QUICK READ

ON THE RISE

SOUTH African motorists will likely be hit with yet another significant fuel price hike in March 2021 as international oil prices continue to climb. If current trends persist until month end, the petrol price is likely to rise by around 50c a litre, while diesel could go up by about 45c. This is the scenario portrayed by mid-month fuel price data from the Central Energy Fund. Although the rand is at its best level in about a year, international oil prices have risen at a faster pace, pushing past the $60 a barrel mark in February. | Jason Woosey

ELECTRIC

JAGUAR Land Rover is planning to go fully electric and carbon neutral by the end of the next decade. This forms part of a new global strategy, called “reimagine”, which was announced by chief executive Thierry Bolloré this week. Although the Land Rover SUV brand is planning a flurry of new battery-powered models this decade, with six all-electric variants set to debut in the next five years, its sister brand will be the first to fully electrify. According to JLR, Jaguar will be reimagined as an “all-electric luxury brand” from the year 2025, with the aim of “realising its unique potential”. | Jason Woosey

F1

THE Mercedes F1 team has been dealing with some engine issues ahead of the new season, but the team expects everything to be fixed by the first race. The comment, in a team interview with engine head

Hywel Thomas, drew some wry comments on social media from those who recalled the sport’s dominant manufacturer saying something similar last year. “We have got some issues with the power units; we know we have issues but we have plenty of plans in place to fix all of those issues,” said Thomas. The season starts in Bahrain on March 28. | Reuters

SAFETY

ACCORDING to new research from the US, women are far more likely than men to be seriously injured in a car crash, and this is not due to physical differences. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the heightened risk that women face is largely due to the types of cars they drive, as well as the circumstances surrounding their crashes. The numbers show that women more often drive smaller, lighter cars and that they’re more likely than men to be driving the struck vehicle in side-impact and front-into-rear crashes, said IIHS vice-president of vehicle research Jessica Jermakian. | IOL