http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1569
Soccer fans have been urged to leave early for Bafana Bafana's friendly against Colombia at Soccer City on Thursday night and to use the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transport system or the city's park-and-ride facilities.
Kick-off is at 8.35pm.
The City of Johannesburg and the SA Football Association (Safa) on Wednesday said that more than 300 Johannesburg metro police officials and Gauteng safety traffic officers would be deployed to ensure traffic moved smoothly.
The roads around Soccer City would be open only to ticket-holders.
Other road-users should use alternative routes and avoid Soccer City on Thursday night.
Safa chief executive officer Leslie Sedibe said the match was heading for a sellout with 55 000 tickets sold by Wednesday morning.
Plan and avoid chaos
He urged fans to arrive early to avoid the chaos at the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday when 72 000 fans battled to get into and out of Soccer City at the match between BidVest Wits and AmaZulu.
"When there [are] over 70 000 spectators at a match and everyone wants to leave at the same time then there will be problems," said Sedibe.
"But we hope to avoid the worst of them on Thursday. Come early and leave a bit later and enjoy the entertainment we have laid on for after the game," he said.
City of Johannesburg executive director Sibongile Mazibuko suggested that spectators plan their routes to the stadium.
"The fans must give themselves enough time to get the venue," she said.
Mazibuko said Rea Vaya would operate from Soweto and the CBD to Soccer City.
"I also urge supporters to buy return tickets and avoid time-wasting queues after the match."
A return ticket would cost R12.
New N17 link opened
Mazibuko said the new N17 link from the N1 would be open and that this would help with the traffic flow.
Fans going to the match by car should use the free park-and-ride facilities at Shareworld and Rand Show road, and the parking around the Nasrec expo centre.
She said Metrobuses would run and there would be a train service.
Sedibe praised Bafana's fans for coming to the World Cup party by getting behind the national team.
"The fans have been simply amazing and rallied around Bafana and the flag. This augurs well for the World Cup in two weeks time," he said.
Bafana recently played in front of a massive crowd to beat Thailand 4-0 at Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium, and against to draw 1-1 against Bulgaria at Orlando Stadium on Monday night.
Under head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, Bafana are unbeaten in their last nine games.
Bafana open their World Cup campaign against Mexico at Soccer City on June 11.
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VW to pounce on Proton next?
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Malaysian national carmaker Proton said it would reveal the results of talks for a possible alliance with German's Volkswagen AG next month after last week Wednesday announcing a profit in the quarter through March.
Proton's Chairman Mohamad Nadzmi Mohamad Salleh declined to say whether it would involve any equity tie-up or just a technical collaboration with Europe's largest carmaker. He said Proton has to focus on ramping up exports for its long-term survival, and is open to working with global carmakers to bolster economies of scale.
"We will make an announcement in one to two weeks," he told reporters.
Once the king of the road, Proton's fortunes have dwindled due to growing competition. Proton has been hunting for a foreign partner but the government's insistence on maintaining control over a national corporate icon has made it difficult for Proton to seal any meaningful partnership.
Volkswagen ended alliance talks with Proton in 2007 but later revived negotiations.
The Edge business weekly quoted sources as saying VW isn't likely to take an equity stake in Proton but would collaborate in platforms and engines. It could see a rebadging of the Passat as a replacement model for the Proton Perdana sedan, it said.
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Project Kahn Freelander RS200
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1571
Engineers at tuner outfit Kahn Design have taken their tools to the Land Rover Freelander to create an exclusive looking compact SUV.
Included in the package are new body pieces, including vents, grille surround and side sills. Smoked lenses can be seen at the signal indicators, along with silver handles and mirror caps. A matte black bonnet stripe was also supplied, though this can not be seen clearly in the attached photos.
What can be seen are the new 20-inch RS multispoke wheels. In a light grey finish, the wheels match nicely with the vehicle's other contrasting elements. Inside, the driver and passengers will be welcomed by a full leather interior with contrast stitching. Also seen are red and white gauges, as well as RS200 badging.
The Project Kahn Freelander RS200 is now available for order as a complete model, with parts also available for separate purchase.
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New toll to 'double fuel price'
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The toll fee proposed by the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) would be equivalent to doubling the fuel price, the Road Freight Association (RFA) said on last week Friday.
"Not only this, a number of small enterprises are set to be put out of business, as government continues to target motorists and truckers as an easy source of revenue for its road infrastructure development plans," Gavin Kelly, technical and operations manager for the RFA, said in a statement.
The RFA warned of even higher inflation rates, if Sanral's plans to levy a hefty toll fee on new and future toll roads were implemented.
Kelly said operators would be forced to pass the increased costs on to the consumer, fuelling inflation and leading to increases in the price of goods.
"Transport costs will increase by at least these margins and operators will have to factor in some sort of administration process within the businesses, which will incur an added cost and will be added into the transport cost paid by the customer."
Kelly said once again the small and micro-sized trucking companies would be most severely affected by the high cost of toll fees.
"The largest increase in real costs of transport will occur in the smaller category of vehicles - express parcels, door-to-door
deliveries, supplying of smaller retailers and short-haul deliveries."
These increases ranged from between four to eight percent and would jeopardise operations.
"Many of them may go out of business as a result of their tariffs being too bitter for customers to swallow."
Kelly said the 25% discount bandied about, but not guaranteed, by Sanral would probably be negated by the hidden administration costs that operators would incur to manage the system.
Over 40 tolls are planned across all of Gauteng's freeways from April 2011.
From Soweto to Sandton, West Rand to East, and Johannesburg to Pretoria, tolls will be situated on average every 10 kilometres.
"We are already paying towards roads with the fuel levy, licence fees and income tax," Kelly said.
"Where does this money go? It definitely is not used for the very source it is collected from."
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Major drop in fuel price
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The price of all grades of petrol will drop by 27c a litre this week, the energy department said last week Friday.
The wholesale price of diesel with a 0.05% sulphur content will decrease by 15c a litre.
Diesel with a 0.005% sulphur content will also drop in price by 15c a litre.
The wholesale price of illuminating paraffin will decline by 13c a litre, while the single maximum national retail price for illuminating paraffin is to fall by 12c a litre.
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Happy 200th, Peugeot!
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Two brothers, Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frédéric Peugeot, established the Peugeot company by converting their father’s corn mill into a steel mill to make the most of the blossoming industrial revolution - and went on to create a brand that has survived for 200 years.
In the two centuries since, Peugeot has been associated with tools, salt and pepper mills and coffee grinders, bicycles, motorcycles and scooters, and cars and vans, and the lion symbol so closely related to the brand was first adopted in 1858 as the emblem for Peugeot’s saws and ancillary tools.
What this symbol has come to represent has changed several times since then too, as have the marque’s products – the first Peugeot bicycles and motorcycles were produced from 1886, the first motor car, a petrol four-wheeler codenamed Type 2, in 1891.
The numeric naming system in use today was first seen in 1929 with the 201, so named because it was the engineering department’s 201st project, and the series has since stuck. The first number indicates the vehicle’s family and the third the model’s generation, with the 0 thrown in because it has a nice ring to it. Of course, this also means that the 207 zipping about today is directly related to the first 201 from 1929...
Changes
Additional letters – CC (Coupe Cabriolet) and SW (“station wagon”) – were launched in 2000, and in 2004, the four-digit 1007 was the first in a new way to depict models not part of the original Peugeot range.
For its motor cars, Peugeot claims a host of innovations including independent suspension, the Coupé Cabriolet, production diesel engines, electric power and also credits an endearing relationship with motorsport.
Being French, Peugeots have for a long time also been revered for their expressive designs. According to the manufacturer, the design genes were first mapped in the 30s when the marque’s first styling department was headed by Henri Thomas. A relationship with coachbuilder Pininfarina in 1955 to style the 403 gave rise to a successful partnership that bore several more successful Peugeot designs.
To 2015 and beyond
Fast forward to 2010 and Peugeot appears to be reinventing itself yet again. The marque has ambitions of climbing three places in the world car rankings (we're unsure whether this is with or without the help of alliance partner Citroen), set design benchmarks and become a leader in “mobility services” by 2015.
To achieve this, the carmaker plans to release 14 new models between 2010 and 2012 and adopt a new visual identity and international signature – Peugeot, Motion and Emotion.
With some predicting that the manufacturers around today will not all be with us ten years from now, Peugeot’s formula of innovation and good design seems to have worked in its favour for the past 200 years and is a testament to an enterprising spirit. We won’t be around to see it, but we'll hope that the next 200 years will be as fruitful for this French manufacturer.
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GM aiming to match the quality of Audi interiors
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While GM interiors are getting better, the company knows they still have more work to do.
Speaking with InsideLine, GM's Vice President of Global Engineering, Karl Stracke, stated "We're not yet at Audi quality. I want to be at Audi quality. Audi is the benchmark for interiors." He added, "I've driven the Corvette Grand Sport and I like it a lot, but the interior is not convincing." An honest statement considering the Corvette interior is synonymous with black plastic blah.
No word on when to expect major improvements, but GM has recently started a program which allows engineering executives to test competitor's products every Friday at the Milford Proving Grounds.
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BMW X6 Interceptor by Moscow tuner Met-R
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1576
Russian tuner Met-R has unveiled a new styling package for the BMW X6.
Dubbed the Interceptor, the package features an aggressive body kit with a new front bumper, a revised grille, a rear spoiler, and a rear diffuser. Other goodies include modified side sills, wheel arch extensions and massive BBS wheels.
Designed by Zaur Khalilov, the body kit was created with 3D rendering software and then turned into production parts using a CNC milling machine.
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Alfa Romeo Mito Kit-One by Magneti Marelli
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1577
Elaborazioni 1919, the new tuning division of Magneti Marelli, has unveiled a tuning package for the Alfa Romeo MiTo.
Meant to resemble the MiTo GTA concept, the Kit-One package features a Carrozzeria Castagna Milano body kit with wheel arch extensions and a modified rear bumper with an integrated diffuser. Other goodies include 18-inch matte black wheels, daytime running lights, and black headlight surrounds.
In terms of performance, MME installed stiffer springs (which reduce ride height by 30mm), a ‘Parco Chiuso' dual-exhaust system, Brembo brakes, and a revised ECU which adds 23 kW.
Considering Carrozzeria Castagna Milano will only build 200 body kits, Kit-One production will likely be limited to 200 units or less.
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TopCar Panamera Stingray further details released
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1578
Russian tuner TopCar has released more details regarding its Porsche Panamera Stingray. The company says three distinct versions of the powerful four-door will be made available. The first is the Black Matt Edition which comes finished in gloss black on the front lip spoiler, front bumper inserts, side skirts and rear diffuser among others.
The White Edition is mainly white with some parts trimmed in black as a matter of contrast. The leather interior is also white. The third car, called the Carbon Grey Edition, features a carbon fibre front lip spoiler, front bumper inserts, bonnet, window trims, rear wings and bumper diffuser.
TopCar aims to bump power to between 404 kW and 552 kW for all three cars.
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Joburg speedsters nailed
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1579
Seventeen motorists were released on R500 bail each after they were arrested for speeding on the N1 South near the Allendale onramp at the weekend, Johannesburg metro police said on Sunday.
"The highest speed was that of a red Golf GTI, which was caught at 198 kilometres per hour," said Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said.
They were expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrate's Court soon.
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