Witness _8June2017

June 8, 2017

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… NOW YOU’RE MOTORING

Tyre collection stalemate Redisa halts all collections of old rubber, warns of closure if SARS keeps levies ALWYN VILJOEN WHEN Wheels asked Hermann Erdmann, CEO at the Recycling and Economic Development In­ itiative of South Africa (Redisa), in April 2016 how a new tax on tyres would impact the Redisa recycling fee, he had to plead ig­ norance of government’s inten­ tions.

But this week, Erdmann an­ nounced his impatience with the process and said Redisa had to stop collecting old tyres from tyre dealers until government gives clarity on the issue.

This comes after government changed the Redisa funding model, based on the implemen­ tation of a tyre levy collected by SARS, effective from February 1, 2017. To date, no one seems to know if the new tyre levy, which was announced in the 2017 na­ tional Budget speech, would re­

place the existing waste man­ agement fee of R2,30 per kilo­ gram on every tyre sold, and if not, what other amount govern­ ment wants to slap on all new tyres sold.

The amounts involved are huge — in 2014 Erdmann told Wheels the tyre levies to Redisa amounted to R620 million a year, each cent of which was au­ dited by three auditing firms — KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoop­ ers and Ernst and Young.

This week, Erdmann con­ firmed Redisa had not been allo­ cated any funds post February 1.

“As a result of not having re­ ceived any funding, and until, and if, government funding has been received, Redisa has no choice but for the time being to cease tyre collections,” Erd­ mann said.

He emphasised that this was not where Redisa wanted to be.

Hermann Erdmann.

PHOTO: FILE “We informed government in February 2016 that should fund­ ing be removed from the indus­ try, wind down would be neces­ sary.

“This financial view was au­ dited by PWC on instruction from government.

“Our understanding from government communications

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was that this was just a change in funding model but that the in­ dustry would be continue to be funded. Redisa is taking every step to secure the funding neces­ sary to reinstate its collections.

“To this end we have notified the Department of Environmen­ tal Affairs of the environmental and business ramifications of ceasing collections.

“In the minister of Finance’s Budget Review for 2017, R210 million was allocated to the Waste Bureau for Redisa/ Waste Bureau and we are engag­ ing with the department to se­ cure the allocation which would allow Redisa to resume collec­ tions,” added Erdmann.

He is, however, confident that an amicable settlement with government can be reached.

“Our focus is on reaching an agreement that is in the best in­ terest of all parties involved, this

includes preserving the jobs and the network created,” said Erd­ mann.

Redisa has filed papers in court with regards to its posi­ tion. Meanwhile, all tyre shops and affected persons are advised to contact the Waste Manage­ ment Bureau at the Department of Environmental Affairs for fur­ ther information on legally dis­ posing of waste tyres at 012 399 9803, or the DEA call centre at 086 111 2468. — WR. Until further notice: • Redisa will no longer collect waste tyres from registered collection points, including mi­ cro­collectors; • Redisa depots will remain open but will not be accepting any deliveries; and • Deliveries to processors will continue as scheduled until further notice.

SPIN BASH The old bus depot at Mason’s Mill will on June 16 echo to the engines of Msunduzi’s top drivers against a few of the province’s best crews. A Team 44 T­shirt gains the wearer free entry from 11 am, the rest pay R50 for adults and R20 for kids. The crews involved in staging the event promise a good day of fun for the whole family. For more information, call Wanda Mvelase on 078 116 1965.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

WitnessWheels TRANSPORT MOTORING

2

June 8, 2017

UD’s new diesel sipper ALWYN VILJOEN takes to the track in a truck

ALWYN VILJOEN UD South Africa on Tuesday took over the Kyalami race­ track in Johannesburg to launch the new range of Croner trucks.

Croner, by the way, derives from Cronos, the god of time and UD said everything around their new lorry aims to save time. Ascending the lor­ ries’ cabins yesterday, it was clear UD trucks have come a long way since the Big Thumb truck when UD trucks founder, Kenzo Adachi, start­ ed his vision to “build trucks the world needs today” in 1935.

Toshi Odawara, vice presi­ dent of UD trucks develop­ ment yesterday said it was a three­year­long journey to launch this new heavy com­ mercial vehicle (HCV) plat­ form.

Jacques Michel, president of Volvo Group Trucks Asia sales, said the launch at Kyala­ mi formed part of a global launch of the Croner, which he said was an important mile­ stone for UD, as well as Volvo Group, the owning company of UD. Michel said the Croner had already been extensively test­ ed over months across the world, including South Africa, and drivers use words like flex­ ible, durable, reliable, basic and powerful to describe the Croner from SA to China to Thailand.

It’s all about customers’ success, said Michel.

The Eicher Pro series.

PHOTO: EICHER

Volvo and Eicher bring India’s trucks to SA Toshi Odawara, vice president UD trucks development, with one of over two dozen configurations of the new UD Croner truck.

PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN “If our customers succeed, our dealers succeed, and it all starts with listening to drivers, going the extra mile at the plant and the dealer so that cli­ ents can go the extra mile and grow. We call it passion for customer success and we are confident Croner will contin­ ue what Quester started,” said Michel.

He said SA is the largest market for UD trucks outside Japan.

Michel said Volvo Group “fully committed to develop and support UD trucks in SA”.

Gert Swanepoel, MD of UD southern Africa, said while truck sales have slumped back to 2012 levels, the heavy com­ mercial vehicle sales still showed a bit of growth and this was where the Croner will

slot in to replace the venerable UD 60 and 80 ranges.

Three chassis are available, from 9,5 ton, to 12 to 14 ton, to 15 and 17 ton, powered by a choice of two engines and four gearboxes, either a six­ or nine­speed manual by Fast transmissions or an automatic Allison transmissions.

Buyers can choose a day cab or a sleeper cab. In total, the Croner catalogue offers 13 var­ iants and 21 configurations.

Driving the truck chassis with no weight around Kyala­ mi is no real test for power, but all the engines have impressive torque through the power­ band, with even the smallest engine offering 180 kW and 750 Nm. The Alison gearbox decelerates automatically to save running costs on brakes

to engines.

Swanepoel told Wheels a lot of tests had been done throughout South Africa, es­ pecially on fuel consumption using both manual and auto gearboxes, and the consump­ tion was the same in town, but the auto did better than the human drivers on open roads.

“Both transmissions still delivered better fuel con­ sumption than our competi­ tors. Just driving it you feel this thing is going to save you money,” Swanepoel said.

Swanepoel said service in­ tervals are 30 000 km, with an intermediate major check on some low mileage applica­ tions during a working year.

An extended warranty is also available.

• alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za

Anchor Yeast rises to new level with Fuso SOUTHERN Africa’s leading yeast manufacturer, Anchor Yeast, produces yeast for the baking, wine­making and con­ sumer markets in SA. Established in 1923, the company attributes its grow­ ing success to the solid rela­ tionships it has with its cus­ tomers, employees and suppli­ ers. Fuso Trucks Southern Africa is now part of the fold as it assists the brand to fur­ ther increase its business foot­ print.

“We are always looking at opportunities and this is the case with the trucks that we use to run our business. The Fuso FE8 ­150 and the FA9­ 137 that we used as demos for three months proved to be im­ pressive, as we compared them to our current fleet. We used them for stop­start oper­

Fuso Trucks Southern Africa is now part of the Anchor Yeast fold.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED ations as well as for long­dis­ tance applications, and we were pleasantly surprised.

That is why we ended up buy­ ing six Fusos to form a vital part of our extending fleet,” said Johan van Zyl, national distribution manager for An­

chor Yeast.

“Anyone can provide sup­ port when things are going well, but where the Fuso team has proven to be excellent is when things go wrong, as they tend to. Dealing with perisha­ ble goods such as yeast, we

know just how critical it is to be able to pick up the phone and receive the type of service that the Fuso team offers us.”

Anchor Yeast boasts manu­ facturing facilities of the high­ est standard and ensures that all their operations exceed in­ dustry requirements.

The company is recognised for seeking to collaborate with the best suppliers, which is why Fuso Trucks fits perfectly into its business model.

“As Fuso, we have a clear growth path mapped out and at the core of this is our cus­ tomer. We continue to ensure that our vehicles exceed their expectations, which is why we get ourselves involved on all levels of their business ...” said Ziyad Gaba, national sales manager for Fuso Trucks Southern Africa.

For more information on Witness Wheels advertising Contact Avir on 033 355 1152 or 084 278 3447 Avir@witness.co.za

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), the joint venture of Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, has announced it will import Eicher trucks (pronounced “eye­sher”) to South Africa by this quarter.

The joint venture has already set up its base in South Africa in the form of a 100% wholly­owned subsidiary known as VECV South Africa.

Eicher Trucks and Buses has the lineage of three decades of opera­ tions in India, where the trucks and buses enjoy increasing market share thanks to their ability to just sip die­ sel.

The first Eicher in South Africa will be a medium duty truck segment with an 8,5 ton gross vehicle mass (GVM) and a payload of four to five tons.

The range of Eicher Pro series trucks has been tested for over 200 000 km in SA and the medium truck has been tested by fleet opera­ tors in all applications and opera­ tions.

Testing results turned out ex­ tremely positive, especially in terms of fuel efficiency, comfort and the du­ rability of the trucks.

Volvo said in a statement the Eich­ er trucks will be sold at 12 dealers in SA through Imperial Group, BB Mo­ tor group, CMH Group, AAD group, Billson Trucks, Fleet Dynamics Group & Premier Truck and Bus. Surender Singh Rajpurohit, vice president and country head, VECV South Africa, said in a statement SA would play a critical role in the future growth of VECV’s international business.

He said the local team has been proactively busy ensuring parts avail­ ability, with the warehouse already stocked with over 2 600 line items and technical training have been giv­ en to technicians before the start of sales. VECV SA have also joined hands with Bidvest Panalpina Logis­ tics (BPL) as to support Eicher trucks.

Rajpurohit said Eicher branded trucks have an established presence in more than 30 countries across the globe.

With an on­road population of over half­a­million trucks, Eicher trucks are known as one of the most fuel efficient and advanced trucks in the category. — WR.

Hino attracts trainees AT the recent Nampo harvest festival in Bothaville, Ernie Trautmann, vice president at Hino, explained the company’s learnership programme for attracting younger people to work at Hino’s 65 dealerships.

The programme began in February and has 12 delegates who spend one week a month at the Toyota Acade­ my of Learning in Sandton and the remainder of the month in their deal­ erships. The scheme has been accept­ ed so enthusiastically that dealers want it to be offered every year in­ stead of the planned two­year cycle.

Delegates sign a contract with their dealership to stay with them for at least two years after completing the learnership.

“This is a very positive step as our research has shown that more than 70% of Hino sales volume is con­ cluded by salespersons who are 50 years or older,” explained Traut­ mann.

“We need to attract younger peo­ ple into the trucking business as

NEW FUSO BOSS PRETORIA — Mercedes­Benz South Africa (MBSA) has appointed Ziyad Gaba as the head of Fuso Southern Africa, effective July 1, 2017. In this position, he will succeed Naeem Hassim, who will assume his new responsibility as the head of Daimler’s Regional Centre for Commercial Vehicles in Central Africa.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Vice president at Hino South Africa, Ernie Trautmann.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC many of our current sales force will be retiring.”

Commenting on the truck market this year, the Hino vice president said that sales in the first quarter were better than expected, showing the in­ dustry was surprisingly resilient.

“Public holidays impacted on sales in April, but combining truck sales for March and April this year and comparing them with the combined figures for these two months last year, there is not a big difference in volume. We at Hino are still sticking with our original prediction of a mar­ ket of 26 500 trucks and buses this year,” said Trautmann. — WR.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

June 8, 2017

3

Hyundai sweetens the deal Owners can now trade in paid­off Elantras and still pay the same instalments on a new one ALWYN VILJOEN FIVE years ago, in 2012, Hyundai sold new Elantras to over 14 700 new owners.

Now Stanley Anderson, head of mar­ keting and sales at Hyundai SA, has good news for all the owners who have paid off their Elantra and want to trade it in on the new edgy model — trade in the paid­off Elantra and continue paying the same instalments on a new one.

However, Anderson said few fleet­ buyers will be able to make use of this offer, as they increasingly value Hyundai cars for their five­year or 150 000 km warranty, and have likely already sold their fleet car after two years to sweeten the deal with the remaining three­year warranty.

A three­year warranty is what most dealers, like Toyota, still offer.

On top of this extra­long warranty, Hyundai also has as part of all model pricing a two­year powertrain warranty, a five­year/150 000 km roadside assist­ ance and a five­year/90 000 km service plan. Service intervals are 15 000 km for all derivatives, although the new Elantra Sport has an additional initial service after 5 000 km.

Anderson said the new model builds on the design credentials of the 2012 model that won Car of the Year.

The 2017 Elantra enters the SA market this month in four derivatives: the Elan­ tra 1.6 Executive manual and Elantra 1.6 Executive automatic (both driven by a 1,6­litre naturally aspirated petrol en­ gine); the Elantra 2.0 Elite, with a natu­

Elantra Sport, a different bottom half of the rear bumper reiterates its sporty na­ ture, with a unique skid plate and visible chrome­plated dual exhaust pipes.

The new Hyundai Elantra is ready to take the fight to the Toyota Corolla and Mazda 3.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC rally aspirated two­litre petrol engine; and the range­topping Elantra 1.6 TGDI Elite DCT Sport, with a powerful 1,6­li­ tre turbocharged petrol engine.

Hyundai’s signature hexagonal grille gives the Elantra a strong pres­ ence from the front, with auto­ matic projection headlamps in­ cluding LED Daytime Running lights as part of the cluster. The Elantra’s sporty lower front fascia integrates functional front wheel air curtains that help manage air flow from the front of the vehicle and around the wheels to mini­ mise turbulence and wind resist­ ance. In addition, underbody cov­ ers, an aerodynamic rear bumper bottom spoiler and rear deck lid designed with an expanded trunk

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edge contribute to the Elantra’s 0,27 co­ efficient of drag.

The rear light cluster of the new Elan­ tra with its bright LED display is also distinctive of the Hyundai range. For the

MODERN, INTUITIVE INTERIOR The contemporary interior design in­ tegrates premium soft­touch materials in key touch points and high­tech details to create an inviting and comfortable in­ terior environment for all passengers.

The standard eight­inch infotainment system, which includes satellite naviga­ tion, provides a USB Mirror Link for An­ droid cell phones, HDMI connectivity for iPhones to view the iPhone screen on the head unit, hands­free Bluetooth telephone link with remote controls on the steering wheel, Bluetooth music streaming and AUX and USB input ports. It also features a CD player.

ENGINES, TRANSMISSION The new Elantra is available with three

petrol engines: A 1 591 cc four­cylinder engine that produces 94 kW at 6 300 rpm and 154 Nm at 4 850 rpm in the Elantra 1.6 Executive manual and 1.6 Executive Elite automatic; the 1 999 cc Nu MPI Atkinson four­cylinder engine producing a peak 115 kW at 6 200 rpm and 195 Nm of torque at 4 500 rpm in the Elantra 2.0 Elite automatic; and the turbocharged 1 591 cc four­cylinder en­ gine in the Elantra 1.6 TGDI Elite DCT Sport producing 150 kW at 6 000 rpm and 265 Nm torque from 1 500 to 4 500 rpm.

PRICING The recommended retail prices of the new Elantra range are: • Elantra 1.6 Executive (manual) R299 900 • Elantra 1.6 Executive (auto) R314 900 • Elantra 2.0 Elite (auto) R349 900 • Elantra 1.6 TGDI Elite DCT R399 900

WitnessWheels MOTORING CLASSICS

4

June 8, 2017

A 1937 Talbot­Lago: metal curves just did not come prettier, which is why this unique model sold for R48,1 million.

PVA auctioneer Clive Lazarus selling the 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

BIG CROWD FOR RARE ’71 MUSTANG DEIRDRÉ JONKER

Classics go for millions R28,8 million sets a new record for an old 964 model Porsche 911 at auction THE Villa Erba auction on Lake Como in Italy always throws up some spectacular machinery, and this year saw a slew of cars go well over the one million Euro mark as punters bid more mil­ lions on collectible cars.

Hosted by RM­Sotheby’s as part of the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este weekend on the shores of Lake Como, the 2017 edition saw French cars dominate in demand.

The top seller at R48,1 million was the 1937 Talbot­Lago T150­C SS “Goutte d’Eau” Coupé.

Rebuilt by Figoni et Falaschi into what some still call the world’s most beautiful car, the Talbot certainly sports the pret­ tiest curves on any car known to man.

But it is not just old cars with fenders that sold on the auction.

A fully race­prepared Porsche 911 RSR — one of just 51 made

by Porsche and one of just two that were fully trimmed inside — sold for €2 016 000 (R28,8 million), setting a new record for a 964 model 911 at auction.

The 911 RSR only has 10 km on the clock, and despite being

There is ‘lelik’ and then there is the 300 hp Lancia Delta S4 ‘Stradale’, which sold for over R7 million.

PHOTOS: SOTHEBY’S

This race ready Porsche 911 RSR is one of only two fully clad ones in the world, and has only 10 km on the odo. It sold for a new record R28,8 million. nearly 25 years old, it is still cov­ ered with the factory­applied protective Cosmoline coating.

Moving to no curves at all, a Lancia Delta S4 “Stradale”, sold

for over R7 million.

This edgy Lancia is one of the 200 street­legal cars built for homologation requirements during the excess that was

Group B rally racing in the mid 1980s.

With only 1 600 km from new, the Delta S4 is powered by a 1759cc fuel­injected DOHC en­

gine and a dual­stepped Volum­ ex KKK supercharger and turbo­ charger that was just mad in the 80s and are still as wildly over­ powered today. (Blame the hairdryers that everyone used back then.)

Other lots in the top 10 at Villa Erba included: • 1937 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante prototype, which sold for €3,02 million (R43,5 million); • 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8, which sold for €2,02 mil­ lion; • 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS by Pin­ infarina, which sold for €1,79 million; • 2015 Porsche 918 “Weissach” Spyder, which sold for €1,46 million; • 1964 Ferrari 250 GT “Lusso”, which sold for €1,43 million; •1948 Talbot­Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet, which sold for €1,12 million; • 1990 Ferrari F40, which sold for €1,06 million; • 1961 Maserati 3500 GT Spy­ der, which sold for €840 000; and a • 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 “Periscopio”, which sold for €817 600.

Mazda celebrates 50 rotary years

Bragging rights After Kyle Maaske, owner of the South African Patina, heard of this rare 1950 Chev Imp in Pietermaritzburg, it took him three years to convince the owner to part with it. Wheels last week challenged readers to identify the car just from the rear view and Johan Swanepoel came very close with his guess that it may be a 1938 Chev with a dickey seat, which was his first car in 1969 as a sweet 16­ year­old lad.

Fred Rascher called it correctly as the Imp, a bakkie that Chevrolet dealers sold in limited numbers from about 1939 to 1952. They were based on the standard two­door Chev car, which had a dickey seat in which the kids would sit and call on dad to go fast enough for the wheels to kick up dust. The two­door was also made into the sedan ‘panelvan’ and Rascher said the Imp was basically the forerunner of the El Camino. PHOTO: KYLE MAASKE

IT was a pivotal moment in au­ tomobile history when, 50 years ago today, Mazda launched its rotary­powered Mazda Cosmo Sport.

The sleek, stylish two­seater marked the beginning of a lega­ cy of innovation that endures to this day — a legacy of fun­to­ drive cars and motor sport suc­ cess powered by unique tech­ nology. Back in 1967, the Cosmo Sport was the world’s first car powered by a twin ­rotor engine.

Also known as the 110S, it was also Mazda’s first sports car, supplying the DNA that has gone into legendary models like the Mazda RX­7 and Mazda MX­5, and indeed every vehicle the Japanese marque manufac­ tures today.

Although only 1 176 were built, the Cosmo Sport trans­ formed Mazda from a truck builder and micro cars maker to a convention­defying engineer­ ing and design company.

Development of the power­ plant under the Cosmo Sport’s

Mazda’s rotary engines have reached half a century.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC bonnet exemplifies the compa­ ny’s challenger spirit and a nev­ er­give­up tradition still evident 50 years later.

Mazda’s engineers surmoun­ ted numerous hurdles to mak­ ing the rotary engine commer­ cially viable, testing Cosmo Sport prototypes over hundreds of thousands of kilometres pri­ or to the market launch.

Although dozens of compa­ nies including most major car­ makers signed licensing agree­ ments with NSU to develop the German car and motorcycle maker’s new technology, only

one was successful. Having har­ nessed the rotary’s potential to deliver performance levels equivalent to much larger and heavier reciprocating piston en­ gines, Mazda would go on to build almost two million rotary­ powered vehicles, also achiev­ ing considerable racing success.

The RX­7, for example, domi­ nated its class at IMSA (Inter­ national Motor Sport Associa­ tion) events throughout the 1980s.

But Mazda’s biggest single triumph on the track came in 1991, when a Mazda 787B pow­ ered by a 2,6­litre four­rotor powerplant producing 710PS won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It was the only non­reciprocat­ ing engine ever to win this en­ durance race and the first victo­ ry by an Asian brand.

Mazda’s new generation of Skyactiv engines continue this tradition of innovation by over­ coming the drawbacks to ex­ treme compression, increasing the driving fun factor. — WR.

FORD enthusiasts and vin­ tage car collectors gathered to witness a rare 1971 Ford Mus­ tang Mach 1 go under the hammer at the fortnightly Park Village Auction (PVA) last week.

The star on the floor was Lot 30 — a 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1.

The left­hand drive has au­ tomatic transmission to push the growling V8’s power to the rear wheels, and is equipped with Ford’s option­ al 351 Ram air system that was unique to Mustangs manu­ factured between 1971 and 1973.

PVA auctioneer Clive Laz­ arus dealt with floor and digi­ tal bids in his usual high­ener­ gy, humourous fashion to cre­ ate a wonderful atmosphere of camaraderie coupled with urgency as the buyers furious­ ly calculated their options: in­ specting cars, conferring on phone calls and referring to their prepared lists while keeping an eye on the online bids that were shown on the monitors throughout the premises.

Bidding for the bank repos­ sessed 1971 Mustang started at R300 000 and escalated at warp speed to R482 500 where the race was down to two bidders engaged in an in­ tense showdown.

Bids bounced between the contenders until the climax of R500 000, where the victor jostled in an additional grand bringing the total to R501 000 to seal the deal as Lazarus called out, “sold and confirmed”.

While the Mach 1 was cer­ tainly the star of the show, the floor offered some impressive supporting acts in the form of a 2013 Supercharged Range Rover Autobiography — the highest sale for the day at R692 500 — and Audi S5 Quattro S tronic cabriolet that fetched R495 000.

Lazarus said: “Auctions represent a means for ordi­ nary people to get their hands on exceptional cars. Today is proof of this as the lucky buy­ er just walked away with a col­ lector’s item rarely found in retail outlets.”

PVA specialises in auction­ ing repossessed vehicles ran­ ging from luxury SUVs to su­ perbikes to salvaged cars and even commercial vehicles.

The next auction at Mar­ tindale will take place on June 14.

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