It’s Official: Proton is Coming Back to South Africa
Remember Proton? Well, the Malaysian automaker has confirmed it will return to South Africa later in 2022 after a decade-long hiatus. Here’s which models are coming first…
Proton is set to return to South Africa in September 2022, with the Combined Motor Holdings (CMH) Group having been appointed as the Malaysian brand’s local distributor.
Sales of Proton vehicles – over the years, the range included the Saga, Savvy, Satria Neo, Gen2, Persona and Arena bakkie – ceased in South Africa in 2012. But the company is heading back to local shores and says it’s “bullish about its sales prospects in South Africa”.
Having signed an agreement to appoint the CMH Group as its distributor in SA, Proton sales will recommence with the X50 and X70 in September, according to the company’s press site. The Saga saloon will follow thereafter.
The X50 is a subcompact crossover based on the Geely Binyue (Chinese firm Geely Holdings purchased a majority stake in Proton back in 2017). The X70, meanwhile, is positioned one segment higher, and is closely related to the Geely Boyue. Finally, the latest version of the Saga takes the form of a budget sedan. Engine options, specifications and local pricing will be revealed closer to the brand’s official relaunch.
The X70 is currently Proton’s largest crossover and is slated to arrive in SA in September 2022.
Proton says it is “projecting strong sales” in South Africa in the final few months of 2022, setting itself a target of “more than doubling” its volume in 2023. It says its total export sales from Malaysia in the first quarter of 2022 grew by 175% year on year, with that figure “expected to increase as the company takes aim at growing export sales by more than 300%” by the end of 2022.
In addition to its Malaysian operations, the automaker has knocked-down (KD) assembly facilities in Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh, with Sri Lanka set to join in the second half of 2022. Proton currently exports vehicles to 13 markets, with South Africa set to be the 14th.
“We are exploiting the strength of our new products, our brand and even the links Malaysia has with other countries to establish a foothold in many new markets. This is then bolstered by establishing KD operations where possible, which also helps to grow local economies,” said Steven Xu, Director of International Sales at Proton.
“Our new model range offers advanced features that are on par with many competitors from other brands and in many of our markets. The Proton X50 and Proton X70 sit near the top of their class in terms of specifications yet are sold at prices equivalent to or less than their direct rivals. This helps to draw in the upper echelon of local car buyers and helps build brand equity in these markets, making it easier for our other products to then be accepted in the future,” added Xu.
As a reminder, CMH commenced trading operations in 1976 following the merger of various retail motor dealerships in South Africa. In 1987, the holding company listed on the JSE.
Audi e-tron GT: 24 Hours With Audi’s Flagship EV
While we are licking our chops to drive the range-topping e-tron GT RS (soon hopefully), Cars.co.za Journalist, Gero Lilleike, spent just 24 hours with the “baby” e-tron GT to get a taste of what Audi’s flagship electric Grand Turismo has to offer.
When you get a sliver of a chance to drive the Audi e-tron GT, you take it, even if it’s just for 1 day.
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are very much a rare sight on South African roads but Audi’s local EV offensive has seen no less than 6 new electric e-tron derivatives come to market this year and with other brands such as Mini, Volvo, Jaguar, BMW, Porsche and soon, Mercedes-Benz, offering premium EV products locally, you will start to see more EVs blitzing around Mzansi very soon.
Perched at the summit of the Ingolstadt-based firm’s electric product range is the e-tron GT, a shapely and undeniably sexy electric sports car that shares its underpinnings with the Porsche Taycan. The e-tron GT was also recently announced as the 2022 World Performance Car of the Year while also being a finalist in the World Electric Vehicle of the Year and World Car Design of the Year. So then, the e-tron GT has a lot going for it…
Like most South Africans, I’m admittedly “wet behind the ears” when it comes to EVs but I’ve been fortunate to briefly drive the Porsche Taycan as well as Audi’s e-tron SUV in both Sportback and 55 guise. Now though, I was excited to experience Audi’s flagship e-tron GT!
When the e-tron GT was revealed back in 2021, its styling execution arrested the world and now it stood before me, finished in an understated Suzuka Grey metallic body colour and riding on aerodynamic, 20-inch module-style wheels. But before I get could get this test underway, I needed to charge it up…
Charge & Go
With more charging infrastructure being installed, the e-tron GT can be charged easily and enjoyed more often on roads like this.
I had a fair amount of distance to cover in the e-tron GT and with only 180 km charge (thanks to my colleagues draining the battery), I needed to get some more electric juice into the 93.4 kWh battery which would, in theory, give me a range of over well over 400 km. In fact, Audi claims an electric range of between 433-472 km (WLTP) for the base e-tron GT.
Charging your EV is something that you will have to grapple with and by downloading the PlugShare app, you will make your life much easier!
PlugShare will show you available charging stations nearest to you and you will be able to plan your trips using the app. I decided to use Audi’s newly installed 75 kW EV charger at Audi Century City for a faster charge. Thankfully, I had the charging station all to myself and I didn’t have to wait to use it.
Of course, if you purchase an Audi EV, you can have a home charger installed for your convenience. Charging at home makes the most sense as it will be cheaper (see charging costs below) and you won’t ever have to wait in a queue to charge your EV. Charging your EV at home is much like charging your smartphone. You come home from work, plug in for the night and charge up and you’ll be ready to go in the morning. Many people are concerned about Eskom load-shedding but if you consider that you aren’t likely to be charging from empty and that your typical night-time charging cycle will be up to 12 hours long, load-shedding is unlikely to hamper your charge significantly.
Even so, if you find yourself out and about and in need of some charge, then the PlugShare app will be a handy tool. Earlier this year, Audi announced its partnership with GridCars to install up to 70 charge connectors at 33 new public charging sites across South Africa. The partnership will result in 4 ultra-fast 150kW DC charging stations being installed along the N1, N2, N3 and N4 highways which will allow for 340 km charge to be obtained in about 30 minutes as well as 5 80kW (DC) chargers and 24 22 kW (AC) charging stations. This increased charging infrastructure will not only improve charging efficiency but will also help to alleviate range anxiety, especially on those longer journeys.
The e-tron GT has 2 charging ports on either side of the front flanks, one for Direct Current (DC) charging and one for Alternate Current (AC) charging. In no time at all, I was plugged into the DC charger, tapped the charge card and that was it, charging started! 180 km to full charge would take about 50 minutes, enough time to take a walk a drink some coffee!
How much does charging cost?
Charging your e-tron GT (or any EV) will be the cheapest when done at home.
Your EV charging cost will be the cheapest when charging at home and the cost might vary betwen R2 and R2.50 per kWh which means you can expect to pay roughly R233 to charge the e-tron GT’s 93 kWh battery from zero to full charge, which is significantly cheaper than filling an equivalent Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicle with petrol or diesel.
If you use public charging stations to charge your EV, you can expect to pay anywhere between R3.50 and R6.00 per kWh with fast chargers being the most expensive. Audi’s 75 kW DC charger at Century City costs about R5.80 per kWh, which means a full charge will cost roughly R540, which is still close to half of what you would get out of a similarly-powered ICE engine considering current fuel prices.
With the battery fully charged, I pointed the Audi e-tron GT towards Cape Town’s South peninsula. The roads in this part of the world snake around the mountains and Atlantic ocean, making for an exceptionally scenic drive and with minimal traffic, it was a perfect opportunity to test the Audi e-tron GT’s performance capability.
Whoosh, Whoosh and Away
The Audi e-tron GT offers strong acceleration off the line and delivers excellent levels of driving comfort.
In its base form, the “baby” e-tron GT quattro produces no less than 350 kW and 630 Nm with 2 electric motors (one over each axle) and is capable of sprinting from the zero to 100 kph dash in 4.5 seconds using a 2-speed automatic transmission, which by electric standards, isn’t particularly earth-shattering. Outputs can, however, boost to 390 kW and 640 Nm for 2.5 seconds when executing launch control and a 4.1-second sprint to 100kph is possible.
Of course, if you opt for the range-topping e-tron GT RS, outputs increase to a heady 440 kW and 830 Nm while shaving the zero to 100 kph sprint time down to a scintillating 3.3 seconds.
Nonetheless, it’s the way in which the e-tron GT quattro unleashes its performance that is most impressive.
From standstill and at full-bore acceleration, the e-tron GT winds up with an audible electric whoosh and gathers furious pace at a rate that will leave you gobsmacked. Acceleration is instant and intense but it all takes place in relative silence and without much drama which can leave you feeling somewhat underwhelmed.
ICE vs EV? It’s a debate worth having! The Audi R8 V10 Spyder delivers all the thrills.
As a way of comparison, not too long ago I drove Audi’s R8 V10 quattro Spyder with 449 kW and 560 Nm and its performance delivery is far more visceral. The appeal of a 5.2-litre V10 screaming behind you as you attack the horizon will never get old and that drama and feeling is something that electric cars, the e-tron GT included, simply lack.
Even so, the e-tron GT is fantastically refined to drive on the road and it can easily be used for the daily commute. The e-tron GT’s road manners are impeccable and even though it weighs in at around 2 350 kg, that heft is not immediately apparent. In fact, it adopts an overtly sporty disposition. The steering setup is sharp, direct and communicative and the e-tron GT feels surprisingly agile and nimble when cornering at speed. You’d be forgiven for thinking that you are driving something much lighter!
Driving like a bat out of hell will deplete the e-tron GT’s range much faster and managing your electric range does become a bit of a game. The e-tron GT forces you to adapt your driving style to get the most distance out of the battery. For example, driving uphill will sap more energy but this energy can be mostly recouped when coasting on downhills through brake energy recuperation. In addition to automatic energy recuperation, the driver can also manually recoup energy by pulling both steering-wheel paddles simultaneously to win back some charge. Driving for efficiency does add a level of enjoyment to the drive and it’s something that’s more often than not overlooked when driving a conventional ICE car.
Provided that the Audi e-tron GT has sufficient charge along its route, it would be utterly fantastic to embark on a long-distance, continent crushing road trip in this car. I will keep dreaming, maybe it will be possible, just maybe…
What’s the Audi e-tron GT’s interior like?
The e-tron GT’s cabin is familiar and offers all the comfort and tech you might need. Be prepared to tick a few option boxes though.
Audi is really good at nailing interior execution and the cabin of the e-tron GT is no different. The interior layout and design is very much familiar from what you’d see in a conventional Audi. Depending on your opinion, that could be seen as a criticism as it can be argued that Audi’s flagship EV’s interior execution is too demure, perhaps not “special” enough and there may be some truth to that.
Even so, luxury, technology and comfort features abound inside e-tron GT (if you are prepared to pay for them). The large central touchscreen is angled towards the driver and it provides all the functionality you would expect including Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, telephony and all the vehicle-related information menus. Audi’s Virtual Cockpit is also fitted which can easily be configured using the steering-mounted controls.
Aiding the sportiness inside the cabin are the optional Sports Seats Pro which cost about R77 800, but they are exceptionally comfortable and well-bolstered to support you as you put the e-tron GT through its paces. Rear passenger space is adequate but not necessarily generous and the rear seatbacks can be folded down in a 60:40 configuration should you ever need to transport longer items and the load bay size is claimed at 405 litres.
What does the Audi e-tron GT cost in South Africa?
Like most EVs currently on sale in SA, the e-tron GT is a luxury that most can’t afford. But if you can, this is marvellous technology on wheels.
The Audi e-tron GT quattro is priced from R2 715 000. Audi does offer a wide range of optional features for the e-tron GT and the example on test here is priced at roughly R3 054 100.
The range-topping Audi e-tron GT RS is priced from R3 300 000.
The e-tron GT is sold with a 1-year/unlimited km vehicle warranty as well as an 8-year/160 000km battery warranty and a 5-year/100 000km maintenance plan.
You helped us donate over R250k to Gift of the Givers in aid of the KZN Floods
We’d like to thank you for being part of the Cars.co.za community. Just by supporting our Youtube channel, you have helped us donate R255 000 to Gift of the Givers in aid of KwaZulu-Natal flood disaster relief.
Our Youtube channel receives millions of views every year, and Cars.co.za is paid by Youtube every month for the adverts that are watched on our channel. Cars.co.za’s Head of Video, Ciro de Siena, travelled to Durban to visit the Provincial Command Centre for the search-and-rescue disaster response (located at Virginia Airport). Once there, he was honoured to meet Dr Imtiaz Sooliman – the founder of the Gift of the Givers Foundation – announce the donation and gain insight to the massive effort underway.
With tens of thousands of KwaZulu-Natal inhabitants still reeling from the widespread destruction and tragic loss of life caused by the devastating floods and mudslides that affected the province this month, Government and NGOs are working around the clock to find those who are missing, repair crucial infrastructure and provide humanitarian aid. One of the NGOs at the forefront of the relief effort is the Gift of the Givers Foundation, which does incredible work throughout our nation. Cars.co.za – South Africa’s leading motoring portal – appreciates the critical role of the Foundation and, in light of the recent tragedy in KwaZulu-Natal – is proud to support Gift of the Givers again.
Last year, Cars.co.za supported the Foundation with a donation that assisted in the distribution of blankets, care packages and soup kitchen supplies to the hard-hit Western Cape towns of Touws River and Riversonderend, and now the company has announced it will be donating R255 000 to Gift of the Givers to assist in KZN flood-relief efforts. As was the case last year, Cars.co.za will be donating all its YouTube revenue from the 2021/22 financial year to the Gift of the Givers Foundation, which means that the popular channel’s viewers have directly contributed to making the donation possible.
“Before COVID-19 arrived on our shores, we had advertising switched off on our YouTube channel to give our viewers the best possible entertainment experience,” explains Hannes Oosthuizen, Consumer Experience Manager of Cars.co.za. “However, when it became clear that the revenue generated by the channel could be used for good, we switched it on, and since then all our Youtube revenue has been donated to the Gift of the Givers Foundation, this year to the amount of R255 000. We thank our viewers for their support, as it is their views that have translated into this donation,” he concludes.
If you would like to donate directly to the Gift of the Givers, here are their details:
Account Name: Gift of the Givers Bank: Standard Bank Branch: Pietermaritzburg Account number: 052137228 Branch Code 057525
How to remove Arrears, Defaults & Judgements
Do you have any accounts that are in arrears (overdue), have you defaulted or, worse still, do you have financial judgements against you? If so, those statuses will ruin your credit score for years and make it impossible to be granted vehicle finance. Alan Quinn offers this guide that explains how to find out which accounts are in arrears – and how to fix problems with them.
This article isn’t meant to stir up paranoia, but it’s quite possible your credit record has a blemish or two. A recent report by Eighty20/XDS indicated that 60% of under-35s have an account in default and that over 90% of them are clothing accounts. If you have arrears on your profile, this will linger for at least 2 years. If the credit provider has got a court judgment against you, it will remain for 5 years! During this time, any vehicle finance applications you make are likely to fail.
To find out if you have accounts in arrears that are impacting your credit score, Cars.co.za has partnered with a company called JustMoney, which will show you your credit score for free and provide some useful information about what that score will mean when you apply for different types of credit; it also offers good advice about how to improve that score. You can register for a free JustMoney profile using the link below.
The first thing you must check is how long the account has been outstanding. You are not legally obliged to pay an account that has become “prescribed”. An account has become prescribed if:
The Credit Provider has not issued or served a summons on you.
You have not given any acknowledgement of debt for the account in the last 3 years.
You have not offered any payment for the account in the last 3 years.
One extra point here is that if the debt was for a house (home loan), the prescription period for that is 30 years.
If all three of the above are true, then basically the debt has “expired”… or it is past its “sell-by” date. Should you believe that an account has been prescribed, challenge this by logging a dispute with the relevant credit bureau.
Ensure that you are provided with a dispute reference number and allow the bureau to investigate your dispute within 20 working days. Should the credit bureau not respond to you after the 20 working days or should you not be happy with their findings, you may then contact the Credit Ombud for further assistance.
Start with a Statement from the Credit Provider
If prescription is not an option, then you must obtain the current outstanding amount from the credit provider. The credit provider is legally obligated to provide a statement within 5 business days. Once you receive the statement, it is important to review it in detail.
Firstly, administrative errors may have occurred (they do happen!) and you could find that the amount has been paid, but the credit provider has failed, in some way, to update the bureau correctly. If this has occurred, then demand that the credit provider move the status of the account to “paid-up” and then update the credit bureau. You can make things happen quicker in this regard by requesting a “paid-up” letter from the Credit Provider and then logging a dispute with each of the credit bureaus yourself with the paid-up letter as evidence. The credit bureaus must investigate, resolve and update within 20 days.
Secondly, you have the right to dispute all charges (or part of any charge) that have/has been made to your account. Credit providers do have the right to add certain charges to your account because the account is in their “collections” or “legal” process. However, the National Credit Regulator has strict rules about how much can be charged and when.
Importantly, there is a legal term called “in duplum” in our law. Basically, it means that the additional legal charges, collection fees, service fees, interest etc. cannot exceed the capital amount outstanding. We have all heard horror stories of people who had to pay R80k’s legal fees to settle a R10k loan… that should NOT happen! If you owe R10k, then the interest and collections charges cannot exceed R10k!
One option here is to attempt to negotiate a reduced settlement amount for the final settlement of the account. It is always worth a try to plead poverty and hope the creditor provider is keen to get back something rather than nothing. If you successfully negotiate a more favourable settlement amount, make sure to get it in writing that the amount that you pay fully services the entire loan – otherwise, you might pay now, only for them to come up with a new story later on.
Once you have determined the outstanding amount you have to pay to settle the debt, then you must pay this amount before the credit provider will remove the adverse listing. If you want to speed up the process, you can demand a “paid-up” letter and submit it to the credit bureaus yourself (as described above).
Errors on your Credit Report
Once ANY debt has been settled, your record should reflect that the account has been “paid up” and the Credit Bureaus should be notified. Sometimes, there can be problems with the credit provider executing these steps and, as a result, the credit bureaus have incorrect information. That’s right, administrative errors could prevent you from getting vehicle finance.
Check each of your accounts where you believe problems exist, then contact the credit provider or debt collection agency for a “paid-up letter”. You can then raise a query or dispute with the credit bureaus where the law stipulates that they have 20 days to process and update their records. This will then help in your application for vehicle finance.
DIY Credit Score Fix vs Using the Experts
When you contact the credit provider to discuss your account in arrears, it can be intimidating – the legal jargon, especially, takes time to understand. In South Africa, we have several pieces of legislation that exist to protect consumers, but few people know their rights… or at least know the law well enough to exercise them properly. Cars.co.za has partnered with a company called MaxLaw™ Credit Legal, which can give you access to specialist legal advice on this subject.
MaxLaw can provide legal assistance with judgments, admin orders, garnishee orders, defaults and those under debt review. They have access to a panel of expert attorneys and decision-makers at numerous financial institutions to ensure that Cars.co.za users always get the best advice and help in a time and cost-saving manner. MaxLaw charges a flat monthly fee, R710, for their services. Note, however, that problems with your credit report may take months to rectify.
Experiencing the Incredible Beauty of Lesotho in the Suzuki Jimny
What’s better than driving the uber-cool Suzuki Jimny? Joining some other Jimnys and driving through the breathtaking scenery of Lesotho!
Suzuki South Africa invited us to travel through Lesotho in the Suzuki Jimny. This 4 day adventure took us through some breathtaking Lesotho landscape. We traversed up Sani Pass and visited the Maletsunyane Falls in the Semonkong region.
It was a great experience and these little adventure ready vehicles took us up the steep passes and through the rocky river crossings with ease. Lesotho is a very underrated travel location and we would highly recommend a visit to the beautiful Lesotho.
Ducktail Returns! 405 kW Porsche 911 Sport Classic Revealed
The new Porsche 911 Sport Classic arrives as a retro-styled model featuring 405 kW (directed to the rear axle), a 7-speed manual gearbox and that famous ducktail spoiler…
Porsche has whipped the covers off its new 911 Sport Classic, a limited-edition 992-generation model paying homage to the 1972 911 Carrera RS 2.7.
Arriving as the second member of the Zuffenhausen-based firm’s Heritage Design range after the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition revealed in 2020, the new 911 Sport Classic benefits from far more than a mere sticker pack or two.
In fact, thanks to its 405 kW version of the 911 Turbo’s twin-turbo 3.7-litre flat-six engine, it’s the most powerful manual-equipped 911 available today. And unlike the aforementioned 911 Turbo, the Sport Classic model ships standard with a 7-speed manual cog-swapper (complete with an auto-blip function) and rear-wheel drive.
The suspension arrangement, meanwhile, borrows elements from both the 911 Turbo and the 911 GTS, and includes the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and sports set-up (resulting in a 10 mm drop in ride height) as standard. In addition, the German automaker says this variant’s sports exhaust system has been “specially tailored” for an even more emotive aural experience.
The 911 Sport Classic – the second time Porsche has used this name after the 997-based version launched in 2009 – is easily identifiable thanks to its wide body, double-bubble roof and fixed rear spoiler in the style of the ducktail Carrera RS 2.7. The launch vehicle is shown in Sport Grey Metallic paintwork, which Porsche says was inspired by the Fashion Grey hue applied to the original Porsche 356.
Still, if grey’s not your colour, the new 911 Sport Classic will also be available in Black, Agate Grey Metallic and Gentian Blue Metallic (while there’s always the option of providing a colour sample for Porsche to match). Twin stripes, meanwhile, are painted on the bonnet, roof and rear spoiler. Inside, you’ll find a Pepita pattern on the door panels and seat centres, along with plenty of two-tone (Black and Classic Cognac) semi-aniline leather upholstery.
Porsche plans to build just 1 250 examples of this limited-edition model, each one available with an exclusive chronograph that picks up on the 911 Sport Classic’s various design details.
Toyota Supra Manual Goes Official
The Toyota Supra manual derivative has been officially announced, along with some updates for the 2023 model year.
The return of the iconic Supra nameplate has been quite the story for Toyota. From its co-development story with the BMW Z4, its performance, to its dashing good looks, its fair to say that the latest generation Supra is one complete package. However, enthusiasts were a bit disappointed to hear that it would be offered in automatic form only.
Granted, the 8-speed ZF is a terrific gearbox, perfectly mimicking the responsiveness of a dual-clutch transmission, but enthusiasts really wanted is a three-pedal stick setup. So, for the 2023 model year, the Toyota Supra manual has joined the range. We suspect the reveal for the flagship GRMN Supra may take place this year, promising supercar levels of pace.
Paired to the BMW-sourced B58 3.0-litre 6-cylinder with 285 kW and 497 Nm is a new six-speed manual gearbox that Toyota claims has been specifically engineered for the Supra. Toyota says its “engineering team modified an existing transmission housing, driveshaft and gear set and removed elements that were not required, such as the acoustic package, which reduced weight.” A large diameter clutch with a reinforced diaphragm spring has also been fitted.
This is not just a case of bolting in a clutch and gearbox, as the Toyota Supra manual now has a shortened final drive ratio for improved in-gear acceleration feel, recalibrated stability control, enhanced Track mode for easier drifting and gearbox rev-matching software.
The Toyota Supra Manual also benefits from a raft of updates applied to the range. These include traction/stability control updates, retuned suspension, revised shock absorbers for better balance and comfort, an active rear differential, as well as a revised power steering setup.
There’ll be a special model called the A91-MT Edition that will be finished in Matte White or CU Later Gray, with red detailing and 19-inch forged wheels. A red Supra badge is a nice touch, we think. Inside, the cabin gets special leather sports seats, Alcantara-wrapped gearshifter, and a 12-speaker audio system from JBL.
The updated Toyota Supra model line-up will debut at The Festival of Motoring, taking place at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in August 2022. Dealer ordering will open in May, with sales commencing in Q3. Both Auto and Manual 3.0T variants will be offered with pricing announced soon.
Meet the all-new Mercedes-AMG C43, the first performance model from the new C-Class range. It loses its mighty V6, but gains electric boost.
When petrolheads hear about a new AMG, the first thing that comes to mind is a roaring V8, but this was not the case for the C43, which made do with a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6. It was a terrific engine, packing 287 kW and 520 Nm and it was enough to send the sedan to 100 kph in 4.7 seconds, with a delicious soundtrack to match.
Now, for 2022, the all-new Mercedes-AMG C43 has been revealed and sadly, for the audiophiles, the delicious V6 has been ditched in favour of a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine, paired to a 48V mild-hybrid electric system. Thanks to all-wheel drive, the new Mercedes-AMG C43 is said to sprint to 100 kph in 4.6 seconds and run to a limited top speed of 250 kph. If you tick one of the options, this top speed can be increased. The car comes with a 9-speed automatic transmission.
If you have been following the news closely, you’ll remember Mercedes-AMG announcing the SL 43, which has a 2.0-litre engine with an electric assist. Interestingly, in the C43 application, this engine makes more power. For the tech fanatics, this is the M139I 2.0-litre engine and it comes with electric turbocharging tech, plus mild hybrid assistance. The on-paper numbers are impressive, with 300 kW and 500 Nm for the new C43, outgunning the SL 43 with its 280 kW and 480 Nm.
The electric assistance comes from the starter generator providing a 10 kW boost for short periods, which helps with performance and saves fuel. The newcomer is said to consume just 9.1-8.7 L/100 km on the WLTP cycle, which is an improvement over the outgoing model where you’d be lucky to get even close to the claim of 9.5 L/100 km.
Under the skin, there are substantial reworks to the suspension with AMG-grade springs, rear-wheel steer, and the all-wheel drive system is set to be rear-biased. This sounds like a pretty agile vehicle, and we’re keen to give it a go.
Visually, the new Mercedes-AMG C43 gets the AMG Panamericana grille, quad exhausts, big sporty-looking wheels, as well as new ‘Turbo Electrified’ badging on the flanks. Inside, AMG sports seats and flat-bottom AMG wheel. The MBUX digital infotainment system gets some AMG-styled graphics and functionality, and the very cool AMG Track Pace data logger appears to be standard.
The elephant in the room is the engine soundtrack. AMG products have a tradition for sounding emotional, loud and in your face, and a 4-cylinder can’t quite get the same response as a snorting V6 or roaring V8. The C43’s rivals like the BMW M340i xDrive and Audi S4 still feature six-cylinder engines, and it will be interesting to see and hear the newcomer at full throttle. AMG says you can option the AMG Real Performance Sound, which plays engine noise in the cabin via the speakers. The jury is still out on that…
Mercedes-Benz has taken the covers off its new T-Class minivan and hopes to take a few sales away from the Volkswagen Caddy.
The Mercedes-Benz T-Class is an upmarket take on the commercially-focused Citan. Both are based on the Renault Kangoo, and will feature both internal combustion engine power and electrification. The T-Class will be positioned as a luxury rival to the Volkswagen Caddy.
The T-Class is said to enhance the commercial platform with upgraded levels of comfort, tech and safety equipment. The transition from commercial to luxury small van is not easy, but Mercedes-Benz has given the T-Class some upmarket touches like colour-coded bodywork, chrome detailing, luxury grille and so on.
Physically, the new T-Class is 4,5 metres long, 1,8 metres wide, 1,8 metres tall and features a wheelbase of 2,7 metres. Right now, Mercedes-Benz is offering the newcomer in 5-seater configuration, but the Stuttgart-based company has said it will be launching a longer wheelbase model with 7 seats.
Inside, the cabin features design elements from the Mercedes-Benz compact range, like the MBUX 7-inch touchscreen, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, but we’re surprised there’s no digital dashboard. Standard kit looks generous with keyless-go, Artico leather trim and so on. Interestingly, if you look closely, you can spot climate control switchgear from Renault Nissan Alliance. Safety kit is said to range from 7 airbags and advanced driving assistance systems like Distronic and Active Steering Assist.
The main benefit behind the compact MPV is the practicality. The sliding doors provide easy access to the second row of seats, and the boot is substantially large. From an engine point of view, Mercedes-Benz is offering the T-Class with a choice of either petrol or diesel engines.
The diesel motor is a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine and its available in two states of tune. T160d has 70 kW and 260 Nm, the T180d 85 kW and 270 Nm. For the petrol fans, a 1.3-litre turbocharged is on offer in two states of tune, with the T160 offering 75 kW and 200 Nm and the T180 has 96 kW and 240 Nm.
Customers will be able to specify either a manual gearbox or an automatic transmission. At this stage, there’s no confirmation for South African market introduction, but we understand that right-hand drive production is confirmed with the UK market set to receive units.
Car manufacturers’ product planning around battery-electric vehicles is failing – and here’s why.
Not too long ago, there was a time when Mercedes-AMG would reveal a new model almost every other week… It seemed the Three-pointed Star’s Affalterbach-based high-performance division could do no wrong, because the market appeared to have an insatiable desire for its dramatically styled evolutions of existing Mercedes-Benz platforms, replete with more power and noise.
But now, there’s a different week-by-week trend. New battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). The switch has been flicked (pun intended) and virtually everyone in the motor industry is fully committed to electric vehicles. But not the ones we need.
There is an alarming cognitive dissonance between policies incentivising the uptake of EVs (a catch-all term that groups petrol-electric hybrids – of the plug-in or self-contained variety – with their solely battery-operated counterparts) and what is being produced. Anti-ICE campaigners talk of decarbonisation, but nearly every new BEV is enormously heavy, overpowered and expensive – which represents a misguided application of resources that does little to decarbonise transport.
Greenpeace believed the Hummer H1 embodied the “evil gas guzzler”, but it was 423 kg lighter than the new BEV version (above).
Going backwards – by adding batteries
In the realm of poor product planning around BEVs, nobody is innocent. American brands are producing battery-powered double-cab bakkies that are insanely heavy. Much heavier, in fact, than that most symbolically vintage of all double-cab bakkies – the Land Cruiser 79.
GM’s new Hummer is a 4 103 kg problem that should never have happened. It uses an oversized (212-kWh) battery pack, which means GM could have built four (yes, four!) battery-powered crossovers with the material used in one Hummer.
The Hummer BEV is no different in terms of size, scale and, indeed, superfluous capability to a large-capacity naturally-aspirated V8 bakkie.
Despite the fantastic packaging benefits that a dedicated BEV design offers, buyers want oversized vehicles. And they also desire the charm of a traditional two-box design, instead of markedly more efficient and futuristic slippier shapes.
Rivian is totally committed to BEVs and has a gifted engineering team. But its bakkies still follow two-box design principles.
Conservative designs don’t maximize EV packaging
BEVs should look nothing like legacy ICE vehicles. But they do. The double-cab bakkies are especially notable in this regard. They aren’t shaped for efficiency. They are shaped to look exactly like what they’re supposed to replace.
It is worth noting that most manufacturers no longer quote drag coefficients in their marketing material for new models. There was a time when a low Cd value was a source of pride and the hallmark of advanced design. Alas, no more.
Designers are tasked with replacing large legacy ICE SUVs and double cabs with BEV models that look much the same (with huge frontal areas, potentially poor underbody aerodynamics and lots of low-pressure drag around the rear).
A 4 000-kg V8 is unacceptable, but a portly EV is quite okay?
Enormously overweight BEVs require way too much energy to propel and roll with a greater burden of infrastructure damage on the road network. And they aren’t that easy to stop, either. Even with the best regeneration system, there is no way to alter physics – a vehicle with significant heft requires a SERIOUS disc-brake system to bring it to a standstill in an acceptably short distance and, at loftier speeds, you’ll just have to live with “um, as quickly as it can”…
Like most BEVs, the Hummer has a competitive centre of gravity (because of the underfloor positioning of its battery packs), which helps it to remain stable under braking. And it stops marginally well from 100-0 kph, in about the same distance as a large double-cab bakkie. But the issue is that the former can sustain much higher speeds than a diesel-powered double-cab and get up to speed about 3 times faster.
The introduction of a glut of new 2.5- to 4-tonne vehicles with staggering performance potential should trigger safety concerns, as a matter of fact. Remember, even with wheel sizes inching up (which means there is more rubber in contact with the road), disc brakes can only do so much to decelerate a 4-tonne battery-electric bakkie during an emergency stop manoeuvre.
Audi’s E-Tron GT is low and sleek, with great aerodynamics. It makes the most of its BEV powertrain’s low-profile packaging.
As with all things automotive, weight matters
The simple truth is that legacy car companies don’t know how to produce profitable compact BEVs. They don’t possess the battery-sourcing authority or scaling ability to make money on the BEVs we really need, at an affordable price point. Volkswagen is trying to democratise the BEV with its ID platform, but ID models aren’t being produced – or retailed – at anywhere near the volumes required for the production costs of those products to come down substantially.
With each new BEV that weighs a third more than the ICE vehicle it replaces, very little is accomplished in the journey to decarbonising personal transport. It’s sheer folly to celebrate massively heavy vehicles with dramatic 0-100-kph times.
The uncomfortable truth is that it makes little sense to replace a large ICE SUV or double-cab bakkie with a BEV that weights the equivalent of a fully-loaded ICE vehicle. Think about that energy inefficiency: it is like driving your Hilux double-cab, towing a Corolla Cross, all of the time. That’s exactly what you are doing when buying many of the current luxury BEVs.
BMW’s i3 was perfectly sized. But nobody was interested. And premium car brands aren’t making the same “mistake” again.
Smaller BEVs seem a lost cause
The engineering urgency should not only be about replacing equivalent ICE range with battery powertrains. But also attaining a similar vehicle mass when buyers transition. Having 3- to 4-tonne vehicles with supercar levels of acceleration and no sound signature are an urban crash risk waiting to happen. And they use a lot of battery material, which could be used in making smaller and more usable BEVs.
Championing the presence of hugely expensive and laughably heavy BEVs is plainly wrong. These vehicles do little to balance personal transport freedom with lower environmental impact. At the current median prices for EVs, they will have a negligible effect on reducing CO2 because sales will remain a tiny fraction of the overall market.
What is needed is a battery-electric Model T, VW Beetle or Toyota Corolla equivalent – in other words, an affordable vehicle that can be bought in its millions. And Tesla is probably the only company with the resources, vision and technology to make more affordable BEVs. But then again, it applied eight price increases in the past year – because, well, it could… The solution? It will probably come from a Chinese manufacturer.
