Wheels_24April2017

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April 27, 2017

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Changing attitudes the plan Transport minister announces slew of procurement reforms to empower Africans in particular ALWYN VILJOEN DURING his budget speech last week, MEC for Transport in KZN, Mxolisi Kaunda said al­ most three quarters (73%) of the R9,96 billion budget allocation for 2017/18 will be invested into expanding roads and transporta­ tion infrastructure.

However, the Provincial Roads Maintenance Grant has been re­ duced by R210 million for 2017/18; with further cuts of R224 million in 2018/19 and R86 mil­ lion in 2019/20.

“We are very conscious of the economic pressures in our coun­ try and the world, hence we will be prudent in our investments.

“Importantly, we are commit­ ting 73% of the total budget into transformative roads and trans­ portation infrastructure, to aid and catalyse economic develop­ ment and growth in the prov­

ince,” said Kaunda.

He added the department had created 132 649 work opportuni­ ties in the last three years — of which 43 360 were created in the last financial year through the Expanded Public Works Pro­ gramme (EPWP), incorporating the Zibambele Roads Mainte­ nance programme.

“We expect to maintain this performance amid budgetary constraints,” he said.

Kaunda said KZN will be over­ hauling its transport depart­ ment’s policies, systems and processes to effectively increase participation of particularly Afri­ cans and blacks in general in the transport sector value chain.

“We will pay special attention to changing attitudes and mind­ sets of both members of staff and our external stakeholders, espe­ cially our main service providers.

He said the approach will en­

Kaunda said transport’s pro­ gramme, “Igula” is an acronym for the “Inclusive Growth, Unity and Economic Liberation of Afri­ cans.

He said the Integrated Trans­ port Sector SocioEconomic Transformation will be support­ ed by procurement reforms that include Off­Take Agreements to promote industrial public private partnerships in the strategic sec­ tors such as asphalt and bitumen production, road aggregates and yellow paint.

The department will also MEC for Transport in KZN, Mxolisi Kaunda in action.

PHOTO: ZULULAND OBSERVER — KYLE COWAN

WHERE R7,75 BILLION WILL GO

tail “a collaborative effort to in­ volve all stakeholders in trans­ port subsectors” including: • Bus commuter and coach ser­ vices; • the taxi industry;

THE KZN Transport department’s R7,75 billion budget for roads breaks down as follows: R1,2 billion towards rehabilitation of roads; R2,1 billion to upgrade gravel to tar

Transforming the taxi industry DURING his budget speech MEC for Transport in KZN Mxolisi Kaunda was proud to announce progress in consoli­ dating peace and stability in the taxi industry.

Addressing the issue that saw several protests at taxi ranks last year, he said the department had agreed to lift the moratori­ um on the issuance of new oper­ ating licences and working with the industry through the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco).

He warned this did not mean a free­for­all, but the process still required “working to re­ solve long­standing issues around licenses, to finally arrive at a point where every taxi on the road is operating legally”.

He said the department has also partnered with Santaco to provide training to leadership at regions and associations.

This includes participation in the training of 160 women who are taxi operators.

He said a further 218 taxi op­ erators will benefit from this training and development in the new financial year.

Kaunda said Transport’s

KZN’s transport and the SA National Taxi Council hopes to see less of this type of lawless parking by taxi drivers in the province.

PHOTO: FILE partnership with Santaco through the council’s Hloko­ mela campaign, aims to pro­ mote good customer service and taxi driver behaviour.

“We believe strongly that the taxi industry should grow, and this entails operators partici­ pating across the value chain.

“Beyond operating minibus taxis, operators should be in­ volved in areas including vehicle warehousing, distribution, sales and maintenance.

“In their own right, they should become manufacturers of parts such as tyres, electronic management systems, scrap­ ping administration agents, produce diesel, as well as access other opportunities in the value

chain.

Kaunda warned the taxi oper­ ators should not be caught nap­ ping while ride­hailing apps like Uber are changing how people access hired transport.

He said the taxi industry should seek to advance in tech­ nology to keep up with the digi­ tal revolution, as evidenced by the disruption caused by al­ ready global services such as ride hailing applications.

In this regard, he said the transport department is work­ ing nationally to ensure that SA’s laws “appropriately re­ spond to these new services by ensuring that fair competition and adherence to operating reg­ ulations”.

Pupils may not pay to use bakkies WHILE delivering his budget speech, MEC for Transport in KZN Mxolisi Kaunda said the de­ partment for transport and the Department of Education (DOE) has budgeted R195,3 million to transport pupils by bus.

He warned this budget was still not enough to meet the dire need for a pupil bus service across the province, but said it did assist 47 700 pupils to attend 315 schools in KZN. Kaunda said his department has started the process to hand

over the administration of the provincial pupil transport to the Department of Education.

“Working together with DOE and Treasury, we will seek ways to improve access by especially the most needy learners, in more than 3 000 schools that travel in excess of three kilometres to school.

He said 3 000 bicycles will also be distributed to learners this year, adding to the existing net­ work of approximately 10 000 bi­ cycles already used by learners

resuscitate the Government Ga­ rage through off­take agree­ ments in order to upskill informal and non­trade tested mechanical and panel beating service provid­ ers in the townships and rural ar­ eas.

Through the Enterprise Devel­ opment and Contractor Incuba­ tion Programme, the depart­ ment also plans to implement the 30% minimum local content requirement, and incubate a crit­ ical base of contractors (estimat­ ed at 50 per district for the next three years).

who cycle to school daily.

Kaunda said he was encour­ aged by the amendment in the National Land Transport Act, ef­ fective from May, that outlaws transportation of persons in bak­ kies for reward. But he tacitly ad­ mitted that the “for reward” qual­ ification in the act still made it possible for bakkie drivers to transport pupils when he asked parents and guardians to ensure their children are transported in roadworthy and legal “transport modes”.

• Public transport providers; • Road freight; • Maritime transport and ser­ vice industry; • Forwarding and clearing as well as rail.

roads and build new roads and bridges; R3,4 billion towards maintaining existing infrastructure, and R500 million for support, planning and design.

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WitnessWheels MOTORING

April 27, 2017

Tesla changes assembly Musk takes risky simulation shortcut to design new tooling MG launched the gorgeous E­motion at the Shanghai Auto Show last week, but did not reveal much about the specifications, claiming only that the electric powertrain has a range of over 500 km and can acceleate from 0­100 km/h in under 4 seconds. The MG brand is owned by the Shanghai Automobile Industrial Company (SAIC), which company said it could produce the Emotion within 18 months. PHOTO: NEW ATLAS

Team Tane go to new heights in a Jimny ADVENTURERS Tarryn and Shane Quinnell set the stan­ dard for minimalistic, Africa­ based outdoor adventures.

In 2014, Team Tane ven­ tured to Mount Kenya to raise funds for the leadership skills development charity Gold.

This year, the duo will up the ante by taking their 2011 Suzuki Jimny, called Badger through 10 African countries, where they will climb Africa’s five highest mountains.

“During our travels across the world, we realised that there are still a lot of miscon­ ceptions about Africa. We want to use this adventure to showcase the friendly, vibrant, luscious Africa that we have come to know, and we are counting on our Jimny to help us do it,” says Shane.

Shane and Tarryn call their adventure Africa Sky High,

Tarryn and Shane Quinnell will adventure in a Suzuki Jimny in Team Tane. PHOTO: MOTORPRESS and Suzuki South Africa has taken the naming rights to the eigth­month long adventure.

The Suzuki Africa Sky High adventure will see Team Tane travel through South Africa,

Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ma­ lawi, Angola and Namibia — often on less travelled roads in search of stories and pictures that will help showcase the

friendly and exciting Africa that they have come to know.

During their trip, Team Tane will attempt to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanza­ nia (5 895 m), Mt Kenya (5 198 m) and three peaks in the mighty Rwenzories: Mt Stanley (5 109 m) and Mt Speke (4 890 m) on the Ugan­ da­DRC border and Mt Baker (4 844 m) in Uganda. The ad­ venture starts on Staurday.

André Venter, divisional manager for sales and market­ ing at Suzuki Auto South Afri­ ca, said the couple chose Suz­ uki Jimny, which at R256 900 remains one of the most af­ fordable ladder­framed, low­ range enabled off­road vehi­ cles in the South African mar­ ket. Suzuki South Africa will also report on the adventure on Twitter and Facebook.

— Wheels Reporter.

Five surprising jobs in making new cars VEHICLE manufacturing in­ volves several curious profes­ sions that require a high de­ gree of craftsmanship, creativ­ ity and precision.

The following five are a few examples of these: • The first driver: two million kilometres per year. This is the distance covered by the team of expert drivers to test all the cars that leave the Seat factory in Martorell in a single year.

These professionals closely study the performance of the vehicles as soon as they come off the assembly line, testing them at different speeds on six different types of pavement, including cobblestones and uneven surfaces to ensure they do not make any unpleasant noise. During the process they also test that horns, lights and

To advertise your company in

The nose knows — car sommeliers ensure that cars smell new, and not of glue.

PHOTO: MOTOR­ PRESS brakes function correctly.

• The clay sculptor: These sculptors handcraft clay into life­sized cars that even weigh the same as a real vehicle.

This requires 2 500 kg of clay and up to 10 000 hours of patient scraping to make a single clay model that will dis­ play a car’s silhouette before locking in its design.

• The car tailor: They hand sew the vehicle upholstery

patterns, coming up with the best combination of colours and fabrics and hides to suit the personality of each car.

These expert tailors need more than 30 metres of seams to fully upholster an entire car, and their creations are crafted two years in advance.

• The seat tester: This profes­ sion consists in shaping the ideal seat. Testers and their teams also have to perform up

to 20 000 folding operations for each different type of seat.

The study is exhaustive: they have to find the right foams, fabrics, structure or stitching that will adapt to dif­ ferent body types and external conditions. They also ensure the correct design of headrests to prevent possible neck inju­ ries.

• Car sommeliers: Their most important work instrument is their nose to achieve the fa­ mous “new car smell”. These chemists smell over 400 tests every year, exposing cars to temperatures of 60°C. This profession also places some curious demands on them: they cannot smoke or wear perfume so as not to alter the outcome of test results.

— Newspress.

Call Avir Thulsiram on 084 278 3447 OR 033 355 1152 email: Avir@witness.co.za

ALEXANDRIA SAGE TESLA’S chief executive Elon Musk took many risks with the technology in his company’s cars on the way to surpassing Ford Motor Company’s market value.

Now Musk is pushing boundaries in the factory that makes them.

Most automakers test a new mod­ el’s production line by building vehi­ cles with relatively cheap, prototype tools designed to be scrapped once they deliver doors that fit, body pan­ els with the right shape and dash­ boards that don’t have gaps or seams.

Tesla, however, is skipping that preliminary step and ordering per­ manent, more expensive equipment as it races to launch its Model 3 sedan by a self­imposed volume production deadline of September, Musk told in­ vestors last month.

Musk’s decision underscores his high­risk tolerance and willingness to forego long­held industry norms that has helped Tesla upend the tra­ ditional auto industry. While Tesla is not the first automaker to try to ac­ celerate production on the factory floor, no other rival is putting this much faith in the production strategy succeeding.

Musk expects the Model 3 rollout to help Telsa deliver five times its cur­ rent annual sales volume, a key target in the automaker’s efforts to stop burning cash.

“He’s pushing the envelope to see how much time and cost he can take out of the process,” said Ron Har­ bour, a manufacturing consultant at Oliver Wyman.

Investors are already counting on Tesla’s factory floor success, with shares soaring 39% since January as it makes the leap from niche producer to mass producer in far less time than rivals.

There are caution signs, however.

The production equipment designed to produce millions of cars is expen­ sive to fix or replace if it doesn’t work, industry experts say. Tesla has en­ countered quality problems on its ex­ isting low­volume cars, and the Mod­ el 3 is designed to sell in numbers as high as 500 000 vehicles a year, rais­ ing the potential cost of recalls or warranty repairs.

“It’s an experiment, certainly,” said Consumer Reports’ Jake Fisher, who has done extensive testing of Tesla’s previous Models S and X. Tesla could possibly fix errors

Tesla CE Elon Musk.

PHOTO: FILE quicker, speeding up the process, “or it could be they have unsuspected problems they’ll have a hard time dealing with”.

Musk discussed the decision to skip what he referred to as “beta” production testing during a call last month with an invited group of in­ vestors. Details were published on Reddit by an investor on the call.

He also said that “advanced ana­ lytical techniques” — code word for computer simulations — would help Tesla in advancing straight to pro­ duction tooling.

Tesla declined to confirm details of the call or comment on its produc­ tion strategy.

The auto industry’s incumbents have not been standing still. Volks­ wagen AG’s Audi division launched production of a new plant in Mexico using computer simulations of pro­ duction tools — and indeed the en­ tire assembly line and factory — that Audi said it believed to be an industry first. That process allowed the plant to launch production 30% faster than usual, Audi said. An Audi execu­ tive involved in the Mexican plant launch, Peter Hochholdinger, is now Tesla’s vice president of production.

Musk has spoken to investors about his vision of a factory that uses artificial intelligence and robots to build cars faster than human assem­ bly workers could manage. But there are limits to what technology can do in the heavily regulated car business.

Tesla will still have to use real cars in crash tests required by the U.S. gov­ ernment, because federal rules do not allow simulated crash results to sub­ stitute for data from a real car.

— Reuters.

Bridgestone Cycle Company’s next­generation bicycle tyre rides on rubber ribs that cannot be punctured because the wheel has no air.

The company aims to sell the tyre by 2019.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

MOTORING WitnessWheels

April 27, 2017

Tiny new engines, big power Ford and Toyota’s latest blocks push the limits of frugal fuel use ALWYN VILJOEN FORD and Toyota have announced smaller engines with power figures associated with much bigger engines just a few years ago.

Ford’s EcoBoost range of small turbo engines feature in everything from Fiesta to the F­150 bakkie.

The smallest EcoBoost engine is now getting smaller, thanks to cylin­ der deactivation.

Toyota has meanwhile unveiled its Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) engines that will be used in both petrol and electric hybrid vehi­ cles later this year.

Ford’s two power Cylinder deactivation is not a new idea, dating back to 1981 and more recently applied by Jeep in the Cher­ okee.

But Ford will be the first to cut fuel to a cylinder in a three­cylinder en­ gine. Their system only cuts the cyl­ inder when the Ecoboost is running under light loads to make the already efficient engine a hyper­efficient two­cylinder on the highway or while idling.

To get the idling cylinder pumping again takes just 40 milliseconds, and the system can kick in at engine speeds up to 4 500 rpm. A new sin­ gle­piece camshaft makes room for the extra oil channels and valve shift­ ing components needed to make cyl­

inder deactivation work. A new cam­ shaft chain and valve rockers have al­ so been fitted to handle the mechanical strain associated with cylinder deactivation.

Denis Gorman, powertrain engi­ neer at Ford Europe, said, “Our re­ search shows that in most driving scenarios the system will be active for just a few seconds at a time, making fast and seamless operation crucial, and has the potential to improve fuel efficiency by up to six percent.”

NEXT JEEP HAS BIOMETRIC SECURITY JEEP unveiled its Yuntu plug­in hy­ brid concept at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show, where car makers last week scrambled to show electric and hybrid cars that will meet China’s aims to reduce exhaust pipe emis­ sions.

China’s new emission rules count any car with an exhaust — including hybrid cars like the Yunto and Toyota Prius — as a petrol cars, which means car makers will be penalised for sell­ ing such cars in China.

This is fair enough, considering that most hybrids cannot go more than 60 km on a charge on steep hills.

Jeep’s Chinese website states the Yuntu Concept has an all­electric range of 65 km — on the level.

The punters at the Shanghai show

SA’s best­selling supercar

The Nissan GT­R. PHOTO: MOTORPRESS ROSSLYN — The Nissan GT­R looks set to keep its title as South Africa’s best­ selling supercar, after sales for the new MY17 got off to a flying start.

The first consignment of 2017­spec Nissan GT­Rs were made available in 2016 and was sold well be­

fore it landed in South Af­ rica. To date over 500 GT­ Rs have been sold in South Africa, making it the coun­ try’s most popular super­ car. Asked what made the the 2017 sell so fast, deal­ ers listed the price. At R2 250 000 they say the GT­R offers the best ratio

Toyota’s savings Toyota will introduce 17 versions of nine new engines and 10 versions of four transmissions from 2017 to 2021.

The new engines are called “Dy­ namic Force Engines” and combine loss reduction (lower energy losses), improved fuel combustion, and im­ proved air intake efficiency.

The first engine in this new archi­ tecture is a 2,5­litre four­cylinder that achieves 40% thermal efficiency as a petrol­only engine, and 41% when used in a hybrid system.

To go with the new TNGA en­ gines, Toyota has also developed new transmissions.

A new eight­speed automatic and a new 10­speed automatic (8AT and 10AT) are being introduced. Im­ provements in gear tooth surfaces and clutch materials reduce friction throughout the transmissions.

THe Jeep Juntu concept SUV unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show.

PHOTO: ELECTRIC CARS REPORT

could not care less and milled about the Yuntu, which means “cloud” in Chinese. The doors open barn­door style to reveal three rows of seats.

Jeep said in a statement SUVs are the fastest­growing segment in Chi­ na and the Jeep Yuntu Concept showcases the potential for the Jeep brand to keep expanding in the coun­ try.

The Yuntu Concept features ges­ ture controls and offers facial recog­ nition software to identify the owner and passengers for security. No key is required to operate the Yuntu thanks to its biometric technology.

Jeep’s Yuntu also comes with its own exploratory drone that scans the road ahead to help plan off­road driv­ ing routes. — WR.

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of power and performance for your money. Another reason for the strong mar­ ket for new and used Nis­ san GT­R models is the ve­ hicle’s bulletproof mechan­ ics.

Xavier Gobille, director for sales, marketing and aftersales at Nissan Group

of Africa, said it is not un­ common for an owner to double his investment in his GT­R with performance and aerodynamic additions.

On the rare occasions that GT­R owners part with their supercars, it is almost always for a new GT­R. — WR.

WitnessWheels MOTORING RACING

4

April 27, 2017

Botterill brings it home in Sabie Defending champs lead York rally from start to finish GUY Botterill and Simon Va­ cy­Lyle recorded a convincing victory in the York Rally, Round 2 of the 2017 South Af­ rican National Rally Champi­ onship in Sabie last week.

The pair wielded their To­ yota Gazoo Racing SA Etios with impunity, and lead the R2 fight from start to finish.

They are the defending champions in the Class S1600, now known as Class R2, South Africa’s premiere rally class for 2017.

The York Rally, which was formerly known as the Sasol Rally, also served as Round 3 of the FIA’s African Rally Championship (ARC), and as such included cars from Afri­ can countries such as Kenya and Tanzania.

These powerful four­ wheel­drive machines have a distinct advantage over the front­wheel­drive Class R2 cars rallied in South Africa, but despite the power and traction deficit, Botterill/Vacy­Lyle be­ came the first crew to win a round of the ARC in a 1600­ engined rally car.

“We really had a great event,” said Botterill after completing Stage 14 — a fan­

Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy­Lyle.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC friendly downhill finale, set on the outskirts of Sabie. “Simon was right on the notes throughout the event, the car never missed a beat, and we had a perfectly clean run.”

This year’s York Rally was dominated by Japie van Nie­ kerk and Robin Houghton, driving a superior Class

S2000 Ford Fiesta. The crew competed in the Open Class, which is not eligible to score championship points. As such, Botterill/Vacy­Lyle re­ corded maximum points on Round 2, making it two na­ tional victories on the trot.

The event started with the familiar Olifantsgeraamte

Stage, near York Timbers’ mill to the north of Sabie. Botterill/ Vacy­Lyle immediately set the pace in Class R2, bested only

by Van Niekerk/Houghton and the ARC crew of Jaspreet Chatte and navigator Surdeep Panesar (Mitshubishi). They maintained their Class R2 lead throughout the event, eventu­ ally winning the event by just over four minutes. Second place went to AC Potgieter and navigator Nico Swartz (Volkswagen), with Jono van Wyk and Scott Howden claim­ ing third in their Ford Fiesta.

“We now have a handy lead in the championship, setting us up perfectly for the rest of the season,” concluded Bot­ terill.

Round three is the Secunda Motor Rally, scheduled for May 19 and 20. This year’s Na­ tional Rally Championship features seven rounds, and the season concludes with the Goldfields Rally in the Free­ state town of Welkom, on Oc­ tober 20 and 21.

Toyota Motorsport South Africa acknowledges its spon­ sors and specialist official sup­ plier and technical partners.

— WR.

GAZOO SLOTS MINI IN THE MIDDLE

ARMAND ATKINS BRING together mud and wheels and boys will be boys, no matter their age or where you go in the world.

Which may explain why in Thai­ land, agricultural equipment maker Kubota hosts annual mechanised paddy plough racing championships.

The racers, many of whom are farmers, compete for the Princess Sirindhorn Trophy, Thailand being a constitutional monarchy in which

the royal family are even more re­ vered than in England or in Swazi­ land.

They race two laps around a flood­ ed paddy.

This year’s championship was held over two days in March at the Phimai Rice Research Centre, and as always drew large crowds.

The mechanised plough races de­ veloped from the traditional ox­ drawn races that are still very popular in the country.

Drags at Virginia Airport KZN Motor Racing will host drag races at the Virginia Airport on Sunday, June 18. Kas Moodley is arranging the event and he confirmed to Wheels that very few spots are left in the various class­ es. Entry to all classes have now closed and drivers who qualify will be duly in­

formed. Tickets for the long­awaited drag race will be sold at all Autozone branches in KZN from May 1. Moodley warned that only 5 000 spectators can be accommodated at the airport and advised the fans not to delay get­ ting their tickets. — WR.

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R stands for ‘record’ in the Civic Type R Ryuichi Kijima with the 2017 Honda Civic Type R that set a new front­wheel drive lap record at Nürburgring.

PHOTO: NEWS­ PRESS and on the race track.

Several factors contributed to the new Civic Type R’s new benchmark time at the Nord­ schleife. At its heart is the opti­ mised and refined two­litre VTEC Turbo engine, produc­ ing 320 PS and 400 Nm of torque.

New lower gear ratios in the six­speed manual transmis­ sion further improve the car’s acceleration, while the new Type R’s comprehensive aero­ dynamic package delivers out­

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Driver Nasser Al Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel defended their title in the Qatar Cross Country Rally in their Hilux, but it was Toyota Gazoo Racing that won the most accalaim in this fourth round of the FIA’s Cross Country World Cup, with South Africa’s Leeroy Poulter and navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz (shown) in third place and the Mini of Jakub Prygonski and navigator Tom Colsoul in the middle of the Hiluxes.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

FOLLOWING the production model’s debut at the 2017 Ge­ neva Motor Show, the all­new Honda Civic Type R has set a new benchmark lap time for front­wheel drive cars at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

On April 3, a development car lapped the world­famous circuit in 7 minutes 43.8 sec­ onds. The lap time was achieved during the final phase of the model’s testing regime, on a dry track with an optimum ambient tempera­ ture for the best tyre and powertrain performance.

The new time represents an improvement of nearly seven seconds compared to the model’s predecessor.

The new Civic Type R was part of the all­new 10th­gener­ ation Civic’s development programme — the largest in Honda’s history — and was en­ gineered to deliver the most rewarding drive in the hot hatch segment, both on road

Thailand farmers compete in the annual paddy plough races.

PHOTO: PHIMAI.WORDPRESS.COM

standing high­speed stability, with a best­in­class balance between lift and drag.

New multi­link rear suspen­ sion enhances stability under braking and reduces the total roll movement of the car, ena­ bling later braking into cor­ ners and helping to achieve higher cornering speeds dur­ ing the lap.

Ryuichi Kijima, the lead chassis engineer for the Hon­ da Civic Type R, said the devel­ opment car that achieved the

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lap time was technically repre­ sentative of production speci­ fication.

A full floating roll cage was installed for safety reasons, but its presence did not pro­ vide any additional rigidity to the body frame. The extra weight of the cage was com­ pensated for by the temporary removal of the infotainment system and rear seats. The car was using road­legal track­fo­ cused tyres.

Production of the new Civic Type R will begin in mid­2017 at Honda of the UK Manufac­ turing (HUM) in Swindon, UK. — Newspress.

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