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December 22, 2016

Dealers in Superfine Exotic and Sports Cars Tel: 033 345 1971, 033 342 4717 Fax: 033 342 2900 - www.ashcarsales.co.za

Witness

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L A T I P CA ays d r u t a S 9­10 am

WHEELS

ADVERTISING: AVIR THULSIRAM ON 084 278 3447

2016 Jeep Renegade 1.6 E-Torq Longitude....Only done 4000kms, Manual, petrol, A/con, P/str, MP3 Player, Electric side mirrors, MFS, Speedocruise, Bluetooth, Aux/ USB connection, Roof Racks, Fogs, 16” wheels, Balance of factory warranty.......

R269 995

Contact Rafik 083 786 3311 (PMBurg)

550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201 PO Box 8390, Cumberwood 3235

… NOW YOU’RE MOTORING

Best year­end camp for off­road bikers GILLITTS’ best rider, Michael Pentacost, will show fellow off­roader enthusiasts why he is SA’s current national off­road motorcycle and quad champion by staging a table­ top demo at a New Year’s Enduro at Ashburton on the weekend of December 30 and 31.

The New Year’s Enduro forms part of the JJS Sum­ merfest and provides a free ride for motorbike enthusi­ asts with any level of experi­ ence, from kiddies’ rides to a KZN drifting legend Reece Williamson veers his Hilux onto two wheels before putting it down again at the KZN 4x4 Challenge held at Shakaskraal on Saturday. Watch the video on The Witness’s facebook page. PHOTO: THRILL SEEKER

A drifter shows how

10 km cross country race with technical section, a river crossing and rocks galore.

Event co­ordinator Grant Nelson suggested off­road riders can make a memorable New Year’s weekend by camping at Ashburton, where they can join the JJS festival, which has a night market, coffee marquee, food stalls, and loads of kid’s entertain­ ment. Headlining music at the festival are Gangs of Bal­ let, while Pietermaritzburg­ born Josh Wantie. Johannes­

burg comedian Napsta will also entertain the crowd.

An open mic stage will be set up on New Year’s Eve for a talent show and all bud­ ding artists are encouraged to perform, free of charge.

The track opens from 9 am to 2 pm, and paramed­ ics will be on hand to attend to emergencies. Entry is free for riders, but there are also no prizes for finishing the tricky track.

• More details from Grant Nelson on 072 200 1844.

DISCOVERY GRAPHITE

OUR MOST VERSATILE SUV IS NOW EVEN MORE DESIRABLE

Who says a Hilux cannot swerve at top speed, and then drive on?

ALWYN VILJOEN A VIDEO of a KZN driver veering his old red Hilux to balance at al­ most 50 degrees on two wheels be­ fore landing back on four wheels is flashing around the world as Hi­ lux’s owners show their bakkie can swerve — with the right driver.

The video was taken at the KZN 4x4 Challenge, held at Shakaskraal on Saturday. A marked pause and a bit of rolling back after landing suggest the daredevil swerve may not have been intentional.

Wheels phoned the driver, KZN drifting legend and all round car tuner Reece Williamson, to ask if that recovery was planned, or just blind luck.

Williamson said it was not at all planned, but neither was it just luck, as he credits 15 years’ experi­ ence as a drifter for not rolling the bakkie.

“As we took the corner, my wheel dipped into a small ditch, and I felt the car going on to an angle. At that angle, my son, who was my co­driver, then obviously leaned over, which tilted the weight even more, so what I did without thinking was to counter­ steer and accelerate.

“The bakkie landed and yes, there was that pause, during which we realised the colour of adrena­ line is brown!

“We all had a good laugh af­ter­ wards, but had I not been doing

drifting for the past 15 years, I would have actually rolled.

“I am still very grateful we did not,” Williamson said.

The video is meanwhile garner­ ing thousands of views on his Face­ book page for Keith’s Panelshop Customs in Springfield Park, Dur­ ban.

Organiser of the event Andrew Karrim, who also shot the video, is confident the footage will go vi­ ral as Hilux drivers use it to prove their bakkies can swerve, even with a full lift modified suspension and a Chev V8 under the hood.

Karrim said the next KZN 4x4 Challenge will be held at Shakas­ kraal on March 19, but he assures aspiring contestants that they need not show such daring skills to win.

• More info on Facebook from Thrill Seeker Off­road, or from Karrim at 083 996 1303.

We all had a good laugh af­terwards, but had I not been doing drifting for the past 15 years, I would have actually rolled.

NOW WITH R50 000 TRADE ASSISTANCE A special edition for 2016, Discovery Graphite introduces a modern and distinctive look to the model range with an array of striking features and finishes.

These include 19-inch 7-split spoke alloy wheels in high gloss dark grey, and a grey Graphite finish to the fender vents and grille.

Call us today to book your test drive.

Land Rover Pietermaritzburg 9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 Tel: 033 897 8860 pietermaritzburg.landrover.co.za

*T’s & C’s apply

Michael Pentacost.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

2

WitnessWheels MOTORING

December 22, 2016

An ideal family car BRIAN BASSETT drives the new VW Jetta 7 1.4TSI Comfortline DSG Blue Motion THE Jetta has been with us since 1979 and it is one of the best­sell­ ing models in the VW line­up, with some 275 000 units having been sold into the South African market over the past 35 years.

The seventh­generation Jetta has arrived recently in South Af­ rica and now sits beside the Golf 7, by which it always appears to be eclipsed, possibly because of the Golf’s more youthful and sporty image.

The Jetta is, however, the more practical of the two vehicles and over the years has grown up to the point where it barely fits into the C segment.

We offer our thanks to Keith Abrahams, dealer principal at Barons Pietermaritzburg, for al­ lowing us access to the car.

Styling The Jetta is a handsome car and its looks have been improved in the seventh generation. Its styl­ ing is still not overwhelming, but in a world overdone with curves, crests and ersatz chrome, the Jet­ ta’s understated distinction com­ mands respect.

The car’s real appeal lies in its visual durability. Its design will still look relevant in a decade and, considering the number of 10­ year­old plus Jettas one still sees on the road, this is an important consideration.

Updates to the Jetta 7 have kept it fresh without altering the basic design. The redesigned front end has a restyled radiator grille with three cross fins. Bi­xe­ non headlights are now optional and are fitted with a cornering turn signal.

The car also has LED daytime driving lights and a new bumper.

At the rear there is a revised bumper and tail­light cluster and the boot lid has an aerodynamic trailing edge. In fact, the car is about 10% more slippery than before. In all, the impression

bag de­activation. There is an electronic stability programme and Isofix child seat anchors.

If you want to survive the holi­ day rush, the Jetta will provide you with an excellent platform for doing so. Just in case anyone tries to steal the car while you are at the coast, there is the usual fac­ tory­fitted alarm and central locking functions.

The seventh­ generation VW Jetta is sleeker and longer than the 1989 model, but it still provides class­leading space for passengers and luggage.

PHOTOS: VW made by the Jetta 7 is one of dura­ bility and lasting quality.

Interior The cabin of the Jetta 7 is superb­ ly finished in textured plastics and there is considerable atten­ tion to detail.

Clean lines and well­organised controls present both driver and passengers with a calm, spacious oasis for their journey.

The car is not at all constrain­ ing. I loaded four friends into the car for a pre­Xmas shopping trip to Hillcrest, followed by a visit to the new Hillcrest market.

None of those who joined in the journey could be described as small and despite this the shoul­ der­ and leg­room provided al­ lowed a very comfortable com­ mute. The Jetta, in fact, has more space at the back than some mid­ size sedans I have driven.

The dash is dominated by the 6,5­inch touch screen, which op­ erates the eight­speaker radio, CD, Aux and MP3 audio system, which also features an SD card reader. The main dials are typi­ cally Volkswagen with the ana­ logue speedometer and rev coun­ ter linked by a digital information panel, which provides the driver with information without having to look away from the road. There is also an up­to­date technical in­ terface with smartphone integra­ tion.

The driver’s seat, as well as the multifunction steering wheel ac­ centuated in piano black, are fully adjustable and the gear lever for the auto box is within easy reach.

The seats are covered in robust cloth and are comfortable to the point where the Jetta can be re­ garded as a long­distance vehicle.

Like all Jettas, the boot is large

and will take luggage for five peo­ ple without a problem. The rear seats can be folded down in 60/40 fashion and the car pro­ vides one of the largest storage spaces in its class. Rear­seat movement is controlled from the boot and the mechanism is easy to operate. Useful storage spaces in the doors and between the seats provide a space for all the modern­day clutter we carry on our persons.

Safety and security The Jetta has a top Euro NCAP five­star rating and a long list of safety features too numerous to mention here.

The most important, however, include ABS with EBD, Hill Hold Assist, Multi­Link Independent Rear Suspension and six driver, passenger, front, side and curtain air bags, with front passenger air

Performance and handling Despite its family sedan image the Jetta’s 1,4­litre, four­cylinder, turbo­petrol engine puts out 97 kW and 200 Nm. The engine is sweet, sophisti­ cated, peppy and compelling. Ze­ ro to 100 km/h comes up in about 5,7 seconds, with an academically interesting top speed of around 200 km/h. The six­speed auto box does a brilliant job and on the N3 there is easily enough power to handle the crazies and truck drivers with bald tyres.

Fuel consumption is around 6,2l per 100 km and the Blue Mo­ tion badge tells you that VW has installed a range of energy­saving features.

The car is refined and the inde­ pendent suspension on all four wheels makes it one of the best handlers in its class, with electric power steering offering precision and immediate feedback whatev­ er the road surface.

Our Hillcrest excursion in the car was a delight, back­road pot­ holes and all, and in town it was easy to manoeuvre and park. It is a car I would consider buying with my own money, if I had any, that is!

Costs and the competition Nine models are available. Ours costs around R360 000.

There is a factory guarantee and five­year, 90 000 km service plan. Also check out the Ford Fo­ cus, Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla and Kia Cerato.

New Lexus LC a dynamic luxury coupé in every aspect LEXUS is Toyota’s luxury brand and buyers of both have always found comfort in these Japanese brands’ reputation for solid relia­ bility rather than tar­melting performance.

Akio Toyoda, Toyota presi­ dent and CEO (and great­grand­ son of the company’s founder, Ki­ ichiro Toyoda), has taken it on himself to change the design cul­ ture at the world’s biggest car seller to make the car also fun to drive.

This mission started with Lex­ us and, in the LC coupé, Akio­san may just have delivered a luxury coupé that lives up to every as­ pect of the fun to drive mission.

Lexus said in a statement that the new LC luxury coupé will be

accommodating a sport suspen­ sion and 21­inch forged alloy wheels.

The teams had the benefit of working on a completely new GA­L (Global Architecture — Luxury) platform, designed for new generations of front­engine/ rear­wheel drive Lexus models.

Under the hood lurks a 5,0 litre normally aspirated V8 petrol en­ gine, generating a maximum out­ put of 351 kW, matched to a new close­ratio Direct Shift 10­speed automatic transmission, which is a first for a premium passenger car.

The Lexus LC500 goes on sale in SA in about June 2017, with pricing to be confirmed closer to the time.

PHOTO: LEXUS its global flagship to show the brand’s qualities of design, beau­ ty, engineering and advanced

technology that define it as a pre­ mium vehicle manufacturer, but also symbolise its ambition as a

will be closing and the next edition will be on the 12 January 2017 The Witness Wheels team would like to thank all our clients for their support and wish all our Loyal readers and customers a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year

luxury lifestyle brand.

The LC is built at Lexus’ Mot­ omachi plant, famously home to production of the hand­crafted LFA supercar.

The LC’s exterior design is immediately recognisable as being a masterful reinterpreta­ tion of the styling of the LF­LC concept, winner of an Eyes­On Design award when first re­ vealed at the 2012 North Amer­ ican International Auto Show in Detroit.

The production LC pre­ served the concept LF­LC’s low roof and hood lines, while en­ suring the packaging allowed the LC to match the concept in

VAKIO

TOYODA Toyota president and CEO

‘I hope you will agree [the LC500] is anything but boring.’

Expect a sharp rise in fuel prices next month.

PHOTO: FILE

Crude oil cuts will raise fuel prices SURGING international pe­ troleum prices are likely to hit South Africans hard at the pumps at the beginning of 2017.

This is the view of the Au­ tomobile Association (AA), which was commenting on unaudited mid­month fuel­ price data released by the Central Energy Fund (CEF).

“Saudi Arabia has indicat­ ed that its crude oil produc­ tion cuts may go beyond those proposed in Novem­ ber,” the AA said.

“There are also signals that non­Opec members may vol­ untarily decrease production, which has the potential to fur­ ther bolster international pe­ troleum prices.”

The first fortnight of De­ cember showed a strong ap­ preciation in oil prices, while the rand remained volatile against the U.S. dollar. Based on the current data, the indic­ ative increase in fuel prices at the end of December will be around 27 cents a litre for pet­ rol, 21 cents for diesel and 28 cents for illuminating par­ affin.

The AA warned that the impact of production cuts was not factored into current oil prices.

“If the oil­producing coun­ tries adhere to the proposed production cuts, oil prices are likely to strengthen until de­ mand and production move back into equilibrium,” the as­ sociation said.

“Even a stronger rand could be overpowered by a sharp climb in the oil price, potentially meaning a succes­ sion of fuel price hikes, which could strongly impact the economy over the next few months.” — WR.

CASTROL R BACK IN SA CASTROL has announced it will again sell Castrol R40, known in South Africa as Castrol R, based on demand from suppliers and end users.

The multipurpose oil can be used as engine oil, gear­ box lubricant and as a two­ stroke mix, and is best known for its smell, or what Castrol described in a state­ ment as a “great aroma”.

The product is available from Castrol Classic, a divi­ sion of SA Wholesale Import and Exports. Castrol said trade inquiries are welcomed and stockists are wanted.

— WR.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

December 22, 2016

More robot cars coming BMW, GM and Volvo plan to remove driver error from roads ALWYN VILJOEN BMW, GM and Volvo last week un­ veiled the next phases of their plans to make cars that will drive themselves and even chat to the occupants.

With nine in 10 fatal crashes blamed on driver error, the manufacturers say they can prevent at least 80% of car crashes by simply not putting human drivers in control.

Following on its successful tests in the robot minibus Olli, IBM has an­ nounced a new collaboration with BMW to “explore the role of Watson cognitive computing in personalising the driving experience and creating more intuitive driver support systems for cars of the future”.

This means future BMW models will be able to “shoot the breeze” with the vehicle’s occupants, as Watson is already doing in the robot minibus Ol­ li, which this year completed success­ ful trials in several cities.

As part of the agreement, the BMW Group will collocate a team of re­ searchers at IBM’s global headquar­ ters for Watson Internet of Things (IoT) in Munich, Germany, and the companies will work together and ex­ plore how to improve intelligent as­ sistant functions for drivers.

Self­steering Bolt In the state of Michigan in the U.S., General Motors said it will begin test­ ing autonomous vehicles on public roads.

GM CEO and chairperson Mary Barra announced last week that GM will build the next generation of its au­ tonomous vehicles at the Orion Township assembly plant in the first quarter of 2017.

The plant will produce the Chevro­

let Bolt EV equipped with fully auton­ omous technology. It already produ­ ces the Bolt EV and the Chevrolet Sonic.

“Revolutionising transportation for our customers while improving safety on roads is the goal of our au­ tonomous vehicle technology, and to­ day’s announcement gets us one step closer to making this vision a reality,” Barra said in a statement.

“Our autonomous technology will be reliable and safe, as customers have come to expect from any of our vehi­ cles.”

Michigan joined the states of Ari­ zona and California, where Uber last week launched self­driving pilot in San Francisco with Volvo Cars.

Volvo partners Uber Volvo said the move marks the next phase in a deepening alliance between Volvo and Uber after the two compa­ nies signed an agreement in August 2016 to establish a jointly­owned project to build base vehicles that can be used to develop fully autonomous driverless cars.

These cars were initially tested in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The latest cars to be used in San Francisco have been built by Volvo and sold to Uber, after which Uber’s own self­driving hardware and software package has been added, most visibly in the roof­mounted control appara­ tus.

“The promise of self­driving ride sharing is becoming a reality,” said Mårten Levenstam, vice president product planning at Volvo Cars. “Vol­ vo is proud to be at the forefront of the latest developments in the auto­ motive world alongside our partners.

• alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za

3

DB4 in the woods a R7 mln ‘time capsule’

This ‘Series 2’ 1961 Aston Martin DB4 was found recently next to a trailer home in the Massachusetts woods in the U.S. Numbered DB4/510/L, it is an original, U.S.­specification DB4 that was manufactured in 1960. This DB4 is a veritable time capsule, with a remarkably preserved wood­rimmed steering wheel and personal effects found inside, retaining the wire­spoke wheels, and even the old tyres, which held air when re­inflated after the car was found and its condition was assessed professionally. As offered, this 1961 DB4 carries fascinating history and it marks a wonderful find that is certain to electrify the Aston Martin faithful everywhere. Worldwide Auctioneers expects to get over R7 million ($500 000) for it when the restored car goes under the global hammer at the inaugural Scottsdale sale on January 18. PHOTO: WORLDWIDE AUCTIONEERS

Gentle rescue robot sees through smoke A GROUP of research leaders in Japan have developed a prototype of a con­ struction robot for disaster relief situa­ tions.

This prototype has drastically im­ proved operability and mobility com­ pared to conventional construction ma­ chines.

This group, which comprises the uni­ versities at Osaka, Kobe and Tohoku, and Tokyo as well as the Tokyo Institute of Technology, developed construction robots for disaster relief in order to solve various challenges of conventional con­ struction machines used in such situa­ tions. The project forms part of the Im­ pact Tough Robotics Challenge Pro­ gram (with the Impact the shortened name of the Impulsing Paradigm Chal­ lenge through Disruptive Technologies Programme).

The researchers aim to disrupt with technology using a machine with ele­ mental technologies under develop­ ment. Verification tests were performed on places that represented disaster sites, and a certain level of performance was confirmed.

Their prototype looks like an ordinary hydraulic shovel, but includes technolo­

What looks like a little yellow machine is actually a rescue robot packed with technology to see in smoke and gently help lift people from broken buildings. PHOTO: OSAKA UNIVERSITY gy to quickly and stably control heavy power machines with high inertia; hy­ draulic sensors and haptic feedback to precisely control the force of the pin­ chers during tele­operated rescue mis­ sions; and support for a drone to get overhead or even in­door images.

Four fish eye lenses give the operator a 360° view of the rescue area from the roof of the robot.

The operator can operate the robot even in fog or smoke, using a far­infrared ray camera capable of viewing with long­ wavelength light.

The group said in a statement they are also developing new robots with a dou­ ble rotation mechanism and double arms to achieve higher operability and terrain adaptability over, for example, broken slabs of concrete.

Last­minute gifts for the man with everything

GM CEO and chairperson Mary Barra announcing the company will build and test self­driving Bolts in the state of Michigan.

PHOTO: MOTOR1.COM

For wives looking for last­minute gifts for the hubbies, Leon du Bruyn and Renier van Wyk at Macho Mart in Victoria Square, Pietermaritzburg, say they have just the right toy. ‘It is never too late to have a happy childhood,’ said De Bruyn, who is seen here preparing a 1959 Morris Minor for a lucky recipient.

For those wanting more speed, Van Wyk said radio­controlled cars are still very popular for ages five and upwards. ‘The only difference between the toys of men and boys is the price,’ Van Wyk said. Macho Mart is open until 3 pm on Saturday. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN

4

WitnessWheels MOTORING

December 22, 2016

Get there, wet or dry U.S. Marines test an amphibious vehicle boasting best systems survivability BAE Systems rolled out the first of 16 Amphibious Combat Vehi­ cle (ACV) 1.1 prototypes to the U.S. Marine Corps in a ceremony at the company’s York, Pennsyl­ vania, facility recently.

BAE Systems’ ACV 1.1 offering is a fully amphibious, ship­ launchable and ship­recoverable 8x8 wheeled combat vehicle.

“BAE Systems has a long­ standing legacy of supporting the Marine Corps’ amphibious mission,” said John Swift, the company’s director for the ACV 1.1 programme.

“That expertise has allowed us to deliver the first of these vehi­ cles ahead of schedule.”

BAE Systems’ solution for ACV 1.1 leverages an existing platform provided by Iveco De­ fence Vehicles.

It is highly effective at sea when compared to any other am­ phibious vehicle in production today, providing superior land mobility and state­of­the­art sys­ tems survivability.

“As the Marine Corps begins testing we are confident that the capabilities of these vehicles will be proven,” Swift said.

The BAE Systems solution bal­ ances the Marine Corps’ de­ mands for an affordable, produc­ tion­ready platform with added designs for increased force pro­ tection, water and land mobility, lethality, transportability and survivability.

BAE Systems’ ACV 1.1 solution has completed thousands of kilometres of mobility testing and a full range of amphibious operations, including demonstrations of launch and recovery.

PHOTO: BAE SYSTEMS BAE Systems’ ACV 1.1 is equipped with a robust 700HP engine, providing a significant power increase over the Assault Amphibious Vehicle that is cur­ rently operated by the Marine Corps.

The vehicle excels in all­terrain mobility and has a suspended in­ terior seat structure for 13 em­ barked Marines, blast­protected positions for an additional crew of three and improved survivabil­ ity and force protection over cur­

rently fielded systems.

The Marine Corps awarded BAE Systems a $103,7 million (R1,46 billion) contract for the engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase of the ACV 1.1 programme in No­

vember 2015, one of two EMD contracts issued.

During this phase, the compa­ ny is to produce 16 prototypes that will be tested by the Marine Corps starting in the first quarter of 2017. — WR.

Proven electric hybrid drivetrains for half­ton bakkies ALWYN VILJOEN WHILE South Africa ranks with Malaysia and South America as a top­selling bakkie market, our buyers do not have much of a say in what drivetrains future bakkies should offer.

That authority goes to the American buyers, who ensure that the Ford F250 is the overall top­selling vehicle in the U.S. And with demand for the as­ yet­unproven fuel cell Nikola One truck having netted the de­ veloper $3 billion (R42,2 billion) in deposits, any manufacturer with an eye on the American buy­ er will be offering pick­ups that just sip fuel.

Enter XL Hybrids Incorporat­ ed, a company founded in 2009

by MIT alumni in Boston, Mas­ sachusetts, whose hybrid electric and plug­in hybrid­electric pow­ ertrains can be fitted to any of the major OEM platforms and have been proven to deliver on average 20% to 50% improvement in consumption and CO2 emis­ sions, as well as 99,9% fleet up­ time. XL Hybrids was recognised as one of the 2014 World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies

XL Hybrids, a company formed in 2009 by MIT alumni, are ready to supply half­ton bakkies with a retrofit electric system that has proven fuel savings of up to 50%. PHOTO: XLH 2014 by Fast Company, and has buy­in from national fleets in the U.S. The company now offers a plug­in hybrid system for half­ ton bakkies, which it said in a statement is an industry­first, fleet­ready solution, with deliv­ eries to fleet customers sched­ uled for the fourth quarter of 2017.

Clay Siegert, XL Hybrids’ co­ founder and chief operating offi­

cer, said the technology will be the first plug­in solution that is avail­ able for tried and true commer­ cial pick­up trucks for fleets today.

He said XL Hybrids surveyed fleet managers to understand their most critical requirements and developed the new technology based on customer demand for hybrid electric plug­in technolo­ gy on commercial work trucks from the leading OEMs.

The new XLP solution will build on the platform product technology used on the compa­ ny’s award­winning XL3 hybrid­ electric powertrain, which has achieved more than 35 million road miles with over 99,9% vehi­ cle uptime on Class 2­6 vehicles for major fleets since 2013.

The XLP lithium battery pack will be over 10 kWh, and will ac­ commodate Levels 1 and 2 charg­

Take the Road Safety Pledge WITNESS Wheels encourages all drivers to take the Road Safety Pledge, commiting themselves to obey the rules of the road, starting with putting down the cellphone.

Road users travelling along the major routes wre encour­ aged to make a stop at any one of the petrol stations list­ ed below on December 15, in

order to take the pledge.

As a bonus, the official part­ ners of the campaign each sponsored spot prizes to road users who took the pledge on this day at one of the follow­ ing venues: • Total Petroport N3 Highway, Heidelberg West; • Shell Ultra City N4 Highway, Middelburg;

•Shell Retail Service Station Gateway, Nelspruit; • Caltex Service Station, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town; • Shell Ultra City N3 Highway, Estcourt North; • Engen 1 Stop N4 Highway, Belfast.

“By being part of this initia­ tive, MiX Telematics, as a lead­ ing global provider of fleet and

mobile asset management so­ lutions, wants to drive aware­ ness around responsible driving behaviour,” said Grant Fraser, product and marketing director at MiX Telematics (Africa).

Fraser concluded: “It takes a collective effort from all role players within our society to reduce the number of road fa­ talities.

ing using an industry­standard plug.

Dr Edward Lovelace, XL Hy­ brids’ chief technology officer, said in a statement the plug­in hybrid electric solution has al­ ready been proven over millions of fleet road miles.

“XLP will provide fleet cus­ tomers with unprecedented reli­ ability, vehicle uptime and driva­ bility for a plug­in hybrid pick­up truck solution,” said Lovelace.

“The launch of our XLP plug­ in hybrid solution reaffirms XL Hybrids is the industry leader in fleet electrification solutions, and we are proud to have major customers already committed to support our product launch next year.”

Like Tesla cars, the XLP hy­ brids will link to a cloud­based big data analytics system, which measures MPG performance and reports carbon dioxide emissions reductions.

The proprietary XL Link vehi­ cle connectivity is a continuous data link from every vehicle, col­ lecting millions of operational data points, allowing analysis and reports on key performance indicators.

Tuning you straight “Together, we want to create broader awareness among our communities in order to change the behaviour of drivers and save lives.”

Database helps get stolen cars back PRO­ACTIVE South Afri­ ca has created revolution­ ary technology that could drastically reduce the amount of time taken to is­ sue an alert for a hijacked or stolen car.

Pro­Active has an intelli­ gence­sharing database that has the power to make this possible. According to the MD of Pro­Active, Ry­ no Schutte, it is a system which allows distribution of pre­loaded material on any hijacked or stolen vehi­ cle using their website.

“This information goes to 137 security service provid­ ers and enforcers. If your vehicle is taken from you, you can enter information using your PC, or it uses GPS co­ordinates when us­ ing your smartphone, and within seven seconds that information is circulated.

“When people are hi­ jacked, from the time when the hijackers leave, until the time the police come, until the time the info is circulat­ ed, at least an hour lapses.

Do you think that car is anywhere to be seen? It is gone, long ago,” says Schutte.

“With this app everyone can equip themselves with the tools to respond to a hi­ jacking as quickly as possi­ ble. It is an empowering app which could have a very powerful effect for the 40 victims of hijackings every­ day in South Africa. It is our civic duty to apprehend hijackers that much faster,” says Schutte.

According to statistics, South Africa loses over R8,5 billion to vehicle theft and hijacking.

Of the vehicles stolen, 57% are taken across the border, 36% filter back into South Africa as cloned ve­ hicles and the rest land in chop shops.

The contribution of real­ time intelligence could help lower these statistics.

The potential of this new technology is far­reaching.

“The effective distribution of information on vehicle theft and hijackings can even help lower the number of other crimes like house burglaries, armed robber­ ies and cash­in­transit heists.”

This can benefit all South Africans as the arrest of suspects can have a snowball effect on other forms of crime and possibly save a life.

• If you would like to find out more about Pro­Active South Africa, call Ryno Schutte on 082 740 0663 or visit www.pro­activesa.co.za.

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