http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1486
Designated parking areas, free rail travel and additional transport facilities will be introduced for the 2010 World Cup, Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo said on Wednesday.
"We are on track and ready to host the 2010 World Cup. The city is ready to welcome all spectators and visitors and we want to encourage everyone to use public transport," Masondo said.
Fans able to produce a match ticket would be able to travel to the game free by train.
Fans driving would be able to take a shuttle service from designated parking areas.
There would also be parking close enough for commuters to walk to stadiums.
Fans using the park-and-ride and park-and-walk services were encouraged to book in advance.
The Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system would also run to and from Soccer City and Ellis Park.
No problem with BRT
Defending the new bus service, after a number of attacks in which people were killed, Masondo said safety would not be a problem.
"We are doing everything possible to assure the safety of passengers using BRT.
"It's very clear that those who are trying to start fires with the BRT will not succeed and the majority of the community support the BRT."
Taxi operators had voiced concerns that, with the introduction of the BRT, they would lose out on business the World Cup would bring the transport industry.
Masondo said the city of Johannesburg remained committed to working together with taxi companies and was finalising the details of their involvement in the World Cup transport system.
"The taxi industry is very much apart of our plans," he said.
Sandton and Westgate would serve as "integrated transport hubs" throughout the World Cup, from where commuters could catch a train, bus or taxi to the games, he said.
Metrobuses and minibus taxis as well as the BRT would transport fans from the transport hubs to the stadiums, Masondo said.
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Port, rail strike to hurt carmakers
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An intended strike next week by rail and port workers will damage the country's automotive and associated industries, the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) said on Wednesday.
Vehicle manufacturers' operations were heavily reliant on in-bound and out-bound logistics and a continuous flow of production parts and finished goods, Naamsa president David Powels said in a statement.
"Strike action will close all the assembly plants within a matter of days, with a massive cascade effect throughout the entire automotive value chain in South Africa," he said.
A strike would also compromise the industry's recovery from the global recession and harm South Africa's competitiveness internationally.
"The industry's production and export operations will be affected and this will send extremely negative messages internationally about South Africa's competitiveness and will portray South Africa as an unreliable supplier of automotive products," Powels said.
Describing the impending strike as counter productive, he said it would do nothing to promote job creation in the domestic economy and in the automotive industry.
It would be in the country's best interest if the unions involved and Transnet resolved pay and other labour issues and avoided a full-scale strike.
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BMW posts Q1 profit of $424 Million
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BMW showed significant improvement during the first quarter of 2010, posting a $424 million profit. That can be compared to a $212 million loss for Q1 2009.
Reports say that BMW's performance, including sales of MINI and Rolls-Royce, beat analyst predictions by 30 percent.
In a company announcement, CEO Norbert Reithofer said that the BMW 5 Series sedan will lead the push into the rest of the year. "We expect that earnings will grow dynamically over the course of the year," Reithofer said.
The company sold 315,614 vehicles for the quarter, 55,141 of which were sold in the U.S. Sales in China hit 36,607, more than double in Q1 2009. Meanwhile, European sales were only up four percent.
Still, the company predicts sales of 1.3 million vehicles for all 2010, while Rolls-Royce posted its best first quarter sales figures in history. The luxe brand saw sales rise by 60 percent on the release of the Rolls-Royce Ghost. The company sold 158 Ghost units of 279 total vehicles.
"We intend to remain the world's leading provider of premium cars in 2010," Reithofer said.
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Volvo issues unintended acceleration warning
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Volvo is warning its customers of the possibility of sudden acceleration in eight different models using the five-cylinder diesel engine. Vehicles involved in the warning include the 2006-2010 S40 and V50, 2007-2009 S80, 2007-2010 C30 and C70, 2008-2009 V70 and XC70, and the 2009 XC60.
A recall has not yet been issued for those vehicles. Volvo will be sending a letter warning owners of the 158,000 units sold across Europe.
In an interview with CNN, Volvo Cars spokesman Per-Ake Froberg said that the issue is engine oil leaking into the combustion chamber. This works in the same way as fuel and causes an acceration burst.
"This has caused the engine to maintain or even increase its speed, even though the driver has removed his foot from the gas pedal," he said.
Froberg says that biodiesel mixed with conventional diesel is the primary cause, as it does not evaporate in the same manner as normal diesel fuel. This leads to extra fuel injected through the particle filter, which does not combust, and instead winds up combined with the engine oil. The oil level subsequently rises, and overflows into the combustion chamber.
Thus far, Volvo claims 55 incidents of sudden acceleration have been reported to the automaker.
"We have not had any accidents reported as a result of this, though. In the instances when this has occurred, the drivers have put the gear in neutral and stopped on the side of the road," Froberg said.
Volvo does not yet have a solution to the problem.
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VW to Launch two new Golf GTIs at Wörthersee Tour
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Volkswagen will unveil two new Golf GTIs at Wörthersee Tour 2010 (only one photo released).
The GTI Excessive concept features an aggressive body kit (with modified fascias, a front splitter, revised side skirts, and a rear diffuser) and black 19-inch alloy wheel with semi-slick tires.
In terms of performance, the Excessive is equipped with wider tracks, revised springs, sportier dampers, a high performance braking system, and a new exhaust system.
If that fails to spark your interest, perhaps the Golf GTI Adidas edition will (pictured). It features bi-xenon headlights, LED taillights, unique 18-inch alloy wheels, sport seats and Adidas-inspired trim.
Like the standard Golf GTI, power is provided by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 155 kW and 280 Nm of torque. It will be able to accelerate from 0 - 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, before topping out at 240 km/h.
Set to go on sale in June, only 4410 Adidas editions will be built.
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New Mercedes engines for 2010
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Mercedes is developing two new petrol/gasoline engines - a V6 and a V8 - that will offer more torque and improve fuel economy over their predecessors.
First off is a new, naturally aspirated 3.5 liter V6, which features a more narrow angle block than Mercedes' current V6 - 60 degrees vs. 90 degrees for its predecessor. New will be a third-generation direct injection system with piezo-electric injectors, a more efficient combustion formula, multi-spark ignition and low-friction ancillaries. All that mated to a new stop/start system can deliver up to 24 percent better fuel economy.
The numbers on the new V6: 225 kW, up from the previous 200 kW. Torque is dialed up to 368 Nm from the former 350 Nm. CO2 emissions are 177 g/km.
The engine will be introduced in the upcoming S350 this fall and then on the CL350 a few months later.
The new 4.6 liter V8 comes with twin-turbocharging that delivers 320 kW and 700 Nm of torque.
The V8 will debut in the CL500 this fall too. Also with stop/start technology, it features about 22 percent better fuel economy than the previous, larger block, 5.4 liter V8 that it will replace. CO2 emissions are also a very good 225 g/km for an engine this powerful.
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ASI Invader based on Lexus LX 570 previewed
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Japanese tuner ASI has a new programme for the Lexus LX 570 luxury SUV which makes it look and perform much more aggressively. Called the LX 570 Invader, ASI insists it is one of the most thrilling off-roaders out there.
Performance figures were not supplied but ASI says it has special plans for the 5.7-litre V8 motor. In standard form the engine produces 280 kW and is mated to a 6-speed sequential-shift automatic transmission. However, ASI is promising at least 441 kW and a 0 - 100 km/h sprint time of under 5 seconds.
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Renault Wind gets priced and equipped
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The Renault Wind has officially gone on sale, with two trim levels available for customers to purchase. Aside from the Dynamique and Exception trim versions, a limited edition model, called the Wind Collection, will be available from June 1.
Market launch and delivery of the vehicles is expected to begin in France this September.
As a base level car, the Wind Dynamique comes with a 74 kW 1.2-liter turbocharged engine, and a host of standard features, like fog lights, rear spoiler, aluminum wheels, sport seats, airbags, power locks, and power windows.
The same engine is also available on the Wind Exception, but customers can spend extra to get the 1.6-liter 16V engine that generates 98 kW. The Exception adds stability control, automatic climate control, 17-inch aluminum wheels, and more.
Meanwhile, the limited Wind Collection adds heated leather seats, glossy black roof, chrome exterior trim, and more.
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Rain causes havoc in Cape Town
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As a cold front lashed Cape Town, emergency services were busily attending to 20 car crashes, which took place between 17:30 on Saturday and 09:00 on Sunday morning.
Although some of the collisions were severe, nobody was killed.
Tristan Wadeley of ER24 said emergency services were preparing themselves for a busy week as more rain had been forecast for Cape Town.
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Transport hurdles for Soccer World Cup
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Football fans face an array of transport worries when they navigate South Africa for the World Cup, crossing a country three times the size of Germany and traveling notoriously complex city streets.
The country has spent R19bn ahead of the June 11 kick-off to fix roads, expand airports, build a high-speed train and launch new bus networks.
But the expected 373 000 foreign visitors still won't find it easy to get between and around the nine host cities, some analysts say.
"They're going to be both disappointed and, I must say, shocked," Paul Browning, an independent transport consultant, told AFP.
Airfares between host cities, which initially rose by up to 215% for key match dates, have dropped again after a price-fixing investigation by anti-trust authorities.
But the launch of a new bus network meant to link host cities is still uncertain, with the tender for the buses awarded less than three months before kick-off.
South African roads are some of the most dangerous in the world. The country ranks ninth in the world in traffic fatalities despite having just 9.2 million vehicles.
South African officials have hailed investment in public transport as a lasting legacy of the World Cup.
But after decades of apartheid policies designed to separate instead of connect people, developing modern mass-transit will still take much more time and money, analysts say.
"Under apartheid, cities were meant for whites only, and Africans, especially, were kind of like migrant labourers," said Ibrahim Seedat of the Department of Transportation.
"It will take many years and a lot more ongoing investment to really put in place a high-quality network that everyone can have access to."
The ad-hoc mass transit that has developed is based mainly on private mini-bus taxis -- 16-passenger vans with irregular stops, a reputation for recklessness and an arcane system of hand signals that locals use to catch the right route.
Johannesburg has rolled out a new bus network, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), that offers rail-like service using dedicated bus lanes. Cape Town and Durban have similar systems in the works.
The BRT has met with violent protests from mini-bus drivers afraid of losing their monopoly. On April 30, one person was killed and eight wounded in shooting attacks on two BRT buses in Soweto township, the fifth time the new buses have come under fire.
Johannesburg, the host of the opening and final matches, is also finishing work on a high-speed rail line called Gautrain, scheduled to open three days before the World Cup.
The train will connect the airport with the swank suburb of Sandton, and eventually link Johannesburg to the capital Pretoria, 60km away.
But Gautrain won't take fans to Johannesburg's World Cup venues, downtown Ellis Park and Soccer City on the edge of Soweto.
Officials have organised park-and-ride bus services to take fans to matches, a system similar to the one used last year for the Confederations Cup, a World Cup warm-up tournament.
That system left many fans stranded within sight of the stadiums as drivers struggled to find the designated drop-off points.
Organisers say they have fixed the system and promise smoother operation this year.
But Browning said problems with the park-and-ride system are the least of South Africa's transport worries.
"Too much emphasis has been placed on getting people to and from the stadiums, and even that has not been done particularly well," he said.
"And nobody has tackled the essential weaknesses of our public transportation system, which could well have been the legacy that we were all celebrating from the World Cup."
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