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Twenty-six buses were taken off Gauteng's roads because they were unroadworthy, the provincial department of community safety said on Wednesday.
"The 26 buses were discontinued during ongoing operations and a response to complaints received from two schools that their scholar transport is not roadworthy," spokesman Sizwe Matshikiza said in a statement.
He said the buses, which were removed on Tuesday, did not comply with regulation 252 of the National Road Traffic Act as the emergency exits did not meet specifications.
"This creates a hazard as in the event of accident, or fire where they will be a need to exit and passengers will not be able to vacate easily."
Matshikiza said the buses would be re-tested within 14 days of being taken off the roads at no cost at a government testing centre.
"It is only through operations like these that we will be able to minimise accidents on our roads and ensure that Gauteng roads are safe," said Gauteng MEC for community safety Khabisi Mosunkutu.
Matshikiza said this was a continuation of a project from last year where the department recalled and re-tested 15 511 unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicles in the province.
The project reduced the number of unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicles on Gauteng road by 21,838 out of a total 148 809, he said.
He said the target for this year was to reduce this by 143 000 vehicles.
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SA rail strike hits neighbours
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The strike at SA parastatal Transnet, now in its second week, has reduced fuel supplies into Botswana, that country's energy minister Ponantshego Kedikilwe said on Wednesday.
"Should the strike continue for a few more days, the impact of the disrupted supplies will manifest itself in some filling stations running out of fuel," he said in a statement.
Due to the constraints, total supply of petroleum available was currently estimated at 1,105,571 litres per day compared to daily demand of 2.5 million litres.
Fuel deliveries out of the Tarlton oil depot, west of Johannesburg, into Botswana had stopped.
"The Tarlton depot, which is the main inland supply terminal owned and operated by Transnet and ideal by virtue of its nearness, was also designated to hold petroleum stocks destined for Botswana."
Tarlton gave a total combined supply of 650 million litres per annum of petroleum products to the country, which was 76% of supply to Botswana.
Kedikilwe said his ministry was currently working with oil companies to get petroleum products from sources other than Tarlton.
According to Botswana Railways there had also been no movement of goods in and out of the country through Ramatlabama/Mafikeng, he said.
There were not enough trucks and tankers to deliver desired quantities from petroleum depots outside Transnet-owned infrastructure.
"Botswana consumes 850 million litres of petroleum products annually, and almost all petroleum products are imported from SA and some small quantities from the Republic of Namibia.
He called for "robust initiatives" to handle the situation and encouraged the public to save fuel.
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Flagship Lexus recalled
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Lexus SA has confirmed that some LS models sold in this country are subject to a recall announcement recently issued from Japan.
It was found that, under certain conditions following full lock, the steering wheel may not return to its straight ahead position, even though the wheels may be facing forward.
"The steering usually corrects within three seconds and this only happens at low speeds when you'd perform a full lock such as parking or completing a U-turn," a Lexus South Africa representative told us.
The car’s variable gear ratio steering has been fingered in the issue and Lexus says the potential problem is not safety critical.
"Only 10 reports have been received from the 4 500 cars sold in Japan. No reports have been confirmed anywhere else," he added.
Owners of LS460 models introduced since the facelift in January this year are being contacted to have their cars checked and corrected, if necessary.
Lexus South Africa is continuing to monitor the situation although concerned owners are encouraged to contact their dealers.
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Alpina B3 S Bi-Turbo with 294kW set for UK launch
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Originally introduced at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the B3 S is available as a sedan, coupe, estate, and convertible (with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive). All models feature an aerodynamic body kit, 19-inch alloy wheels, an Alpina instrument cluster, and a sports steering wheel.
Under the hood, the 3.0-liter engine is outfitted with an optimized air intake, a high flow air filter, a new exhaust system, MAHLE pistons, and a high-performance cooling system. Thanks to these modifications, the engine produces 294 kW and 540 Nm of torque. This allows the coupe to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 300 km/h. In terms of efficiency, the B3 S Bi-Turbo coupe returns a combined 9.7 l/100km while emitting 224 g/km of CO2.
Pricing information wasn't released, but the first deliveries will begin in July.
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VW may enter F1 with Audi or Porsche branding
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It has been reported for some time that the German carmaker giant is interested in entering the sport as an engine supplier but only if the FIA green-lights the touted 'world engine' for 2013.
As for the branding of the project, VW's motor racing boss Kris Nissen said: "Within the group, for sure, it could be Audi, it could be Porsche and might also be Volkswagen.
"I think it would not suit so well Skoda or Seat or Bentley," he is quoted as saying at last weekend's Nurburgring 24 Hour race by the Brisbane Times.
Toyota, however, is not interested in returning to formula one any time soon, after failing to win a single grand prix during its more than $3 billion F1 foray between 2002 and last year.
"There is a big gap between formula one and Toyota's actual car users," former team principal Tadashi Yamashina is quoted by Automotive News.
"F1 remains the pinnacle of auto racing, but its image grew too elitist," he added.
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Peugeot 308 GTi Launched
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Peugeot has announced the 308 GTi.
For many fans of the French marque it's time to say "finally". It's been more than 10 years since Peugeot has brought out a GTi in this class of vehicle.
The Peugeot 308 GTi will come with the same 1.6 litre THP 147 kW engine that will be featured in the RCZ coupe model. That engine makes the 308 GTI competitive with the 155 kW of the Golf GTI - the benchmark GTI for this segment.
The THP engine, fitted with a twin-Scroll turbocharger and a high pressure direct-injection system with VTi technology (variable valve and timing injection), produces 275 Nm of torque and will come mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The 0 to 100 km/h sprint takes 7.7 seconds while fuel consumption will be 6.9 liters/100 km and CO2 emissions 159 g/km.
A sound system technology has also been employed to make sure the engine rumble provides for just the right sporty sound that customers will be looking for.
For the proper GTi ride the 308's front MacPherson suspension gets larger bearings with specific damper settings for the 22 mm rods (20 mm in the standard car). The rear torsion beam suspension also gets the same damper treatment.
On the outside are 18-inch wheels with 225/40 R18 tires, a rear spoiler, a lowered rear bumper fitted to a black (Perla Nera) diffuser and dual chrome exhaust pipes. The front fascia also gets a lowering panel borrowed from the 308 CC and a carbon-style insert beneath the front bumper.
GTi-badges are featured on the side and rear of the car.
On the interior are an aluminum foot rest and gear knob and a leather sport steering wheel.
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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
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Chrysler has released new images of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, ahead of its launch next month.
Introduced at the 2009 New York Auto Show, the Grand Cherokee is described as an "American icon and symbol of the new Chrysler." It features modern styling, a vastly improved interior, and Mercedes M-Class underpinnings.
Power is provided by a 216 kW 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 or a 268 kW 5.7-liter HEMI V8. While detailed fuel efficiency data wasn't released, Chrysler says the V6 can deliver up to 10.2 l/100 km highway.
As we have previously reported, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be available in three different trim levels.
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BMW 5 Series orders exceed expectations
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The all-new BMW 5 Series has exceeded its maker's own sales forecasts by a mile, according to a report by Bloomberg. Unveiled in November last year, the F10 5-Series was launched in Europe this past March and is apparently selling like the proverbial hot cakes.
After losing money in 2009 the world's biggest maker of premium cars aims to improve its lot considerably in 2010. Cars like the X1 and 5-Series will help it achieve its target operating margin in the "lower one-digit percentage range." CEO Norbert Reithofer said his team is pushing for at least 1.3 million unit sales this year. However, challenges such as the lingering recession as well as Greece's financial problems and its effect on the euro currency could affect these plans.
BMW took the top premium automaker crown from the Mercedes-Benz brand in 2005 and has not looked back since, although Audi seems to be making a serious challenge for it.
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