Stellenbosch University converts Toyota taxi to EV, testing to start shortly

The Department of Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University (SU) has joined forces with Rham Equipment to convert a Toyota Hiace Ses’fikele minibus taxi into a battery electric vehicle... 

Trust, patience see Maputo port yield record results – Grindrod

The Port of Maputo is reaping the results of an $800-million investment that has taken the port from handling five-million tons overall in 2007, to a record 27-million tons last year, says Grindrod... 

Nissan set to end NP200 production next year

Nissan South Africa (SA) will end production of the NP200 half-ton bakkie in March next year, says Nissan SA country director Kabelo Rabotho. This follows 16 years of production at Nissan’s Rosslyn... 

Much pricier Mtentu Bridge construction restarts five years after Aveng walkout

The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has announced the restart of construction work on the R4.05-billion Mtentu Bridge contract, in the Eastern Cape. The Aveng Strabag joint... 

Stanlib acquires 51% of solar and battery platform

Stanlib Asset Management has acquired 51% of Solareff, through its Stanlib Infrastructure Fund II.  Stanlib Asset Management is a local investor in sustainable infrastructure. 

Suzuki SA’s car parc reaches 200 000-plus vehicles

Suzuki Auto South Africa (Suzuki SA) in July handed over the keys to its 200 000th vehicle, ending the month with sales of 4 361 units. This means that overall South African sales for the Japanese... 

July new-car sales increased by only 1.3% year-on-year

Affordability becoming an issue in new-car market – WesBank New-vehicle sales showed marginal growth in July, inching up by 1.3%, to 43 389 units, compared with the same month last year. 

Cape Town approves seven-year road contracts

Cape Town’s Urban Mobility Directorate has received the green light from the city council to enter into long-term road contracts, spanning seven financial years, to facilitate the “uninterrupted... 

New passenger car brand head for VSWA

Niels Wichmann has been appointed as the new head of the Volkswagen passenger cars brand for Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA), effective August 1. Wichmann replaces Steffen Knapp, who will... 

Antidumping duties on Chinese tyre imports welcomed

The South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC) says it welcomes the decision by Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel to impose antidumping duties on what it calls... 

Ford’s Silverton plant achieves record daily production volume

Ford South Africa’s Silverton assembly plant, in Pretoria, has achieved its highest daily production number yet – 704 vehicles. Based on three-shift 24-hour production, the plant is capable of... 

Toyota SA targets 2024 introduction of hybrid Hilux produced at Prospecton plant

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has confirmed that it is targeting the introduction of a mild-hybrid Hilux bakkie into the South African market next year. TSAM says the hybrid version of South... 

Mercedes, Super Group unveil blueprint for luxury dealerships

Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has unveiled the second of its local dealerships to have adopted the German carmaker’s new ‘luxury’ retail brand appearance, launched globally in 2018, and in... 

16 of TiAuto’s stores complete Phase 1 solar conversion

Sixteen of TiAuto’s retail stores have completed their conversion to solar power, as part of Phase 1 of a project to reduce the group’s dependence on Eskom and to move to renewable energy. The... 

Ever-expanding Maltento eyes opportunities in aquaculture and cosmetics 

The Maltento insect farm started as a small, test-scale operation in a home bathroom in Craighall Park, Johannesburg.  Almost seven years later, founder and CEO Dean Smorenburg has seen the... 

inDrive launches ‘name your price’ freight service in SA

California-based mobility and urban services platform inDrive has launched a name-your-price freight service in South Africa, targeting small businesses and individuals. InDrive is already active... 

What to do with an old mine? Turn it into a self-driving test track

BMW has launched a new test site in Sokolov, Czechia, aimed at developing self-driving and self-parking. The German car maker says the 300-million euro Future Mobility Development Center (FMDC)... 

Global electric vehicle sales to soar to 22m in 2025 as adoption gathers momentum

Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is set to soar in the coming years, with more than 100-million passenger EVs expected on the roads by 2026, and more than 700-million by 2040. This is a significant... 

Cape Town to roll out a number of technologies to combat crime

The City of Cape Town will this year introduce a number of new technologies to combat crime. Some of these technologies may be familiar, such as drones and body cameras, with other perhaps less... 

Daimler’s Atlantis Foundries signs embedded solar power purchase agreement

Atlantis Foundries (AF) has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with integrated energy solutions company Energy Partners (EP). According to the agreement, EP will engineer, finance,... 

Survey reveals alarming trends in SME road freight sector

Sixty-eight per cent of small and medium-sized road-freight companies have inadequate vehicle maintenance programmes.  This neglect of proper maintenance increases the risk of mechanical failures,... 

Hino SA appoints new VP, expects a healthy 2023 truck market

Anton Falck has been appointed as the new VP of Hino South Africa (SA). Falck takes his first step into the world of trucking as he replaces Ernie Trautmann, who has retired.  

Car-sharing represents ‘significant, exciting opportunities’ – Legacy Group

Considering South Africa’s many transportation challenges, the emergence of car-sharing represents significant and exciting opportunities for boosting socioeconomic development and inclusive growth... 

SA tyre makers commit to net zero by 2050

All four of South Africa’s local tyre manufacturers have committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Bridgestone South Africa, Continental Tyre South Africa, Goodyear South Africa and Sumitomo... 

Volkswagen, Rwandan govt to establish ‘modern farm with electric tractors’

Volkswagen has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Rwanda to establish “a modern farm with electric tractors”.  The MoU was signed Agriculture and Animal Resources... 

Ford’s Silverton plant achieves record daily production volume

Ford South Africa’s Silverton assembly plant, in Pretoria, has achieved its highest daily production number yet, at 704 vehicles. Based on three-shift 24-hour production, the plant is capable of... 

BMW to invest R4.2bn to produce new X3, including plug-in hybrid, in South Africa

BMW will invest R4.2-billion over the next five years in its Rosslyn plant in South Africa to build the new-generation X3 sports-activity vehicle, including a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle... 

Clean tech MoU inked, Fuso-Hino merger in the offing

Daimler Truck, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), Hino Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) have concluded a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on accelerating the development... 

Volvo Car SA expects big jump in electric vehicle sales this year

It is impossible to know what the real demand is for Volvo Car South Africa’s (SA’s) fully electric vehicles (EVs), as persistent supply challenges have skewed the sales numbers, says Volvo Car SA... 

Cape Town secures €100-million in infrastructure funding from French bank

The City of Cape Town has secured €100-million in developmental finance, with Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis signing the loan agreement with the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) on June... 

Green-energy-powered ship docks in Cape Town, vessel number two in the works

The zero-emission, green-energy-powered Energy Observer (EO) earlier this month docked in Cape Town for a visit of just more than a week. The vessel, which acts as an on-the-water laboratory able... 

SA’s logistics chain in ‘desperate’ need of PPPs – SAAFF 

Port and rail parastatal Transnet and government cannot “go it alone” to repair South Africa’s strained logistics network, says South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) CEO Dr... 

Toyota SA expects new-energy vehicles to comprise 10% of its local sales by 2025

Toyota Motors South Africa (TSAM) aims for 10% of its sales, or 22 000 units, to be new-energy vehicles (NEVs) in 2025. This means the local arm of the Japanese manufacturer aims for total market... 

Cape Town launches team to safeguard the city’s electricity infrastructure

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has introduced an Energy Safety Team to assist law enforcement agencies and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in protecting critical electricity infrastructure... 

Cape Town mayor asks President to form joint committee on ‘urgent’ rail devolution

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to form a joint working committee with the city for “the urgent devolution” of passenger rail services to the metro.  The... 

Police, Transport Minister instructed to protect Intercape buses after operator approaches court for second time

The Makhanda High Court on has issued an order compelling the Minister of Transport and the MEC for Transport in the Eastern Cape to work with the South African Police Service to develop a plan to... 

Pylon-spire construction advancing steadily at Msikaba bridge project

The pylon spires of South Africa’s Msikaba Bridge megaproject are soon to tower almost 130 m high at each side of the 197-m-deep Msikaba river gorge.  The bridge forms part of the South African... 

Toyota launches its cheapest offering in South Africa

Toyota South Africa Motors has launched what will be its cheapest new-vehicle offering in the local market.  The Vitz small car arrives in the country with a starting price of R189 900. 

Construction starts on Atlantis SEZ for green technologies

Construction on Zone 1 of the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for green technologies in the Western Cape has started. The first tenant in the 22 ha Zone 1 will be industrial and specialist gas... 

Third parties to start selling electricity using Cape Town grid 

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced that 15 commercial electricity suppliers will start wheeling electricity through Cape Town’s grid in July.  The city’s Mayoral Committee has...