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THE WITNESS
JUNE 18, 2020
WHEELS
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A buyer’s market — but beware Honda SA is not discontuining the seven-seater BR-V and the company has introduced several ways to claim a rebate on a new model. PHOTO: QUICKPIC
Five ways to save on a Honda The Mazda BT-50 (LEFT) that was launched yesterday will share the Isuzu D-Max’s platform, while the 2022 Amarok/Tarok (RIGHT) will be built on the Ford Ranger platform in Silverton. HONDA Motor Southern Africa has launched the “Get Moving Again” campaign, which aims to put customers back in the power seat giving them the option to structure their deal when they purchase a Honda Amaze, Jazz, BR-V or CR-V. “The Get Moving Again campaign addresses the requirements of consumers in a post-lockdown environment,” says Dinesh Govender, general manager of automobiles at Honda Motor Southern Africa. “The campaign empowers customers to decide how they want to structure their deal based on their particular needs and requirements.” Until the end of July 2020, new and existing Honda customers will get 10% rebate, based on the Recommended Retail Price when they purchase a Honda Amaze, Jazz, BR-V or CR-V. All Honda vehicles come standard with a fiveyear/200 000 km warranty, and threeyear AA Roadside Assist. Customers have the option to structure the 10% as they choose, using either one or a combination of the following options: • Cash in their pocket • A payment holiday • A deposit • Trade-in assistance • Maintenance plan Meanwhile, Honda assured local buyers it has secured “sufficient stock” from India and an alternate factory is being set up for production of the BR-V. This after Honda India recently announced they will discontinue production of this core model in the local line-up. “The BR-V remains one of our pillar models in the local line-up, and is currently the only seven-seater sport utility vehicle (SUV) in its price class,” said Govender. “This affords the BR-V a significant advantage over its competitors, and consistently makes it one of our top two best-sellers in South Africa along with the Honda Amaze compact sedan.” The BR-V recently had a facelift with improvements also made to the on-road drivability and comfort of this practical, family orientated SUV. All BR-V models come standard with a five-year/200 000 km warranty, and three-year AA Roadside Assist. A four-year/60 000 km extended service plan on the BR-V Comfort and Elegance models, and is available as an option on the Trend. Service intervals are every 15 000 km. — WR.
Bakkies a-merging Brace for the Isuzu-based BT-50, the Ranger-based Amarok and the part-Mitsubishi Navara ALWYN VILJOEN DOUBLE-CAB bakkies are taking over the world. The movement started with Ford’s F-series bakkies, which have been the best selling vehicles in the U.S. for decades and continue to grow not just in terms of sales, but size too. Size, in fact, is why most people want a double-cab. Never you mind that load-beds are now so high you need a ladder to access them, or that a loaded trailer will limit the legal payload to about 300 kg — bigger is just better and buyers cannot get enough. Such is the demand that Ford has leaked plans for a whole new category of bakkie — the trucklet. Smaller than the ginormous bakkies Americans drive, trucklets will be built in place of the Fiesta and Focus cars. Meanwhile, 2019’s leading car seller, Volkswagen, has signed an agreement with Ford to share costs on developing the next generation of bakkies and vans. Both brands predict that demand for bakkies and vans will continue to rise through 2025. Lower development costs The world’s oldest car maker, Mercedes-Benz. has already gone down this path with the X-Class bakkie that was based on the Nissan Navara in 2016. Unlike the successful MercedesBenz Musso deal with Korean automaker SsangYong in the early noughties, the Merc-Nissan experiment did not pan out and punters blame the premium price that Merc wanted for the their luxury Nissan. If the wording from official statements is any indication, it looks like Ford and VW will not repeat Merc’s mistake. Instead, their aim is to keep costs low to build bakkies that they can sell to more people. The best news for South Africa is that this means the 2022 Amarok will built at Ford’s plant on Alwyn Road in
the current Nissan Navara, which will be built at Nissan’s plant in Rosslyn. The plant currently builds South Africa’s only remaining half-ton bakkie, the NP200, as well as the larger NP300 one-ton workhorse. Nissan has already invested R3 billion to tool up the Rosslyn plant to build 30 000 Navaras a year. But staff there expect this number may go higher to take up the shortfall when Nissan closes its plant in Spain as part of plan to cut almost R50 billion in costs worldwide. Like the Amarok-Ford collaboration, more bakkies being built in Mzansi is all good news. Previous Nissan director Mike Whitfield said the R3-billion investment will add some 400 new jobs and 800 jobs in the larger value chain that will supply up to 48% local parts content.
Mitsubishi has launched the Triton Xtreme for bakkie enthusiasts, leaving the Fiat Fullback bakkie, which is based on the previous generation Triton, far behind.. Silverton, Tshwane. Ironically, Ford effectively saved a competitor with this agreement. In the official statement announcing the collaboration at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, Ford said it aims “to satisfy customer demand” and “boost competitiveness in an era of rapid change”. Thomas Sedran, who chairs VW’s board of commercial vehicles, said, “Ultimately it is our customers who will benefit, as without the co-operation we would not have developed a new Amarok.” More recently, Volkswagen Group CEO Dr Herbert Diess said, “This collaboration will efficiently drive down development costs, allowing broader global distribution of electric and commercial vehicles, and enhance the positions of both companies.”
Ford has already announced it will start selling an all-electric Ford Transit cargo van next year. VW has not announced any electrifying plans for its commercial vehicles yet, but it has systems in place to quickly convert drivetrains to evees when the time comes. Mazda’s ‘sultry-looking’ bakkie Mazda formally revealed the BT-50 yesterday in a live stream from Australia after earlier confirming the new Mazda double cab will share underpinnings of the new Isuzu D-Max. The previous generation BT-50 was a badge-engineered Ranger that proved popular with drivers who did their homework and consequently paid less for their Ford. With Ford now in bed with VW, Mazda had to find a new badge partner
and who better than the fellow small Japanese company that specialises in commercial vehicles — Isuzu? Fully redesigned for the first time in nine years, the new BT-50 has the same lines as the popular Mazda CX-9 crossover. Mazda described the design as sultry-looking in yesterday’s statement, which should appeal to all the suits in utes Down Under. When the BT-50 arrives in Mzansi, our drivers will like that the smooth looker has Isuzu’s three-litre turbo diesel engine under the hood, making 140 kW and a respectable 450 Nm. Navara may get Triton bits Not to be left out of all this badge engineering, Mitsubishi, which is part of the shaky Nissan-Renault alliance, could supply “engineering assets” for
Fully-kitted Triton Amid all this badge engineering development, Mitsubishi South Africa has introduced a fully-kitted version that it said is “aimed at owners who want something extreme”. Mitsubishi South Africa said the Triton Xtreme’s upgrades would cost some R100 000 as aftermarket addons, but they are asking “just R40 000” over the standard Triton. As is Mitsubishi’s wont, the upgrade is not just cosmetic. The 4x4 capabilities now features a 28-degree approach angle, 23-degree departure angle and 25-degree break-over angle despite a Bosal tow bar at the rear. The cabin gains Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and the tailgate gets ‘Ezydown’ hydraulic dampers. The load box is also rubberised and comes with a tonneau cover. Under the hood, the 2.4-litre MIVEC turbo diesel engine is unchanged, making 133 kW and 430 Nm. The Triton Xtreme Double Cab 4WD Auto sells for R639 995. • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
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AFTER a 17-year hiatus, the all-new Mustang Mach 1 fastback coupe makes its world premiere — becoming the modern pinnacle of style, handling and 5.0-litre V-8 pony car performance. “Bold styling, great acceleration and speed — Mach 1 says it all,” said Ford’s chief operating officer Jim Farley. “This is one of those special Mustangs that truly brings a smile to the faces of our owners, enthusiasts and fans — including me — so there’s never been a better time to bring back Mach 1 and have it go global too.” Calling back Chuck Yeager’s feat becoming the first to break the sound barrier — Mach 1 — Ford delivered its original Mach 1 in 1969, setting 295 speed and endurance records in its first model year at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Thanks to its added handling capability, Mach 1 teams earned back-to-back SCCA Manufacturer’s Rally Championships in 1969 and 1970, the year when Maritzburg’s Ali Malani bought his first pony car, the “1964-and-a-half” year model. Fifty years later, he has one of Mzansi’s biggest Mustang collections. “It’s wonderful that Ford keeps adding to the car’s legend with limited editions,” he said. Like the original, the all-new Mach 1 bridges the gap between Mustang GT and Shelby models, delivering V-8 power, unique functional
aerodynamic enhancements, competition-capable suspension upgrades and a driver-focused cockpit. Handling Package vehicles come standard with unique, wider 19-inch x 10.5-inch front, and 19-inch x 11inch rear Tarnished Dark-painted aluminum wheels. The ride and handling is further improved with the latest MagneRide calibration, a stiffer steering I-shaft, new EPAS calibration, stiffer sway bars and front springs, a brake booster from the Mustang GT Performance Pack Level 2, 9.5-inch front and 10-inch rear Michelin PS4 tyres, a rear subframe with stiffer
bushings and a rear toe-link from Shelby GT500. The Handling Package — exclusively available with the TremecT 3160 six-speed manual transmission — also includes a larger unique higher downforce front splitter, new front wheel lip moldings, and a lowgloss Magnetic swing spoiler with a Gurney flap and rear tire spats from Shelby GT500. And it comes with Satin Black side and hood “go faster” stripes and reflective accent stripes in any of three colours: Red, White and Orange (Appearance Package only). Exterior colour options include
the Mach 1 exclusive Fighter Jet Gray (Appearance Package), as well as Iconic Silver, Shadow Black, Oxford White, Velocity Blue, Twister Orange, Race Red and Grabber Yellow. Inside is a unique Dark Spindrift instrument panel with aluminum accents. Ebony seats with an accent stripe hint at Mach 1 heritage in cars equipped with a leather interior. Other interior upgrades include new door sill plates, an updated splash screen on the 12,3-inch allLCD instrument cluster, a white cue ball shift knob, and engraved badging that displays the vehicle’s unique chassis number. — WR.
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KICK THOSE WHEELS Richard Green, national director of the South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association (Sambra) warned buyers of used vehicles that what you see is not necessarily what you get. Greene said in a statement vehicles that had been written off by insurers after being in a crash are often repaired and end up back on the road, with now way for consumers to check if the apparently showroom-condition vehicle they bought is what it claims to be. He warned the quality of the repair job and the severity of the damage play a huge part in ensuring the safety and roadworthiness of a vehicle. Greene called on the South African Insurance Association to make its Vehicle Salvage Data (VSD) system available on a public register. The system contains information on all salvage vehicles that have been deregistered and declared salvage. He said the VSD system database was created to combat crime but has become part of the problem. He said “uneconomical to repair” cars are bought by fraudsters and syndicates on salvage yards with Code 2 papers and are then in many cases poorly repaired and sold on to dealers or to unsuspecting consumers who have no way of checking the history of their secondhand purchase. He added the papers of these same vehicles are also being used to re-register stolen vehicles as bona fide secondhand (code 2) vehicles. “So in essence the very two things SAIA say they are trying to avoid, criminal activity and an impact on the safety of motorists, they are enabling by not making the information available,” said Green. TransUnion’s Kriben Reddy agreed, adding not being able to check if a vehicle has been previously written off is a significant problem as there are many vehicles being cloned, especially in a consumer-to-consumer environment. “Consumers could be better empowered and enabled through the access to additional data on a used vehicle. As it stands consumers’ access to additional information is limited. It seems clear the conversation is not over and there is merit for all parties to revisit a system which is clearly not working,” said Reddy. — WR.
Ford’s Mustang Mach 1 fastback coupe launched in the U.S. Like the Ranger Raptor bakkie did for rallying, the new Mach 1 sets new standards for track-ready performance straight off the dealer floor.
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ANALYSIS of sales data on AutoTrader — SA’s largest motoring marketplace — shows used car buyers are in for a treat — some of the country’s mostloved vehicles are now selling for R10 000 to R40 000 less than what they cost in March 2020. AutoTrader CEO George Mienie said the price reductions vary from vehicle to vehicle. “For example, a Toyota Corolla with 89 000 to 93 000 km on the clock sold on average for R228 484 in March and for R184 300 in May, that’s R44 184 less for the same car. This trend can also be seen in bakkies. The Isuzu KB, for example, with between 132 000 and 134 000 km in mileage, sold for on average R11 007 less in May versus March — a price drop from R223 205 to R212 198.” Even the country’s most popular used vehicle — the Ford Ranger — recorded a reduction on average of R10 263 for a car with a mileage between 87 000 and 88 000 km, dropping from R320 454 in March to R310 191 in May. Mienie expects lower prices for used vehicles will continue in June. “The entire market is down 4,1% year-on-year as recorded in our Retail Pricing Index. “If you were considering buying a car before lockdown and you still have the ability to do so, now is a good time,” Mienie concludes.
CHINESE battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) announced a battery pack that it says will last 16 years, or two million kilometers. Chairman Zeng Yuqun said in an interview with Bloomberg CATL will sell the durable battery to any interested automaker. The durable battery will
cost only about 10% more than batteries in current electric cars, Zeng said. CATL currently supplies batteries to Tesla for use in cars produced in China. The company is adding a production facility in Germany that will make more than 70% of batteries for BMW, according to Bloomberg. CATL also works with Audi and Porsche.
Bloomberg reports batteries that last two million kilometres might lead to improvement in costs of electric vehicles both as new and used vehicles. Electric cars stop using their battery packs while there is still a lot of domestic use and several automakers are recycling battery packs as energy storage packs for home use. — WR.
On the face of it this Nissan NP200 looks fine, but checks on a chassis bench revealed many structural anomalies, including wire that held together the front chassis extension brackets and sub-frame (below), which is a critical safety issue. The problem is caused by SA’s insurance industry, which does not make it possible for private buyers to check the history of used cars. PHOTOS: SAMBRA