Max Auto Updates - 08/10/2009

SA blind man hits 323 km/h

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A South African man set a new world land speed record for the blind in Upington on Tuesday, when he reached a speed of 322.5km/h in a Mercedes-Benz SL 65 Black series.

Hein Wagner, who was born blind, is a motivational speaker from Durbanville.

In 2005 Wagner became the first South African to set a world land speed record. He reached 269km/h in a Maserati.

According to him, reaching a speed of 321.9km/h is a milestone for any driver, regardless of whether they're sighted or blind.

Record

His feat will be entered in the Guinness World Records, as he broke the previous record of 308km/h, set by a blind Belgian. Wagner maintained the 322.5km/h speed for a distance of 1 000m.

The runway at the Upington International Airport proved to be long enough for accelerating, setting the record, and safely coming to a standstill.

Wagner wants to use this record to raise funds for his Vision Trust organisation, which is aimed at making technology more accessible to the blind.

Finding an appropriate car proved to be a challenge, but the solution appeared in the form of a powerful Mercedes-Benz which belongs to Johannesburg businessman Lolly Jackson.

Global Consulting Solutions sponsored the insurance of R50 000 for the two days. His navigator was Ray Wakefield from Speedrecord SA.

Wagner thanked the airport staff and the ambulance service for their support.

Next challenge

According to him, "you're stupid if you aren't scared" when tackling such a record. He is already preparing for his next challenge: flying a Boeing - passengers and all - from London to Johannesburg.

Wagner has many adventures under his belt. In 2006 he completed the New York City Marathon in 4 hours and 27 minutes. He also performed his first skydive in 2005, from a height of 10 000ft (3km).

He completed a cycling race, the Construction du Cap, as a solo cyclist. He also participated in the Cape-to-Rio yacht race and climbed the ten highest mountains in the Western Cape.

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SA carmakers 'dying'

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The South African automotive industry could cease to exist in the next five to seven years unless steps are taken to improve its competitiveness.

"And we need to this in the next one to two years," said Dave Powels, president of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa).

Powels was addressing industry representatives at the Automotive Industry Conference at the 2009 South African Automotive Week in Port Elizabeth.

The local motor industry's lack of competitiveness is illustrated by South Africa's 24th world ranking in terms of automotive manufacturing. This equates to a mere 0.8% contribution to total world output.

South Africa's main export partners are Japan, the United States and the European Union. However, automotive exports have been severely hurt by the worldwide credit crisis and economic slowdown over the past 12 months.

Increase local component content

Naamsa anticipates component exports to decline by 40% in 2009, while finished car exports are expected to contract 35% in the current calendar year.

Powels said one of the key proposals to make the industry more competitive is to increase locally produced car components to over 70%. At present, just over a third of the parts in South African cars are local.

"If we don't have higher local content, there's no reason for the South African motor industry to exist," said Johan van Zyl, president and CEO of Toyota Motors South Africa. He added that this may mean restructuring car makers' supplier bases.

Powels said importing a big portion of components makes local cars expensive. According to Naamsa calculations, the manufacturing process in South Africa is 20% to 30% more expensive than that of China and India.

Representatives of the component industry have agreed that the industry's viability lies in increasing local content.

"But we cannot do it alone. We need the support of government, banks and car manufacturers," said Stewart Jennings, president of the National Association of Automotive Components and Allied Manufacturers.

Jennings said the component industry needs interest rate subsidies of at least 2% as well as easier loan terms.

"Banks and the Industrial Development Corporation need to stop hiding behind models as an excuse for cost increases," said Jennings.

Further challenges faced by component manufacturers include hard-to-source raw materials - for example the resin used in making interiors - and quality, such as locally produced steel used for exteriors.