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Tyre tax

THE higher excise duties being imposed on tyres in South Africa would make the country’s roads even more dangerous, the Automobile Association said. The association predicted many consumers, bombarded with inflation from all angles, would opt to continue using tyres that were in a poor condition because they couldn’t afford new ones.

Last month, the government announced an additional 38.33% excise duty would apply to tyres imported from China. This was on top of existing excise duties of between 25% and 30%. This means imported tyres would now have an excise loading of between 63.33% and 68.33%, the AA said. |

Tiguan R

IF you want some of that Golf R fury in a more practical, albeit less dynamic,

SUV package, the first-ever Volkswagen Tiguan R is here. Priced at R999 900, it forges a high-performance niche for itself in the Rav4 class, and it’s a cool R200 000 cheaper than the five-cylinder Audi RS Q3.

The Tiguan R shares its EA888 Evo 4 2.0-litre turbo-petrol heart with the new Golf R, which is due to be launched soon. Paired with a seven-speed DSG dualclutch gearbox, the four-cylinder engine produces 235kW and 400Nm. The Tiguan R will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds with top speed electronically restricted to 250km/h. | IOL Motoring