http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1008
The plastic number plates of all Gauteng-registered vehicles will have to be replaced with aluminium plates within the next four years.
According to the Gauteng provincial government, the new number plates will cost R50 more than the current plates.
Plastic number plates cost between R50 and R70 each, but the price is not regulated.
The provincial government has been promising for two years to introduce the new plates, but nothing has happened until now.
Present series to run out
Bheki Nkosi, MEC for roads and transport, said on Wednesday in an answer to a question in the legislature that the province is compelled to intervene, as the present registration numbers (series) will run out during the World Cup next year.
He also believes the new number plates will help to reduce crime.
The province wants to hamper forgery, improve the regulation of the manufacturing of number plates, and link each individual number plate to an individual vehicle owner.
According to the new system, new registration numbers will consist of a series of two letters, two numbers and two letters, ending with the letters "GP".
The new number plates will be equipped with a 2D barcode and a passive electronic chip. Vehicle owners will be able to keep their current registration numbers, but will still need to switch to the new aluminium number plates.
According to Nkosi, the manufacturing process will start on February 1 2010 and must be finished before November 1 2013.
The transition to the new system will cost R32m.
New IT system
Musa Manganyi, a deputy director in the department managing the project, said this will be spent on research, the design of the number plates, consultation, the registration of the manufacturers and printers of the number plates, as well as a new information technology system.
Using the new IT system, the government will be able to see where and by whom each number plate has been manufactured, as well as identify the details of the vehicle and its owner.
Gauteng has given a limited number of businesses permission to make the new number plates.
Three businesses will be making the reflective material, six will manufacture the blank number plates, and 204 will print the registration numbers.
Owners of vehicles whose registration numbers start with a "B" or "C" will be the first to have to replace their number plates.
The rest will follow alphabetically.
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30km/h speed limits for Pretoria
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1009
There's some bad news ahead for motorists who like putting pedal to the metal.
The City of Tshwane mayoral committee has started a process to introduce 30km/h or 40km/h speed restrictions in certain areas.
The zones are being considered for areas such as schools, tertiary institutions, densely populated residential areas such as Sunnyside, hospitals, taxi ranks, the new Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) stops, and also at sports facilities such as Loftus Versfeld.
City of Tshwane spokesperson Dikeledi Phiri says the project will be launched once the municipality has the necessary funds available.
The project is part of the metro council's plan to ease the traffic flow in the city.
The mayoral committee claims the decision is in line with international trends, and says it wants to make a contribution to halving the number of road deaths in Africa by 2014.
The national road safety strategy of 2006 and the world report on road accidents of 2004, suggest 30km/h speed limits for such areas, the city said.
Trial run
Phiri says Tshwane will start by indentifying two areas where 30km/h limits will be applied on a trial basis. She says an existing project, where this particular limit is already in place in Sibelius Street in Lukasrand, will be used as an initial case study.
The law will be enforced in the same way as in the case of the normal 60km/h limit.
The layout of the road signs is yet to be finalised, but local experts will be used to ensure that the 30km/h signs are clearly visible and easily understandable.
Karen Meyer, DA spokesperson for community safety, said that while the party welcomes the project, one can't help but wonder if it will have any meaningful consequences.
"In an ideal world it would probably work, but in Pretoria, law enforcement is everything but ideal. Motorists are not allowed to speak on cellphones while they're driving, but 90% of them still do so. It this not a similar type of useless legislation?"
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Materia Turbo finally here
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1010
Daihatsu’s Materia is one of the most unique-looking cars currently on sale locally.
Although the styling (with its proportionally small glasshouse surfaces) polarises some, to others it possesses a disarmingly loveable mini hotrod vibe.
So it was with great expectation that Daihatsu South Africa showed off its DRD Materia at JIMS in October last year.
Beyond alloy wheels and a substantial sound system, the car on Daihatsu’s display stand boasted a 110kW version of the 1.5l engine. This signaled Daihatsu was close to finally marketing a car in the hot hatch fold again.
Now, six months later than anticipated and more than a year after the Materia DRD was shown at JIMS, Diahatsu's Materia Turbo is finally on sale.
It looks set to shake up the junior hot hatch segment too, boasting more power than either Toyota's Yaris TS or Renault's Twingo RS.
Daihatsu hot hatch heritage?
Although most hot hatch enthusiasts easily gloss over the fact, Daihatsu actually has quite a heritage with regards to producing very quick little hatchbacks.
Locally, the turbocharged YRV automatics were giant-killers between 2004 and 2006.
Sporting a kerb mass of only 890kg and powered by a 95kW 1.3l engine, these little Daihatsu YRVs left a significant void in the company’s local product portfolio when they were discontinued three years ago.
Fortunately the limited edition Daihatsu Materia Turbo will now fill that void.
Hottest hatch in the junior batch?
Although the car now offered on sale is significantly late (it was supposed to go on sale in April) the key hot hatch certified credentials (boosted power and boy-racer looks) are dutifully present.
Although Materia Turbo's forced induction has been geared down from 0.6bar of boost to only 0.4, performance numbers remain quite similar to the JIMS showcar.
To this end the severely undersquare Materia 1.5l engine (running a stroke bias of 91.8mm to a bore of only 72mm) still produces 110kW, at an engine speed 750r/min higher than the JIMS car.
Peak rotational force is five units less than promised in October last year, factoring out to 190Nm at 4 800r/min. Daihatsu claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.9 sec and an electronically limited top speed of 200km/h.
To ensure the performance package is as symmetrical as possible in terms of dynamics, Materia turbo features a 30mm ride height reduction courtesy of Eibach lowering springs at all four wheel corners.
Curiously ABS brakes and a limited-slip front differential are optional extras...
In mitigation, the car does run special performance bias brake fluid graded with a higher boiling point, which should ensure the middle pedal's performance remains true even after severe use on track days.
Plenty of boy-racer styling trinkets
Aesthetically the Materia turbo features a rear roof spoiler, tinted windows and of course there’s an air-intake scoop cut out of the bonnet surfacing to ensure that YRV heritage is continued.
Daihatsu’s hot hatch rolls 17-inch alloy wheels, shod with 205/40 rubber.
Customers have option on either a five-spoke anthracite or rather ridiculous 12-spoke carbon-black with red pinstripe mag design.
The current consignment of Materia Turbos is limited to only 40 units, retailing at R219 900 each.
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Porsche SE Posts 4.4 Billion Euro Loss
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1011
Porsche Automobil Holding SE has reported a pre-tax loss of €4.4 billion ($6.6 billion) for its 2008-2009 fiscal year.
Porsche Automobil Holding SE is the parent company of Porsche AG, the luxury automaker. Porsche SE's losses mostly stem from its failed bid to take over Volkswagen AG.
Porsche SE had been buying up VW stock over the last couple of years by borrowing cash in an attempted take-over of its much larger rival. But Porsche SE's gamble for a hostile purchase of Volkswagen AG backfired when it found itself overextended debt-wise as the credit markets hit a crisis in the financial meltdown of late 2008. Porsche SE was then forced to merge with VW this past summer.
In a press release announcing the loss, Porsche SE also reported that its car division, Porsche AG, "remains the world's most profitable automaker," with a profit margin in the double-digits.
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BMW 335i Cabriolet with 266kW by ATT Autotechnik
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1012
ATT Autotechnik believe the current BMW 3 Series Convertible is the best ever. The tuner therefore embarked on a mission to make it even better. Starting with a stock 3.0-litre twin turbo 335i Convertible power was increased from the standard 225kW and 400Nm of torque to 254kW and 481Nm in power level I. This is achieved through an additional controller.
Power level II also makes use of a stainless steel sport exhaust system to deliver 266kW and 536Nm, 14kW more than the previous-generation M3 E46.
Wheels fitted are ATT TEC LeMans 20" measuring 8,5x20" and 10x20" front and rear while tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport 2 size 245/30 ZR20 and 285/25 ZR20 respectively.
Accessories included are M3 louvers, mounting accessories and LED indicators. The interior can also be customised to suit individual tastes.
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World's ultimate low profile tyre
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1013
Wheels and tyres. Not only do they keep you rolling along, they’re a vital factor in the style coefficient of any car.
The general rule of thumb amongst enthusiasts is to wrap the lowest profile rubber attainable on the most generously sized wheel rims available.
However wide of the original engineering specification said tyre/wheel combination goes is of no consequence.
Despite the unintended consequences of appalling ride quality, a voluminous increase in road-noise intrusion and inevitable compromises to geared performance, if it looks good, it looks good - period.
SEMA madness
During the recent SEMA show in Las Vegas the most renowned wheel and tyre manufacturers showcased their latest and greatest wares.
At a show as elaborately themed as SEMA one expects to see some outlandish wheel and rubber combinations, yet nobody could quite prepare attendees for what was showcased at the Nexen stand.
Nexen, a rather low-key South Korean tyre manufacturer (Koreas oldest too), wrapped a tyre of such cartoonish dimensions around a 24-inch alloy wheel, it truly beggared belief.
The tyre in question was the company’s 15-series product. Sound rather inconsequential, until you take in the sequence of numbers running along the sidewall – 365/15R24…
Factor in the 365mm tread width (we can hardly imagine traction being an issue) and 24-inch diameter and that 15 profile number renders as being simply astonishing.
In a world where one winces at the possible ride quality characteristics of 35 profile tyres on 20-inch wheels, the Nexen 365/15R24s must be the most masochistic road tyres, well, ever.
GM to repay $6.7billion government loan
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1014
General Motors (GM) will announce on Monday it plans to start repaying a $6.7bn loan to the US Treasury by year-end due to modest operating improvements, a source knowledgeable about the situation said.
GM, due to unveil its first post-bankruptcy earnings report on Monday, will begin making $1bn quarterly installments on the loan on Dec. 31. At the same time, the carmaker also will start repaying a $1.4bn loan to Canada at a rate of $200m per quarter.
GM was not required to make any payments on the US loan before it matured in July 2015, but better-than-expected vehicle sales will let it start repayments much sooner than expected.
"The reason GM is in a position to do that is that they have seen performance that has been modestly ahead of what the expectation was when GM went into bankruptcy and emerged from bankruptcy," said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the repayment plan.
GM vehicle sales fell off less than expected during its government-supported bankruptcy in June and July, which lasted only about 39 days. Sales since then, aided partly by government "cash for clunkers" incentives, have performed ahead of plan.
Early exit
As a result, GM has not been forced to burn through some $16bn in taxpayer cash provided to the company when it emerged from bankruptcy. The source said GM has used only about $3bn of these funds, which are contained in a restricted escrow account that cannot be accessed without Treasury approval.
GM will make its loan payments from the escrow account, the source said, adding that the arrangement resulted from discussions between the Obama administration's auto task force and the GM board.
"It is consistent with the U.S. government's focus on exiting the position as early as practicable," the source said.
The government stepped in to bail out both GM and Chrysler Group to save a key portion of the US manufacturing sector from collapse amid the recession.
The $6.7bn in senior debt is only a small portion of the more than $50bn in taxpayer funds provided to GM. Much of this was converted to a nearly 61 percent equity stake, making the Treasury GM's largest shareholder. Treasury officials have said they hope to sell shares in a GM initial public offering in the next year.
The source said this would not happen in the first half of the year, so the repayment plan would let GM reduce the loan by at least $3bn "before any plausible IPO."
The repayment schedule also could be altered to accommodate IPO plans or accelerated payments, should conditions warrant.
But the source cautioned that GM's condition was only modestly better than expected and it was not yet ready to repay the full loan amount.
"While there are modest improvements which were important and put them in the position to do this, they are at the very beginning of a difficult restructuring and are not in any way out of the woods," the source said.
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