http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1435
Local subsidiaries of Toyota and Lexus have confirmed that South Africa's vehicles are unaffected by the latest round of global recalls affecting the carmakers.
Toyota Motor Corporation on Monday announced a global recall campaign for its Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus GX 460 models.
Toyota SA has informed that only left-hand drive Land Cruiser Prados are affected by the recall campaign. An issue concerning the vehicle stability control of these vehicles is to be addressed, but since right hand drive models have a different weight distribution, the company says, local models are not affected.
Moreover, the Lexus GX 460, of which sales in the US have been temporarily suspended, is not sold in South Africa.
No other Toyota or Lexus models sold in South Africa are affected, the carmakers said.
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New Astra gets green light for SA
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After some uncertainty early last year as to whether the new Opel Astra would be introduced in South Africa after the local range was trimmed, General Motors South Africa (GMSA) has confirmed that the car will be introduced here early in 2011.
GMSA says the news follows a decision by its parent company to retain the Opel brand following GM’s shock pull out of a planned sale to Canada’s Magna and Russia’s Sberbank.
“The certainty around the future of Opel is great news for South Africa and allows us to build on the fine history of the Opel brand and the Corsa and Astra ranges,” said GMSA vice president of planning, Ian Nicholls.
The new Astra is said to be more spacious than the car it replaces, courtesy of its longer wheelbase and increased girth. An assortment of Ecotec petrol and common-rail diesel engines will be on offer, although powertrains and model specifications for the South African market have yet to be announced.
Opel’s new Astra goes on sale in South Africa in the first quarter of 2011.
In April 2009, GMSA announced it was discontinuing sales of its Meriva, Zafira and Tigra models locally. Only 1.6, 1.8 and OPC variants of the Astra hatchback were available to order.
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Soccer World Cup to 'leave transport legacy'
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The forthcoming FIFA World Cup will leave a lasting transport legacy far beyond 2010, Minister of Transport Sibusiso Ndebele said on Tuesday.
"We have constantly emphasised that the FIFA World Cup is not only about sport - it's also about transport," the minister told a media briefing at OR Tambo International Airport on the state of integrated transport readiness for the World Cup.
"With 51 days to go we will put our best forward to ensure that all those who use our transport services are able to do so effectively and efficiently."
Ndebele said the opening earlier on Tuesday of the new terminal at OR Tambo International Airport by President Jacob Zuma highlighted the country's world-class airport infrastructure.
The terminal precinct at Cape Town International Airport had also undergone "a complete transformation".
On the road
Turning to road transport, the minister said his department would have in place an inter-provincial and regional transport system operated by the recently appointed Operating Managing Entity (OME).
"The OME will facilitate the efficient and safe transport of general spectators to and from matches."
A major component of the entity would be 110 newly acquired 79-seater inter-city buses, specially procured by the government for the World Cup.
A first-class national integrated transport system using the newly acquired Auto Pax coach fleet integrated with the taxi industry had been created.
"This will ensure safe, comfortable and well-maintained long-distance vehicles," Ndebele said.
The Passenger Rail Agency of SA was using the event as a springboard to upgrade rail infrastructure, he added.
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Corsa bakkie to be rebadged as a Chevrolet
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The popular Corsa bakkie will from May form part of the Chevrolet family, General Motors South Africa has announced.
The benchmark sub-one ton bakkie, which has been a mainstay in the Opel lineup since its launch here in 2004, becomes the Lumina Ute’s plaything within Chevrolet’s LCV mix.
Total sales since launch of the locally produced bakkie, GMSA reports, is approaching the 150 000 mark and this Ute has been the sales leader in its segment for over 60 months.
“The Corsa Utility has proven to be the benchmark in the ‘B’ segment of the light commercial vehicle sector,” said Malcolm Gauld, vice-president sales and marketing for GMSA.
“It has redefined the half-ton sector of the market and driven interest to a level where the volumes in the segment now account for over 25% of all light commercial vehicle sales,” continued Gauld.
No engine changes
The Corsa Utility is available in a range of diesel and petrol models with a choice of either 1.4 or 1.8-litre petrol engines, or a 1.7DTi turbodiesel engine. A five-speed manual transmission is standard across
the range.
The 1.4 litre multi-point fuel-injected engine generates peak power of 66 kW at 6 200 r/min and torque of 115 Nm at 3 200 r/min. Top speed is 160 km/h with a 0-100 km/h time of 12.8 seconds. Average fuel consumption, according to GMSA, is around 7.6 l/100 km.
The intercooled 1.7 litre turbodiesel produces 55kW at 4 400 r/min with maximum torque of 165 Nm between 1 800 and 3 000 r/min. This model has a top speed of 150 km/h with a 0-100 km/h time of 15.4 seconds and average fuel consumption of 5.7 l/100 km.
The 1.8 litre produces 79 kW at 5 400 r/min and it has a peak torque figure of 160 Nm at 2 600 r/min. Top speed is 185 km/h with a 0-100 km/h time of 10.3 seconds. Average fuel consumption for this engine is around 7.6 l/100 km.
As for comfort and convenience items on the Chevrolet Corsa Ute, a range of specification levels is available and base models are fitted with power steering and air conditioning.
One level up is Club which adds items such as a sliding rear window, cloth seats, a high-mounted stop light and a driver airbag.
Range-topping Sport models feature colour coding, alloy wheels, driver and passenger airbags and sport seats.
The Corsa Ute 1.8 Sport is the only model fitted with ABS.
Model range and prices:
Corsa Utility 1.4i - R 107 600
Corsa Utility 1.4i A/C - R 117 600
Corsa Utility 1.4i Club - R 135 100
Corsa Utility 1.4i Sport - R 155 400
Corsa Utility 1.7 DTI - R 151 300
Corsa Utility 1.7 DTI Club - R 175 700
Corsa Utility 1.7 DTI Sport - R 189 200
Corsa Utility 1.8i - R 132 400
Corsa Utility 1.8i Club - R 154 000
Corsa Utility 1.8i Sport - R 188 000
The Corsa Ute retains its five-year/120 000 km warranty.
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Hamann Z4 E89 tuning program released
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Hamann Motorsport has released details of its new BMW Z4 sDrive35i-based car. Improvements were made both under the skin and in the styling department. There are also customisation options for the interior which include Hamann-branded foot mats, an aluminium gear knob and complete leather fittings.
The exterior is characterised by two LED daytime running light arrays, a new front spoiler, side skirts, a new rear apron and an aerodynamic spoiler on the deck lid. The sports exhaust system burps out a deep pleasing sound through its four tailpipes.
Two 8.5Jx20 inch alloy wheels with 235/30ZR20 rubber are at the front axle while the rear features 10.0Jx20 rims with 295/25ZR20 tyres. Special chassis springs were used to lower the suspension system by 30 millimetres.
Hamann remapped the 3.0-litre force fed engine's ECU to extract more power and torque. From the standard 225 kW and 400Nm the tuner was able to garner an extra 40 kW and 140Nm respectively. Furthermore, the standard vehicle's 250 km/h electronically limited top speed has been liberated to fullfill its true 285 km/h potential.
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Piecha Design SLK R171 Performance RS
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Piecha Design has unveiled a new styling package for the Mercedes SLK (R171).
Dubbed the Performance RS, the package features an aerodynamic body kit with new front and rear fascias, aggressive side skirts, a rear lip spoiler, and SLR-style mirrors. Wheel choices include 19- and 20-inchers, with the latter having a 100mm stainless steel outer rim that "perfectly emphasizes the SLK Roadster's wedge-shape."
In terms of performance, the car boasts a QUADRO exhaust system and a "must have" power converter "for perceptibly improved acceleration."
Other goodies include a revised roof-lowering module (which allows the top to be opened or closed at speeds up to 60 km/h), a glass wind deflector, and LED lighting for the aforementioned side skirts.
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Renntech SL65 Black Series packs 600kW
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The standard Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series punches out a formidable 493 kW and a whopping 1,000 Nm of torque. Renntech has just released figures for their own version of the car and it looks exceptional.
Engine performance has been improved by tweaking the ECU, upgrading the intercooler pumps and fitting sport mufflers. Thanks to all that, maximum power is now 600 kW, with 1,356Nm of torque available to the rear wheels. Renntech can also throw in a transmission upgrade and a Limited Slip Differential for extra bucks.
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Hidden report shows biofuel damage
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Biofuels such as biodiesel from soy beans can create up to four times more climate-warming emissions than standard diesel or petrol, according to an EU document released under freedom of information laws.
The European Union has set itself a goal of obtaining 10% of its road fuels from renewable sources, mostly biofuels, by the end of this decade, but it is now worrying about the unintended environmental impacts.
Four major studies are under way.
Chief among those fears is that biofuel production soaks up grain from global commodity markets, forcing up food prices and encouraging farmers to clear tropical forests in the quest for new land.
Burning forests releases vast quantities of carbon dioxide and often cancels out many of the climate benefits sought from biofuels.
Biodiesel from North American soybeans has an indirect carbon footprint of 339.9 kilograms of CO2 per gigajoule - four times higher than standard diesel - said the EU document, an annex that was controversially stripped from a report published in December.
Editing the report caused one of the consultancies, Fraunhofer of Germany, to disown it partly in a disclaimer.
But it has now been made public after Reuters used freedom of information laws to gain a copy.
The EU's executive European Commission said it had not doctored the report to hide the evidence, but only to allow deeper analysis before publishing.
"Given the divergence of views and the level of complexity of the issue ... it was considered better to leave the contentious analysis out of the report," the Commission said in a statement. "The analysis prepared under this study applied a methodology which by many is not considered appropriate."
Scientific neutrality
The annex adds some weight to a growing dossier suggesting biofuels are not as green as once thought - even the more advanced, second generation biofuels made from wood chips.
"For the third time in six weeks the (European) Commission is forced to release studies about the climate effects of biofuels," said Nusa Urbancic of T&E, a campaign group for green transport.
"And for the third time these studies show that land use is the most important factor in deciding if biofuels make sense or not," Urbancic said.
Biodiesel from European rapeseed has an indirect carbon footprint of 150.3 kg of CO2 per gigajoule, while bioethanol from European sugar beet is calculated at 100.3 kg - both much higher than conventional diesel or gasoline at around 85 kg.
By contrast, imports of bioethanol from Latin American sugar cane and palm oil from Southeast Asia get a relatively clean bill of health from the study at 82.3 kg and 73.6 kg respectively.
But one of the scientists involved with the study cautioned that much work remained to be done before the issue was properly understood, and that no firm conclusions could be drawn about the relative merits of different biofuel sources.
"The major point is that we have to do more work, develop new sustainability criteria and we have to be very careful about the origins of biofuels," said Wolfgang Eichhammer of Fraunhofer.
"We must also find a way of excluding the inefficient biofuels," he added.
Eichhammer said he had made his stand with the disclaimer to protect the neutrality of science, and emphasised the value of ongoing Commission studies into the problem.
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