October 14, 2021
THE WITNESS
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13
WHEELS
www.witness.co.za
New bakkie arrivals Peugeot and Nissan announce two new bakkies for Mzansi’s leisure and workhorse markets ALWYN VILJOEN News of two new light commercial vehicles made bakkie drivers sit up and take notice this week. One bakkie has a Peugeot badge on the nose, but is made in China, not France. The other has a Nissan badge, but is made in Rosslyn — not Japan — and is built tough to meet the load delivery needs of small business owners. Nissan introduced the single cab workhorse after the successful launch of the new Navara double cab in June. “The Single Cab comes with an impressive list of best-in-class features that make it the perfect partner to get the job done right,” said Stefan Haasbroek, marketing director at Nissan SA in a statement. “It also offers high levels of safety and security from entry grades, including driver and passenger airbags standard as well as ABS and electronic brake-force distribution.” The new Navara Single Cab 2.5l DOHC Petrol Engine (XE grade) has a maximum power of 118 kW and 233 Nm torque. The 2,5 Diesel power-train comes in two levels of output. The high output engine delivers 140 kW and a respectable 450 Nm. The mid-output (XE and SE Grades), has a 2,5-litre dual overhead camshafts with direct injection, turbocharged with intercooler diesel engine producing 120 kW of power and 403
One of two Hyundai Xcient Fuel Cell trucks being tested in California.
HYDROGEN RACE IS GAINING SPEED
Peugeot aims to sell the Landtrek (left) primarily to South Africa’s leisure bakkie drivers, while Nissan is aiming the Navara single cab to businesses that require a workhorse to cart loads. PHOTOS: MOTORPRESS Nm torque, making it the most powerful engine in the class. For those drivers using the vehicle as a work horse, it also features topclass load capacity of up to 1 144 kg and durability with reinforced body and suspension Haasbroek added, “The Navara Single Cab is built on over 85 years of heritage, which will uphold our reputation of reliable and durable light commercial vehicles.” The Nissan Navara Single Cab comes standard with a warranty of 6
years or 150 000 km and a service plan of 6 years or 90 000 km, making it the best-in-class aftersales support. Six models are available, two of them with 4x4 drivetrains, all with manual transmission. Prices start at R316 700 for the 4x2 XE manual, and go up to R534 000 for the 4x4 LE. LANDTREK FROM CHINA The Peugeot Landtrek is sold as a single-cab, double-cab and chassis cab. The Landtrek was born from a collaboration between Peugeot and Chi-
nese manufacturer, Changan and is based on a platform that also underpins the Changan Kaicheng F70 bakkie. The Landtrek has a payload of 1,2 tons up front, and a notable towing capacity of up to 3,5 tons. Ground clearance start at 214 mm and go up to 235 mm, depending on the derivative. Peugeot South Africa has confirmed that the Landtrek will launch in South Africa in November 2021, with either 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrains and a choice of a 2,4-litre turbocharged petrol engine (157 kW/320 Nm) or a 1,9-litre turbo
diesel (112 kW/350 Nm). The petrol engine is mated with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The Landtrek’s prices will be announced closer to launch. Meanwhile, sales manager at Metro Car Sales, Elvis Naidoo, said when it comes to bakkies and light trucks, the dealership has a lot of experience in selling and servicing light commercial vehicles from China at prices that meet small business budgets, and invited buyers to test drive their range of JAC trucks and Changan vans.
Under an agreement called “Project Neptune”, Shell’s hydrogen infrastructure division will construct 48 new stations and upgrade two existing stations in California. Hyundai is bullish on hydrogen, with plans for sport cars and cargo drones powered by the fuel cells. The Korean vehicle builder’s main hydrogen plans, however, are to power trucks, as hydrogen gas tanks and fuel cells are lighter than the bank of batteries needed to power a truck. Lighter drivetrains means heavier payload and the potential market is huge. Just in California, plans are to ban diesel-burning
trucks by 2045. The California Fuel Cell Partnership plans to have 200 hydrogen stations pumping the compressed gas by 2035 to quickly refuel a fleet of 70 000 hydrogen trucks, all with a range of at least 800 km. Apart from Hyundai, which is testing two Xcient Fuel Cell trucks, a slew of big companies and start-ups are racing to be first with commercial vehicles that can move payloads without belching smoke before or by 2030. GM and Navistar International jointly aim to have 2 000 fuel-cell trucks ready by 2024. Daimler and Toyota will not be far behind. — WR.
Chasing Karoo rain in the Ford Ranger Stormtrak JUSTIN JACOBS
Vuyokazi Bangazi is the new national sales manager for Toyota Industrial Equipment.
BANGAZI OFFERS WEALTH OF SKILLS Vuyokazi Bangazi has been appointed national sales manager for Toyota Industrial Equipment, a division of the material handling and industrial equipment supplier, EIE Group. Her appointment forms part of the company’s strategy to inject new energy into the business and pay even greater attention to sales. As the former general manager of the Toyota Business Unit in the Eastern Cape, Bangazi has earned her stripes at the coalface and brings a wealth of sales and leadership skills to her new role. She said her new role means making sure the business gets to the market as quickly as possible with its products. “It also means capturing 40% of the market (we want to be streaks ahead of our competitors), promoting innovative thinking, making sure our customers always choose the Toyota Industrial Equipment brand and fostering excellent relationships with our OEMs, without whom we would not be able to offer such incredible products in the market.” Bangazi joined EIE Group after graduating from the University of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela University) with a BCom in accounting in 2002. After a short stint at EIE Group in the Eastern Cape, she was transferred to the business’s head office in Johannesburg in 2005 as an administrator in the rental division. In 2007, she was transferred back to Port Elizabeth as rental manager for the region and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2014, and general manager in 2016. Bangazi will focus her efforts on growing the Toyota brand, positioning the business as an employer of choice and ensuring customers are 100% satisfied with its offerings. “We will measure for customercentricity via the Customer Service Index. If we score above 95%, we will know that we are doing a phenomenal job with our customers from an operations and sales point of view.” She added that setting goals is the first step towards turning the invisible into the visible. “I will know that I have been successful if the business achieves its OEM targets, if our brand is well positioned in the market, if the most talented people want to work for us and if we are award-winning in our own space,” she said. — WR.
Ford South Africa introduced the Stormtrak and invited our Witness Wheels to experience the newcomer in the unforgiving Karoo, chasing storms along the way. When Ford South Africa introduced the limited edition Thunder model last year, the plan was to build only 1 000 units. But such was the demand that Ford commissioned 1 033 more units. Now, the Thunder has officially run its course and a new option has rolled in, the Stormtrak. From a styling perspective the new Stormtrak gets a few eye-catching elements that include a striking black mesh grille with red inserts, a black insert in the lower section of the front bumper, black decals for the bonnet and doors, black roof rails and 18-inch alloy wheels finished in gloss black. The Stormtrak also features bespoke Stormtrak logos on the lower sections of the front doors, as well as on the rear tailgate. There is even a bespoke colour for the Stormtrak called Lucid Red. One of the biggest and most convenient features on offer is the powered rear Roller Shutter, which can be operated via the key-fob, a button inside the cabin and even via a button at the rear of the vehicle. The shutter proved to be relatively dust proof and kept our luggage dry during the rain. The interior of the Stormtrak is a familiar affair as it features the same look and feel as that offered by the luxury focused Wildtrak. SYNC 3 infotainment system For the tech junkies out there the Ranger Stormtrak offers enough to satisfy your desires. Ford’s impressive SYNC 3 infotain-
The limited edition Ranger Stormtrak comes with a powered rear Roller Shutter that keeps dust and the rain out. PHOTO: MOTORPRESS ment system features embedded navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a nifty USB charging port located in the rearview mirror makes for easy fitment of a dash cam. The Stormtrak is also equipped with Ford’s innovative FordPass functionality that allows owners to remotely access numerous vehicle features from their phone — such as remote and scheduled starts to either cool or heat the cabin. Other features include the ability to monitor various aspects of the vehicle such as service requirements, oil level and even tyre pressure on vehicles with said ability. Other useful features include a vehicle locator courtesy of a map and location tracker in the FordPass app, Vehicle Health Alerts, which can be sent directly to a smart device pre-empting service needs, and Roadside Assistance, allowing customers instant access to Ford’s 24-hour emergency Roadside Assistance which is valid for a period
of three years/unlimited distance. So what’s it like to drive? Our near 1 000km adventure saw us meander across the Karoo, traverse the Baviaanskloof nature reserve as we made our way to the Storms River Mouth. The long gravel roads found in the Karoo provided the perfect opportunity to sample the Rangers handling characteristics. The roads we travelled on were smooth and thus we were able to increase our overall speed. The Stormtrak handles high speed gravel travel well and the 2.0-litre biturbo diesel makes light work of getting a move on thanks to its 157kW and 500Nm of torque. The 10-speed automatic also swaps cogs with little notice and the active cruise control is a benefit in dusty situations where visibility is poor. The system will automatically slow the vehicle down when it detects another vehicle ahead of it. What was really impressive is how the Ranger was able to tackle the Baviaanskloof pass.
Using the rotary dial to select H4 is easy and can be done on the move. The low-down torque made the climb effortless and the use of Down Hill Descent Control keeps everything tidy when doing down hill. The system can brake individual wheels for a controlled off-road experience. On road the Ranger provides a comfortable driving experience and thanks to safety items such as Lane-Keep Assist and the Active Cruise Control there is a sense of confidence when driving in the rain for example, which is what we did as we made our way to the Storms River Village, our final stop before the our journey’s end. Once again Ford South Africa has taken us to places many only hear about in conversation. Taking the locally built Ford ranger through these areas is special as Ford contributes to around two percent of our GDP. Further investments at the Silverton Plant have increased jobs not only at the plant but throughout the supply chain. The Ford Ranger is a part of this country just as much as the Stormberg and the Stormsriver mouth. The Stormtrak offers a unique spin on an already winning formula. The Ranger Stormtrak is priced at R790 300 for the 4x2 model while the off-road ready 4x4 model costs R846 500. All prices include VAT. All new Ford Rangers come standard with Ford Protect, comprising a fouryear/120 000km comprehensive warranty, three-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance and five-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty. A six-year/90 000km service plan is included which covers six services. The recommended service interval is 15 000km or annually, whichever occurs first.
Sonet a small SUV with quality cabin, frugal engine ALWYN VILJOEN When I look back on my best road trips, all of them entail stopping somewhere to eat weird food with strange people in a place with a view. Which is why we always stop at Chuffy’s Biltong shop when exploring the beautiful parts of KwaZulu-Natal between Newcastle and Ladysmith. Chuffy and Andrea Cronje have been making their exceptionally good biltong and dry wors since 1997 and their old building, from where they used to sell imported rugs, has become a favourite stop for bikers and
Chuffy’s Biltong is a culinary treasure, but known only to truckers and bikers. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN truckers. The car we drove, courtesy of Kia South Africa, was the Sonet 1,5 CVT LX. Like Chuffy’s biltong, it is
a surprisingly good small SUV, selling for R296 995. Built on the same platform as the Hyundai Venue, the So-
net takes on the competing Breza/ Cruiser with a quality cabin packed to the brim with driving aids. The naturally aspirated 1,5 engine (85 kW /144 Nm) could do with a turbo, but its absence made for fuel consumption of just under 7l/100 km. Small SUVs are sold as much on their looks and performance as on their owners’ after sales experience. It is my experience that Kia’s welltrained technical staff vie for the best client reviews, which should make owning a Sonet a pleasure for the duration of its two-year or 30 000 km service plan and five-year, unlimited kilometres warranty.
DFSK, a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned Dongfeng Motor, will supply the first batch of 10 000 small, all-electric 1,5 ton vans to Japan.
CHINA’S E-VEHICLES SUPPLYING JAPAN Electric commercial vehicles made in China are making inroads in Japan through BYD and DFSK. BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle builder, aims to offer buses at a 40% discount to its current price of 40 million yen ($354 120) in Japan. DFSK, a subsidiary of state-owned Dongfeng Motor, will supply 5 000 small vans and bakkies to Japanese delivery company SBS. SBS said it will replace its fleet of 5 000 Japanese-made diesel trucks with the 1,5 ton Chinese electrics by 2026, and that it will buy another 5 000 from other Chinese automakers. The Green Car website reports that Chinese electric vehicle makers are filling a gap in the Japanese transport market as companies scramble to
comply with the nation’s emissions targets. The first one-ton electric trucks DFSK supplied to SBS were, in fact, designed by folofly, a Japanese EV start-up, but manufactured by DFSK. But Japanese automakers have been unable to meet local demand, raising worries that they will lose out to their Chinese rivals. Excluding subsidies, each one-ton electric vehicle will cost SBS 3,8 million yen, on a par with the price of a regular Japanese truck. This suggests that with subsidies, the Chinese versions will be cheaper. These electric vehicles have a range of 300 kilometres and will be used for the home delivery of goods. SBS hopes to start importing them in January. — WR.
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Ford goes big on security services Stolen Vehicle Services is the next step in Ford’s suite of connected services that offer greater functionality and an enhanced customer experience, all enabled by FordPass Connect. Ford vehicles featuring SYNC 4 come with a free trial subscription to Ford Secure, which includes Stolen Vehicle Services, and will be enhanced by new features such as Location Alerts, which is the ability to create user-chosen boundaries and receive push notifications should the vehicle leave these areas for added reassurance that your vehicle is
where it should be. And Neighbourhood Alerts, which are notifications from other SecuriAlert-protected vehicles in your area that can give advanced warning of criminals operating nearby, as Power-Up wireless updates, at a later date. Limited roll-out Initially available for the new Mustang Mach-E GT, with other Ford vehicles to follow, Stolen Vehicle Services is part of the Ford Secure subscription package, which will be supplied free of charge for a trial period in compatible vehicles.
The service is available this year in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with wider availability across Europe in 2022. The system is activated by the driver through the FordPass smartphone app and their Ford account, and in addition to those detected by SecuriAlert, uses the vehicle’s sensors to detect a number of events that could indicate the vehicle is being stolen. The events can include master reset — an attempt to deactivate FordPass Connect, and inconsistent location — when the ignition is turned on and the vehicle’s location co-ordinates are different to when the igni-
tion was last turned off. If one of the sensors is triggered, a push notification is sent to the owner’s smartphone to indicate a potential theft has occurred. The FordPass app shows the recent vehicle status to help the owner determine if the vehicle has been moved or entry attempted without their knowledge, and gives the option to cancel in the event of a false alarm. The additional monitoring and protection mean that Stolen Vehicle Services has achieved a Thatcham S7 security rating. — WR.
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