March 11, 2021
THE WITNESS
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13
WHEELS
www.witness.co.za
C-19 boosts car sales Need for social distancing underlines SA students’ view that a car is no luxury, but a necessity ALWYN VILJOEN In the U.S. and UK, young people prefer to hail a ride rather than own a car, which has seen applications for drivers’ licences fall consistently since 2018. In South Africa the reverse is true — which is good news for used car dealers who cater for first time buyers. A 2018 study that investigated future car ownership by SA students showed they view owning a car as a necessity, not a luxury. Rose Luke, a senior researcher at the University of Johannesburg, conducted the study of “car ownership perceptions and intentions” among South African students, which showed that 100% of all students who did not have a driver’s licence intended to obtain one in the next five years. All the students also said they aim to buy a car as soon as they can afford it. “These intentions are largely driven by the view that the quality of public transport constrains the movement of people and does not provide a travel alternative that is considered to be a reasonable alternative to the car, as indicated by the view that cars are a necessity,” said Luke. The risk of contracting a Covid-19 infection on public transport have now added to this demand, said CEO of Motus Retail and Rental, Corné Venter.
Lunga Sibiya fistbumps his cousin Siya after getting the keys to a mini panelvan from Metro Car Sales in Pietermaritzburg. They represent all young buyers in South Africa who say they need their own wheels to get ahead. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
“Research indicates that Covid-19 and the associated health and personal safety risks that commuters are exposed to when using public transport has encouraged many commuters to explore buying their own vehicle,” said Venter in a statement. What price range? New cars are heavily taxed in South Africa, which makes used cars relatively
expensive compared to other markets, but Venter said buyers might be pleasantly surprised at what they can afford. “If you earn less than R7 000 per month, monthly instalments may still be a little too much for your current budget. However, if you earn between R8 000 and R10 000 per month, you could certainly look at buying a preowned vehicle, keeping in mind that your total monthly vehicle expenses
should not exceed R2 500. “Saving up for a deposit will also help lower your monthly instalments. Which car? Elvis Naidoo, sales manager at one of Pietermaritzburg’s oldest used car dealers, Metro Car Sales, said the historic low interest rate makes now a better time than ever to sign a vehicle financing deal and lock this in to a fixed
interest rate for the contract period. He said first time car buyers can expect to pay about R120 000 for a reliable used car from an established dealer and he recommends a hatchback because of the versatility as well as affordability. “We have several Renault Kwid models on the floor. The instalments on a new Kwid beat a typical family’s taxi fares and the instalments on a used Kwid are even lighter on the pocket. “Then we have the Honda Jazz, which has been a favourite among lastcar buyers because it is so reliable, and a Ford Figo, which is a hatch with surprisingly good handling.” How to spot a good used car dealer At Eagle Auto in Pietermaritzburg, Yugen Naidoo, who switched to selling cars after a long and illustrious career in retail, said reliable used car dealers do not up-sell clients, but match their buyers’ needs with their budgets. “We sit down with our buyers and do a needs analysis so that we can match people value to product value,” he said. This approach led to Eagle Auto boasting a word-of-mouth referral rate of 50% and for only one percent of their clients running into payment difficulties, which earned the dealership an Absa Golden Partner award in 2019.
Toyota v Suzuki: new models the same, but different ALWYN VILJOEN
VOLVO RECHARGE IN SA THIS YEAR The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric (pictured) will be launched in South Africa in the second half of the year. This all-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) has already demonstrated strong sales internationally. Thousands of orders were placed for the XC40 Recharge even before the formal start of sales in Europe last year. By the start of production in the company’s Belgium plant on October 1 last year, every car scheduled to be built that year had already been sold. According to Greg Maruszewski, managing director at Volvo Car South Africa, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric is capable of travelling more than 400 km on a single charge. “It can be charged to 80% of its battery capacity in as little as 40 minutes using a fast charger,” he said. The XC40 Recharge will deliver a brisk performance, with its twin electric motors producing 304 kW (408 hp) of power and 660 Nm of torque to deliver a 0-100 km/h time of just 4,9 seconds. The car scores highly in the field of practicality too. For instance, the lack of an internal combustion engine frees up space for an additional 30-litre storage compartment, or “frunk”, under the front bonnet, while the placement of the batteries under the centre of the car means space is not compromised elsewhere. Owners will be able to charge the vehicle at a dealership, at home or at one of the growing network of public charging stations. Volvo Car South Africa is rolling out an extensive network of charging stations and, by the end of 2021, each Volvo dealership will have a charging station. The XC40 is the first of five fully electric cars to be launched by the Swedish company over the next five years. “Volvo Cars will launch a fully electric car every year, as we look to make all-electric cars 50% of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids. Recharge will be the overarching name for all chargeable Volvos with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain,” Maruszewski said. The launch of the XC40 Recharge is a significant step towards Volvo Cars’ ambition to reduce its CO2 footprint per car by 40% by 2025. “That same year, it expects 50% of its global sales to consist of fully electric cars, with the rest hybrids. But 2030, the company aims to only build electric cars,” he said. Volvo dealers will start taking orders for the XC40 Recharge in April. Deliveries will start in August and the vehicle’s price will be confirmed later this month. — WR.
Suzuki buyers who don’t want to search for one of Suzuki’s 71 dealerships in SA to buy a Vitara Brezza can pay a bit more for the car as the rebadged Urban Cruiser at any of Toyota’s 220 dealers. The Urban Cruiser is the second product of the Toyota-Suzuki alliance, and Toyota hopes it will sell as well as has the Starlet, which is the Suzuki Baleno with a Toyota badge. Under the hood is Suzuki’s reliable 1,5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine (77 kW/138 Nm). Buyers can choose between a fivespeed manual or an old-school fourspeed torque converter automatic, with locks in second and first gears for crawling when driving on slippery surfaces. What sets Toyota’s five Urban Cruiser models apart from Suzuki’s five Vitara Brezzas are LED lights and a push-button start all round, as well as Toyota’s Connect telematics system. This includes an in-car Wi-Fi hot spot and complimentary 15 Gb data. Linked customers can also manage their vehicle via the MyToyota App to book services, log vehicle information and history, track data and use Toyota Connect data recharge services,
ELECTRIC FLYING SPUR FOR R7,4 MLN Rapidly growing global demand for classic cars with electric drivetrains has led to Lunaz, electric vehicle engineering company and creator of electric classic cars in the UK, announcing plans to grow its global manufacturing headquarters by 500% from May. David Lorenz, founder of Lunaz Design, said in a statement “a significantly expanded manufacturing plant” next to Silversone Racetrack in the UK forms a key pillar in his strategy to position Lunaz as “a global leader in the conversion of passenger and industrial vehicles”. The plant has a paint shop, battery engineering, body restoration and craft shops for both soft and hard finishes. Lunaz enjoyed significant success in 2020 despite challenging market conditions. This growth follows the highly successful market introduction of the world’s first electric classic Rolls-Royce, Range Rover and Jaguar sportscars. Lorenz said this success is underpinned by rapidly expanding global demand for truly sustainable luxury goods. On top of this, governments in many major markets are creating laws to ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains in the coming two decades. This includes Lunaz’ home market of Britain, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion powertrains will be brought forward to 2030. Lorenz said following overwhelming customer demand, Lunaz will commence full production of the world’s
first electric Bentleys. The most recently completed car is a 1961 Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur by H.J Mulliner. It demonstrates the breadth of possibilities through collaboration between a Lunaz customer and the company’s design team. The electric Flying Spur has an uprated suspension, brakes, power-steering and air-conditioning. An infotainment screen is subtly integrated to provide modern functionality like navigation and Apple CarPlay with no compromise to the authenticity of the classic design aesthetic. The car will be used daily by one of the UK’s most eminent car collectors and includes the integration of child seats to the rear, finished in leather that matches the interior scheme. Lunaz said it will now permanently release production allocation for Bentley Continental S1, S2, S3 in two-door and four-door configuration. In addition to fixed-head cars, the company will also offer rare Continental Drophead Coupé examples. Every classic electric Bentley by Lunaz will be subject to the same baremetal restoration process that every Lunaz marque undergoes. Each will be offered with full modernisation through the firm’s re-engineering process before it is converted to the Lunaz proprietary electric powertrain. These cars will be offered in strictly limited production allocations with deliveries already in progress. Prices for original factory steel-body cars start at over R7,4 million (£350 000) excluding local taxes. — WR.
CARS IN THE PARK AGAIN CANCELLED ALWYN VILJOEN
among other services. Since November 2020, Toyota Connect has also provided access to the MyEntertainment suite of e-services, which includes Videoplay for video streaming and MyMuze for music streaming. The entry level Urban Cruiser tops the entry level Brezza with a rear-view camera, but the Brezza counters with armrests front and rear, and roof rails
on top. All the Brezzas are a few thousand rands cheaper than the equivalent Urban Cruisers, despite having better a warranty and service plan. The Urban Cruiser comes with a three-year/100 000 km warranty and three services, or a 45 000 km service plan. Service intervals are pegged at 12 months/15 000 km. By comparison, Suzuki’s warranty is at five years or 200 000 km and the service plan
is at four years or 60 000 km. Urban Cruiser v Brezza pricing Urban Cruiser Xi MT – R247 900 Brezza 1,5 GL – R244 900 Urban Cruiser Xs MT – R267 800 Brezza GL 4 AT – R264 900 Urban Cruiser Xs AT – R289 000 Urban Cruiser Xr MT – R294 500 Brezza GLX MT – R289 900 Urban Cruiser Xr AT – R315 700 Brezza GLX 4AT – R309 900
Pietermaritzburg’s Vintage Sports Car Club has announced that the annual Cars in the Park will not be held for the second year running. The club hosted the first show under the shady trees of Alexandra Park in Pietermaritzburg in February 1976. The event quickly grew into the place to be for motoring enthusiasts from all over South Africa. In 2015, the show moved to the larger grounds of the Gold Circle race horse training circuit in Ashburton. Natalie Laynes told Witness Wheels the aQuellé Midmar Mile showed lockdown restrictions make organising large events with any degree of certainty impossible. “Our organising committee
waited as long as possible before finally deciding to cancel the Cars in the Park again,” she added. Instead of attending a big show, she said the club invites all owners who are proud of their vehicles to come share their enthusiasm at the VSCC’s monthly Bonnets-up Events. “We host a Bonnets-Up every third Saturday of the month at 120 Oribi Road in Bisley, Pietermaritzburg, where owners show their bikes, cars, trucks and on one occasion even a steam tractor, and get to meet fellow enthusiasts,” said. She added people are also welcome to meet the members at “the Klink” on Friday nights, or monitor the club’s Facebook page for news of trips and events.
Simola hillclimb goes virtual as event is postponed Knysna Speed Festival, organiser of the Simola Hillclimb, has partnered with Monarch, a leading esports eventing company, to launch the 2021 Virtual Simola Hillclimb, starting with a series of four qualifiers and culminating in final virtual shoot-outs on May 8 and 9, which are the original dates of the real 2021 Simola Hillclimb. Ian Shrosbree, MD of Knysna Speed Festival, said it became clear in the months of discussions which led to the 2021 postponement, that levels of disappointment among competitors and fans were extreme. “We realised that while the pandemic continues its impact on our lives we would have to create a meaningful substitute to run up to and through the original Hillclimb weekend. The launching of the 2021 Virtual Simola Hillclimb by ourselves and Monarch ticks all these boxes,” said Shrosbree. Around the time of the first postponement of the Hillclimb (at the height of the pandemic in 2020) the organisers met Monarch and together they began building a databank of material and moving
A screengrab of a virtual Simola Hillclimb getting underway.
The Virtual Simola Hillclimb starts with the opening round on March 22, running through to March 27. Round two is from March 29 to April 3. Round three will run from April 5 to 10, and round four the final qualifying round, from April 12 to 17. The scores from all four rounds will produce the top 10 competitors qualifying for the finals on May 8 and 9, and the winner will be crowned the Virtual King of the Hill that Sunday evening. As part of the development programme, the organisers used Mark and Gavin Cronje, two brothers who have raced in actual Simola Hillclimbs, to try out the product. They came away from the test very enthusiastic and were able to give valuable input.
through the planning needed for a project of this kind. “It all takes a great deal of time and commitment from all the partners (ourselves and Monarch) which included detailed scanning of the track, the design and development of ‘the game’ itself and identification of the individual and collective equipment needed
• View the Virtual Simola Hillclimb introductory video here: https://youtube/W50kz1neTRs • Subscribe to the Virtual Simola Hillclimb competitor database at www.speedfestival.co.za • For more, contact Eric Buijs on e-mail: eric@buijs.co.za or phone 082 662 4610.
by ourselves and our potential virtual competitors. I am super excited that together with Monarch we are going to be able to offer our competitors and fans a great experience that is extremely close to the real thing, and at the same time introduces a whole new audience to the Simola Hillclimb.”
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Older drivers rack up demerits in UK There are more than 304 000 pensioners (over 65s) currently driving on UK roads with penalty points on their licence, nearly 25 times the number of young teenage drivers — of whom there are just over 12 000 with penalty points. The findings, which came from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVLA by the UK’s largest independent road safety charity — IAM RoadSmart — also revealed that the oldest person driving with points on their licence was 102 while there are more than 3 000 over the age of 90 currently
driving with penalty points. Overall, there are more drivers in their 30s with penalty points than any other age range (575 029), closely followed by those in their 40s (572 238) and then by those in their 50s (568 511). The highest single age with the greatest number of people with points was 49 (63 248). Additional findings from the FOI discovered that there are up to 8 800 people still driving with more than 12 points — the number at which you are disqualified — while the highest number of penal-
ty points currently held by one individual is 68. Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy & research, said the findings clearly show a large number of older drivers are flouting the rules. He urged the UK government to revisit the issue of drivers with more than 12 points who still have not had their licences revoked. “By letting them keep their licence it undermines the simple ‘four strikes and you’re out’ message and this urgently needs to be addressed,” he said. — WR.
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