February 11, 2021
THE WITNESS
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Vitara just got ‘Brezza’
POTHOLES A PROBLEM IN UK
Suzuki’s best-selling compact SUV storms into local showrooms ALWYN VILJOEN
the two GL models and three two-tone colour options for the GLX models.
India’s best-selling compact SUV has arrived in Mzansi and readers stand a chance to win the use of one for a year. The Vitara Brezza has been around for six years and is now exported to 18 countries, with SA the first country in Africa to get the high-riding small ute. Suzuki designed the Brezza around the Vitara legend, but with an average of 10 000 sales per month last year in price-sensitive India, the Brezza has overtaken the Vitara in sales. In South Africa, Suzuki has priced the Virara Brezza aggressively to compete with the Hyundai Venue, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport and Honda WR-V, all of which are also built in India. Of note, the imported Brezza will also compete with Toyota Urban Cruiser, which will be built in Prospecton and is a rebadged Vitara Brezza, built in terms of an agreement between Toyota and Suzuki to cross-supply vehicles between the companies. In terms of this agreement, Suzuki already supplies the Baleno and Vitara Brezza to Toyota and Toyota provides its Corolla to Suzuki. Solid reputation In India the Vitara Brezza made its name with a frugal diesel engine and then grew this reputation with its reliable 1,5 petrol, which drives the four models imported to South Africa. Like its competitors, the Brezza comes only with front wheel drive, but 16-inch wheels and a ride height of 198 mm ensure easy “gravel travel” over mountain passes. Drivers wanting all-wheel-drive for muddy roads get that in the Vitara — which rides 13 mm lower — while those wanting to climb rocks need look no further than the Jimny. Last year’s lockdowns around the world caused long waiting lists at local dealerships for the Jimny and S-Presso, but Suzuki SA assures that the supply chains are flowing smoothly again. Buyers can choose from six solid colours for
Low running costs In India, cars are advertised not on their zero to 100 times but their “cpk” — their cost per kilometre. The Vitara Brezza’s drivetrain options have been fine-tuned to meet Indian drivers’ demands for the lowest possible “cpk”, which helped it earn India’s Car of The Year title. Suzuki’s proven 1,5 naturally aspirated petrol engine makes 138 kW and 138 Nm from 4 400 rpm, linked to either a fivespeed or four speed auto. The auto’s fourth is an overdrive gear and can be disabled with a gear-mounted switch. With a consumption of 16 km per litre (6,2/100 km), the relatively large 48 litre fuel tank will give drivers a range of at least 700 km per tank over all surfaces. All models come with a four-year or 60 000 km service plan and a five-year or 200 000 km warranty. Inside the cab The infotainment system on the Vitara Brezza is the newest generation from the engineers at Suzuki. As such, it also displays vehicle information and alerts, including low fuel, door ajar alert and much more. Suzuki has also added automatic climate control, electric windows allround, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, rear parking sensors, remote central locking and a rear armrest with integrated cup holders as standard across the range. The GLX models have adjustable mood lighting with five customisable colours and there are additional interior lights in the foot well, glove box and the luggage compartment. Vitara Berezza prices GL manual R244 900 GL auto R264 900 GLX manual R289 900 GLX auto R309 900 • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
Readers who enter Suzuki’s eight-question quiz stand a chance to win a Vitara Brezza for a year, with insurance, services and a first tank of fuel included. The competition closes at midnight on March 31 and the lucky draw winner will be notified on April 8. The quiz, and its terms and conditions, can be found at https://content.suzukiauto.co.za/new-vitara-brezza.
Suzuki’s new Brezza has entered South Africa’s highly contested segment for compact SUVs with very aggressive pricing. PHOTO: MOTORPRESS
Nidec predicts steep price drop for electric vehicles ALWYN VILJOEN Chinese electric motor manufacturer Nidec, the world’s biggest supplier of motors for computer hard disc drives, is branching into motors for electric vehicles and predicts prices for average electric cars will drop to under R50 000. Nikkei Asia reported from Tokyo on Tuesday that Nidec chairperson and CEO, Shigenobu Nagamori, predicts the price of an electric vehicle will drop to as low as 300 000 yen (just over R42 000), resulting in a spike in demand for cars. Nagamori said this market disruption is already happening, pointing to the $4 300 (just over R63 000) Hongguang Mini produced by the GM-Wul-
Nidec chairperson and CEO Shigenobu Nagamori. PHOTO: NIKKEI ASIA
ing joint venture in China. Released in July 2020, the little Hongguang is now China’s best-selling all electric car, with
55 781 sales in three months up to October last year. Nagamori said similar small and cheap electric vehicles are be-
ing readied in India, Africa and South America, and their arrival will drive up supply to some 300 million units from the current 80 to 90 million units, with an attendant drop in prices. “You will be a loser if you run away from price competition,” Nagamori said. He said Nidec’s goal is to dominate this future market by producing electric motors cheaper than any of its competitors. “There is no escaping a price war. Motors will become a commodity. The price of EV motors will drop to a fifth. We have to ready ourselves for that,” he said. Nidec said the company is getting a lot of inquiries from car makers around the world, especially since late last year when countries announced bold plans to shift toward electric vehicles.
Changes to the South African car trade coming in July New guidelines for the automotive industry as published by the Competition Commission will affect every single South African seeking to buy, repair or service a car from July 1. CEO of AutoTrader George Mienie said the changes require that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), dealerships and workshops alter the way that they do business in the future. Here are some of the most important changes. Freedom of choice Consumers who do not have insurance cover may repair their motor vehicles at a service provider of their choice at any point during the motor
vehicle’s lifespan. They don’t have to go to a so-called “approved motorbody repairer” anymore. More options For various reasons, consumers’ options when it comes to motor-body repairers have been limited. This won’t be the case in the future. The OEMs need to promote and/or support the entry of new motor-body repairers, with a preference for firms owned by Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDIs). The OEMs also cannot enter into exclusive arrangements, either with one or more approved motor-body repairers, for effecting repairs on an OEM’s motor
vehicles within a designated geographic area. Practically, this should mean that there are more motorbody repairers — and the consumer has more options. In theory, cars should also be repaired faster. Unbundled service plans Dealers won’t be able to include a maintenance or service plan in the purchase price of a vehicle; the plan has to be “unbundled”. Practically, this means that the consumer can say yea or nay to buying a plan from a dealership. He or she is free to shop for one elsewhere. In addition, if a vehicle with a maintenance or service plan is written off
by an insurance company, that plan must pass on to the replacement vehicle. Less grandiose dealerships The commission says that dealership start-up costs — at an average of R60 million — can be exorbitant and a high barrier to entry. In future, the OEMs will need to adopt measures to lower financial barriers to entry and promote the participation of HDIs in the dealership market. In addition, OEMs should not impose so-called “onerous obligations” on prospective dealers. So, expect a lot more smaller, far less grandiose dealerships to pop up. — WR.
It is not just in South Africa where drivers are vexed by holes in the roads. The UK’s largest road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart’s, latest report states that British motorists perceived potholes to have overtaken texting and drink driving as a danger on the road. The charity’s annual Safety Culture Report, which tracks drivers’ changing attitudes to key road safety issues over time, show that three in four motorists (75%) now perceive potholes to be a bigger issue for road users than they were three years ago. This was followed by driver distraction (68%) — such as texting or talking on a mobile phone — and traffic congestion (65%). Further findings from the report, now in its sixth year and which involves surveying more than 2 000 motorists, also discovered that around nine in ten (89%) drivers have been affected by potholes over the last year. Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy & Research, said potholes on UK roads “has now become much more than just irritating, it’s a significant threat to personal safety”. While a crash by a drunk or texting driver are more devastating, than bending a rim in a pothole, Greig said the responses highlight that “it is time for government to take potholes seriously and fix the UK’s road network”. — WR.
AARTO STAFF INVESTIGATED The Road Safety Project (RSP) said it is concerned and disappointed that the implementation of AARTO is facing yet another hurdle, in the form of a forensic investigation into the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) and the suspension of senior employees. The RSP said in a statement the suspensions are believed to be related to financial maladministration. “Similar points systems overseas have proven to be one of the most effective means to increase road safety. Unfortunately, the investigation into RTIA is revealing that AARTO appears to be more concerned with the financial benefit of traffic penalties rather than improving road safety,” the RSP said. The project said as a result of these findings, public buy-in and support is likely to be seriously impacted. The RSP urged the Department of Transport to realign the objectives to increase road safety “rather than profits”. “Let this not be an irreparable blow to the potential that AARTO could have in reducing the number of lives lost on South African roads,” said the RSP. — WR.
KZN’s biggest Karmann Ghia fan sends his last classic car overseas ALWYN VILJOEN Jurgen Ruppel, the biggest Karmann Ghia fan in KwaZulu-Natal — if not Africa — yesterday waved goodbye to his last Ghia, loading it into a container to send to New Zealand. At one point he owned five of the timeless classic cars that best exemplify what the Bauhaus design movement was all about. “I paid R350 for the first two (Karmann Ghias) I bought. One had a good engine but a rusted body. “I sold it for R100 to help pay the costs on a new house,” the former general manager at the now closed TDM floor and door factory recalled. Asked why he let go a car that he had for 52 years, the octogenerian told The Witness that, apart from walking on a prosthetic lower leg, he is also has age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — an eye disease which blurs the central vision needed for activities like reading and driving. He said he had briefly considered donating the car to the VW Pavilion in East London but decided to keep the car in the family. “I cannot drive anymore. It is time to let it go and
Jurgen Ruppel saying goodbye to a 1959 Karmann Ghia that he bought in 1969 and is now sending to a son in New Zealand. PHOTOS: CYBIL MATTHEWSON my partner’s son in New Zealand will take good care of it,” he said. The process to export a car costs some R50 000 and his partner, Cybil Matthewson, filled in the forms,
which she said were legion. She added the car still had to get a tax clearance form, police clearance and even “asbestos clearance” before the container can leave South Africa.
“We don’t expect the container to arrive in New Zealand before the end of April, and then my son warned there may also be delays at the har-
bour, she said. Ruppel said he did not see many old VWs, never mind the rare Karmann Ghia models when he visited New Zealand, so the car will be a rare sight there. It will also be a good investment, for Ruppel had done all the things collectors want in a classic car. “I had it resprayed and rechromed and new rubber put in, but the engine is still original with only 48 000 miles [77 248 km] on it, and it’s still as good as new. It was a car I only drove on sunny weekends,” he said. It is the second Karmann Ghia Ruppel has given to a son. The first was converted to look like a rag top Porsche, with a 2,4-litre engine and painted bright yellow, which went to his son in Pretoria. Ruppel now has one car left in his garage, standing next to his scooter. It is a also a rare VW Beetle conversion, one of only 20 VW Beetle Kango models built in SA. Like all his vehicles, it is in mint condition and kept under a dust cloth. But when asked if he wants to sell the Kango, Ruppel said he enjoys it too much when his two loves combine — being driven with the top down and Cybil at the wheel.
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The company says its 100% electric, ultra-quiet eVTOL aircraft will be capable of travelling distances of up to 96,5 km at 241 km/h. Archer hopes to benefit from FCA’s low-cost supply chain, advanced composite material capabilities, and engineering and design experience in order to significantly decrease the cost of production. “We’ve been hyper-focused on a customer-first approach to vehicle design and aircraft operations,” said Brett Adcock, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer. “Now we are working with a
seasoned automotive partner to leverage cost benefits and experience that will allow Archer to produce thousands of aircraft reliably and affordably every year.” “This is a first-of-its-kind deal for one of Detroit’s Big Three automakers in moving into the urban air mobility space,” said Adam Goldstein, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer. “There is now a clear path for Archer to bring mass production to this industry, changing the way people travel in and around cities forever.” — WR.
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Fiat Chrysler moves into ‘air mobility’ U.S. company Archer has teamed up with Fiat Chrysler (FCA) to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with the intent of starting production in 2023. FCA has already collaborated on cockpit design elements of Archer’s first aircraft, which is expected to be unveiled early this year. Archer’s goal is to create a vertically integrated electric airline that “moves people throughout the world’s cities in a quick, safe, sustainable and cost-effective manner.”
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