng. The installation consists of a 150 kW hybrid solar system with 370 x 405 W... 

Rubicon signs partnership with Italy’s WeCo Batteries

South African solar and backup energy solutions provider Rubicon has announced a partnership with Italian energy storage business WeCo Batteries.  Under this partnership, Rubicon and WeCo Batteries... 

Scania introduces its Euro 6 V8 770S model to those seeking cleaner trucking 

Scania Southern Africa has launched its Euro 6 V8 770S truck in South Africa, in an effort to support breaking the link in the domestic market “between increasing transport demand and increased... 

September used-car sales down 9% from August numbers – AutoTrader

Domestic used-car sales generated R39.1-billion in the third quarter, this according to AutoTrader used-car sales data. However, for the first time in three months, September used-car sales went...