Drop in last month’s new vehicle sales
FIGURES FALL January 2015 aggregate new vehicle sales at 52,306 units registered a decline of 642 vehicles or a fall of 1.2% compared to the 52,948 vehicles sold in January last year, according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA. Sales of light commercials, heavy and extra-heavy trucks had recorded noteworthy gains. Moreover, January’s export sales at 16,708 units reflected a substantial improvement of 2,863 vehicles or a gain of 20.7% compared to the 13,845 vehicles exported in January last year. Overall, out of the total reported industry sales of 52,306 vehicles, an estimated 42,845 units or 81.9% represented dealer sales, 11.3% represented sales to the vehicle rental industry, 4.0% to industry corporate fleets and 2.8% to government.
Renault rolls out compact SUV
KADJAR French car maker Renault this week unveiled its first compact SUV, a “crossover” called the Kadjar it hopes will cater to the tastes of urban drivers in Europe and China and rival the popularity of Nissan’s Qashqai, reports AFP. Renault did not say how much the five-seater would cost and gave few details other than that it was slightly larger than the Qashqai and would be available in two- or four-wheel drive. It will be built in Spain, and from next year, in China. With this car, Renault completes its line-up of crossovers which already includes the smaller Captur, the larger Koleos and the fifth generation Espace.
McLaren to revive historic name
SPORTY McLaren will look to its heritage when it revives the legendary “Longtail” name given to one of the purest GT sportscars of all time, the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, for the launch of the new McLaren 675LT at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. This road-legal supercar will embody the Longtail ethos with a focus on performance optimised aerodynamics, increased downforce, driver engagement, power and reduced weight. The 675LT will join the core range of McLaren supercars alongside the existing 650S and Asiaonly 625C to form the newly named McLaren Super Series which sits above the recently announced Sports Series in the range hierarchy.
US consul-general shows support
COMMITTED On a visit to the Ford Struandale engine plant, US consul-general Teddy Taylor confirmed his support for growth initiatives and creating broader trade relationships for the automotive industry in the Eastern Cape. There was great potential for SA, he said, and Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa had shown its commitment to the country with the investment in the Ford Ranger manufacturing and export programme.
Mercedes takes German awards
R E A D E RS ’ CHOICE The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is the best medium-size car, while the S-Class is the best car in the luxury category, according to the latest reader survey by the German publication Auto, Motor und Sport. It had asked readers to name the best cars of the year. About 112,471 readers took part in this year’s vote.
Chinese aim for sunpowered cars
RAYS A Chinese maker of solar equipment is to partner with five vehicle designers to develop cars to be powered entirely by the sun, Bloomberg reports. Hanergy Thin Film Power Group will roll out three to five models in October. The aim is to produce cars capable of travelling as much as 100km on four hours of charge time in the sun, the company said. Power will come from 6m² of thinfilm solar cells affixed to the bodies of the cars. The designers include three foreign and two domestic companies.