22
|
THE WITNESS
MAY 31, 2018
May 31, 2018
Witness
Indian-based Mankame starts a crowd funding campaign on July 1 to build an electric sportsbike with a claimed range of 500km from an 18,4 kWh high-density Samsung cell. If enough bikers buy in, delivery can start early in 2022. PHOTO: MANKAME
EAST COAST
ENGINE IMPORTS
QUALITY USED LOW MILEAGE ENGINES AND GEABOXES
WE OFFER DELIVERY INTO DURBAN AND PMB ON ENGINE AND GEARBOX PURCHASES
Brand New Turbos for most makes of vehicles
NOW WITH OUR OWN IN HOUSE WORKSHOP
FOR THE LEXUS V8 ENTHUSIASTS WE OFFER • Pre-Wired Lexus V8 1UZ VVTI complete with automatic gearbox • Pre-Wired Lexus V8 3UZ VVTI complete with automatic gearbox • Brand new and second hand original spares and service parts • Our pre-wired original OEM mnagement is ready for installation with only 6 wires to connect • All units are bench tested
• Top Quality used low mileage engines and gearboxes for most makes and models of cars and light delivery vehicles • Heads • Turbos • Diffs • Lexus spares • New and Second hand • We stock local stock as well
VW is selling six new models of the new VW Crafter, imported from Poland, with prices starting at start at R509 700 for the Crafter 35 (MCV) and topping out at R635 800 for both the Crafter 50 LWB ready to take seats. VW’s 2.0-litre TDI (103 kW/340 Nm) powers all derivatives. PHOTO: VWSA
WHEELS MOTORING ACROSS KWAZULU-NATAL SINCE 1904
Biggest Cars in the Park yet for charity ALWYN VILJOEN THE biggest Cars in the Park yet last Sunday drew over 14 000 people to Ashburton to ogle some 1 600 rides put on display by the proud owners. These ranged from Michael Loukides’ rusted but roaring Ford F100 (with a cow’s skull mounted on the bonnet and braai wood on the back), to Peter Hall’s venerably-polished Rolls Royce (with a statue of a flying lady on the front and straps for picnic baskets in the back). Hall told Wheels the next big car event in KZN will be the Concours d’Elegance Durban, to be held mid August at the Durban Country Club. Fellow convener John Aritho said cars made before 1960 will enter free, after which the fee is R500 per vehicle. Organiser of Cars in the Park, Karl Habermann, said all vehicles there displayed for free, as SA’s oldest car show aims to give members of car clubs a chance to meet and mingle and raise funds for charity. To these ends, the members of the Midlands 4Wheel Drive Club each year bring their muddy vehicles to do hairraising things with diff-lock and fund-
MADRID BANS CARS IN CITY CENTRE
LEFT: Gary Buitendach hands donations to SPCA’s Ronnie Yeoman, which was raised at Cars in the Park by giving rides in members’ private 4x4 vehicles — like this 4,3litre, V8 Beetle of Jonathan Strashoon. PHOTO: SUPPLIED raising things for Msunduzi’s SPCA. Chair of the club, Gary Buitendach, told Wheels the members are each year humbled by the public’s donations to help care for animals. SPCA manager Ronnie Yeoman thanked the club for the money raised, which this year tallied R6 377,20, and said the donation would help meet the society’s constant need for funds. Habermann said while the annual Cars in the Park displayed cars for free,
the event attracts tourists from across South Africa and caused a lot of spending at local workshops as owners raced to get their cars ready. Next car events • June 9, Vryheid Car Show at the Lucas Meyer rugby field. • July 8, Scottburgh Classic Car Show at Scottburgh High School. • August 12, Concours d’Elegance Durban at the Durban Country Club.
SPANISH daily El Diario reports the capital city of Spain, Madrid, will start phasing out cars in the inner city from November. Central city streets will no longer be through routes for private cars, and no major roads will be exempt. At first drivers passing though will just be warned. By February, drivers violating the policy will be fined €90 (about R1 300) via camera enforcement. The low-car city centre is one
of 30 measures Madrid is taking to reduce pollution. It’s the continuation of policies anounced in 2015 to reduce traffic and motor vehicle in the ancient city. Madrid announced the first car restrictions in 2015, and last year announced plans to make the Gran Via, a six-lane highway that runs through the city centre, carfree. During a nine-day trial in 2016, nearby shop owners reported a 15% increase in business. — WR.
SUZUKI-TOYOTA ENGINES FOR INDIA TOYOTA and Suzuki will develop small, ultra-efficient drivetrains, possibly hybrids, for India and export these to markets like South Africa. This follows the memorandum of understanding the two companies signed on February 6, 2017. Next the companies will detail what techno-
logical support Denso Corporation and Toyota will provide Suzuki to develop a compact, ultrahigh-efficiency powertrain; how Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) will sell the via both Toyota and Suzuki dealers in India and decide which of these models can be exported. — WR.
Used sales slower as new prices stay low UBER PLANS TO AVOID DRONE JAMS JEFF OSBORNE
Our friend dly sales s team m is s equip pped to de eal with h all en nqu uiries and ha ave a weallth of know wledg ge in the moto orin ng field d. We pride e ou ursellves in n deliveriing exception nal serv rviice and d products to o our clie ents and thereforre have a stringent qua ality check process s in plac ce to make sure that every produc ct complies s with our requirem ments an nd is in to op order. Tel:
035 789 0464 Unit 1 No 13 Dianne 071 677 0799 035 789 0754 Betastraal Street Ntuthuko 082 704 5330 Craigh: 084 357 1082 Alton, Richards Bay Fax 086 459 6725 sales@eastcoastengines.co.za
A LONG golden run for used vehicle sales in South Africa is slowing down noticeably. The second hand market has been a “buy-at-any-price” space for quite some time due to macro-economic pressures on consumers, over-priced new cars and online trading sites developing an increasingly accessible marketplace for used vehicles. TransUnion SA Vehicle Pricing Index (VPI) is the best way to keep a track of the used car segment of the market. The index measures the relationship between the increase in vehicle pricing for new and used passenger vehicles from 15 top volume manufacturers. Two data points from first quarter indicate that both volumes and mar-
gins have declined in the used car space. In Q1 2017, the TransUnion report showed the ratio of used car sales to new car sales was 2,49. In Q1 2018, that ratio dropped to 2,09. Throughout 2017, the Used Car Vehicle Price Index rose by 3,5% or more. In Q1 2018, it was at 2,9%. And new car sales are finally on the rise after a grim phase of decline. March saw growth in new unit sales of 3,7% and April delivered 3,6%. One reason for this improvement is made clear by the VPI, which shows the price of new cars has been held very low for some time as dealers lowered their margins to shift metal. A stronger rand, low inflation and a reduction in interest rates have helped dealers to keep prices low. The index shows 46% of used vehi-
cles sold are under two years old, and nine percent were demo models, which shows consumers want “newer old” vehicles. It needs to be made clear that the used car market is not in serious decline — it still outweighs the new car market in SA by more than 2:1, it still offers a better price increase average and the economy has a long road to travel before anyone would call it the kind of cash flush or easy loan boom time which turbocharges new vehicle sales. But it’s clear that we are in a cyclical turn towards new vehicles, which I suspect will continue as long as the dealers keep the current lid on price increases.
AS part of its plans to provide drone taxis at major cities by 2020, Uber opened its first research centre outside North America, at the Advanced Technologies Centre Paris (ATCP). The ride-hailing company stated its first focus will be on building artificial intelligence and air traffic management systems, with the first
• Jeff Osborne is head of automotive for Gumtree.
drone demonstration flights planned in two years. Uber also announced a five-year agreement with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland to explore new approaches to air traffic management. Uber is investing €20 million in flying technologies over the next five years. — WR.
FORD CAP WINNER Congratulations to Jabulani Ngubane, whose e-mailed entry after reading the Wheels article on the new Ford Fiesta won this collector’s Ford Cap. • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
R25 Per metre
R25
DIGITAL PRINT CHIFFONS 150 cm
STRETCH LACE REDUCED TO CLEAR
Per metre
EID SPECIALS 20% OFF ALL
SELECTED WINTER FABRICS
BEADED FABRIC BRIDAL FABRIC GUIPURE LACE CHEMICAL LACE EMBROIDERED 3D FLORAL MESH LACE
CLOSING 4PM UNTIL THE 15TH JUNE DUE TO FASTING
EXCLUSIVE DESIGNER PRINTS
6 Butler Road, Pietermaritzburg • Tel: 033 342 6890