Industry News

Bugatti Veyron designer named Rolls-Royce design boss

Jozef Kabaň, the man responsible for the exterior styling of the Bugatti Veyron, has been appointed head of design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The 46-year-old joins the British automaker from the BMW Group (of which Rolls-Royce is, of course, a wholly owned subsidiary), where he worked as head of design ...

CARmag.co.za evolves into multi-function automotive platform!

Everyone knows the brand, everyone has seen or read or perused the magazine. CAR magazine, a South African heritage brand, established more than 60 years ago, has now evolved its online platform, CARmag.co.za, even further to suit prevailing South African market conditions. CAR is Southern Africa’s ...

Another ‘massive’ fuel price hike on the cards for SA

The Automobile Association says strong oil prices and an ever-weakening rand have combined to set up another “massive” fuel price hike for South Africa. "These increases will be compounded by rises in fuel taxes which come into effect in April. There will be an additional increase of 15 ...

Mercedes-Benz SA quietly trims maintenance plan…

Mercedes-Benz South Africa has quietly trimmed its standard maintenance plan from six years or 100 000 km to five years or 100 000 km. The local arm of the Stuttgart-based firm phased out its six-year “PremiumDrive” maintenance plan on 17 February 2019, with the five-year version kicking ...

Volkswagen signs contract with Ford for Amarok successor

Yes, it’s official. Volkswagen says it has signed a contract with Ford for the Blue Oval brand to develop a successor for the Amarok bakkie. Back in January 2019, the two firms announced the first “formal agreements in a broad alliance” that would include the US brand engineering ...

It’s official: Geely buys 50 percent of Smart from Daimler

Chinese automotive group Geely Holding has acquired a 50 percent stake in the Smart brand from Daimler, with the two firms confirming the deal in a joint statement. Described as a “50:50 globally focused joint venture”, the two companies say they will own, operate and “further develop” ...

Renault seeks Nissan merger, FCA acquisition – report

A fresh report claims Renault is seeking a full merger with alliance partner Nissan, before turning its attention to plans to acquire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. According to the Financial Times, the French firm is eager to open merger talks with Nissan “within 12 months”. Renault, Nissan ...

Evoque clone: Chinese brand ordered to halt sales

A Beijing court has ordered the Jiangling Motor Corporation to halt manufacturing and sales of its Range Rover Evoque clone, with Jaguar Land Rover triumphing in the long-running legal case against the Chinese automaker. According to Autocar, the Beijing Chaoyang District Court has determined Jiangling ...

Volvo plans in-car cameras to detect drunk drivers

Volvo Cars says it plans to install “in-car cameras and other sensors” to monitor the driver and allow the vehicle to intervene if a “clearly intoxicated or distracted driver” does not respond to warning signals. The announcement is the latest step in the Swedish brand’s ...

Toyota confirms plan to sell Suzuki-built cars in Africa...

Toyota and Suzuki have announced an agreement to “begin considering concrete collaboration in new fields”, including Suzuki supplying certain India-built models to Toyota to sell in Africa. The announcement is the latest in a string of joint announcements that kicked off when the two ...