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THE final and largest piece of Ford Motor Company’s R15.8-billion investment puzzle for its SA operations has slotted into place with its new Frame Line commencing operations, in preparation for the start of Next-generation Ranger production later this year.

Located in the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) adjacent to Ford’s Silverton Assembly Plant, the Frame Line is the only Ford-owned and operated chassis manufacturing facility in the world. It measures a vast 100 000m2 and boasts the most advanced robotic manufacturing and quality control systems available. | IOL Motoring

New SUV

MAHINDRA will open its order book for their new XUV700 SUV in South Africa on 15 November across all dealerships. In India, it broke all records for orders and the length of its waiting list, when it was introduced.

In South Africa, it was revealed in June, followed by a road trip to dealers and customers across the country

“We received such overwhelmingly positive feedback from dealers and prospective customers that we have decided to open our order book,” said Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa. | IOL Motoring

Prototype

THE new Maserati Grancabrio prototypes are taking to the streets of Modena for the initial stages of development testing.

The Granturismo and Grancabrio are the brand’s first cars to adopt a 100% electric solution.

The new models are intended to launch the Folgore electric range, which Maserati says will set the benchmark in every market segment: each car in the range will be full-electric by 2030.

Ahead of the new Grancabrio’s launch, expected next year, the prototype models are undergoing intensive testing (on the road, on track and in various conditions), aimed at gathering essential data for optimal final tuning. | IOL Motoring

Growth

DESPITE the many challenges and headwinds that it faces this year, the

South African vehicle market is holding up rather well.

The Automotive Business Council, known as Naamsa, has released new vehicle sales figures for October and, with a total recorded volume of 45 996 units, the market grew by 11.4% versus the same month last year.

The light commercial and bakkie market led the growth in October, gaining 14.3% year-on-year with a total of 12 738 units. The passenger car market grew by 10.4%, to 30 597 units. Last month, 82.6% of new vehicle sales took place through the dealer channels. | IOL Motoring

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