Mercedes-AMG is putting the finishing touches on its monster GT 4-door. The Mercedes-AMG GT73 was spotted wearing light camouflage and will be a plug-in hybrid.
Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien. We have paid for these photos and at the photographer's request, have watermarked them.
At first glance, it just looks like your standard Mercedes-AMG GT63 S, but on the rear you'll spot the flap for charging. Mercedes-AMG has already confirmed that its next-generation of powerplants will be electrified. Good news for AMG fans is there's no downsizing here as the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine has been retained, but this time there's additional shove from an electric boost.
Official figures have yet to be confirmed, but we know that Mercedes-AMG has said it will offer at least 600 kW. Even for the most ardent of AMG fans, that's a lot of power and we suspect that the hybrid powertrain will have added a substantial amount of weight onto the package. To negate the heaviness, big outputs are required. Some have claimed there'll be 1000 Nm! We have had considerable experience with the AMG GT63 S already and its outputs of 470 kW and 900 Nm were very impressive, so we can only begin to imagine just how fast this electrified AMG will be.
The electric tech is impressive with 9-speed automatic transmissions on the front axle, with electric power units on the rear axle. This power unit will comprise a lithium-ion battery, cooling system, powerful electric motor, electrically controlled differential as well as a 2-speed gearbox.
The flagship model is expected to be revealed by the end of 2021, but we'll see this 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine in many applications, like the soon-to-be revealed SL range.
There's no mistaking that charging flag below the right rear light.
Italian supercar maker Ferrari has released some teaser images of its soon-to-be-revealed new product.
At this stage we don't even have an official name yet, but it's understood this is the hottest version of the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Ferrari released these images and some technical data to get us excited.
The official reveal takes place in early May 2021, but what we do know is the vehicle features a special aerodynamics package that optimises airflow and promotes downforce. We also know that the standard Ferrari 812 Superfast's 6.5-litre V12 engine has been tuned to deliver even more power. The standard car produces 588 kW and 718 Nm, but Ferrari claims the new model will boast 610 kW.
This is now the most powerful combustion engine ever put into a road car by the Italian carmaker, but how did it get there? The rev limiter has been moved 9 500 rpm and there's a new valve timing mechanism as well as a new exhaust setup. Given the name, the Superfast boasted impressive performance, with 0-100 kph being dispatched in 2.9 seconds. Expect this hotter version to go way quicker.
Ferrari also announced its new hotter 812 will feature 4-wheel steering as well as an update version of its Slide Slip Control vehicle dynamics system. The vehicle has also been on a diet and there's extensive use of carbon fibre, both inside and out.
Set your calendar and reminders for the 5th of May 2021, where Ferrari will be live streaming the launch of its new high-performance vehicle.
VW Talagon – Bigger than Touareg but related to Golf
This VW's massive new gravel travel vehicle looks like it's destined for China only.
VW has officially revealed its largest SUV, named the Talagon.
For those fans of the German brand who don’t quite want to go for the premium luxury of Touareg, but require something that can seat multiple passengers in comfort, the Talagon looks ideal.
It measures 5.15m in length, is 2m wide and stands 1.79m tall. No question, this is a large SUV, but it is amazingly built on a compact vehicle platform.
The Talagon illustrates how incredibly flexible VW’s platform strategy is. It might be a huge SUV but it shares a platform structure with Golf 8. This is the genius behind VW’s MQB Evo modularity, allowing producing planners and engineers to stretch wheelbase specifications a lot – and create multiple models.
Reasonably clean and conservative exterior design is supported by a cabin architecture that features three rows of seating. Large digital screens provide the instrumentation and infotainment interfacing, angled toward the driver.
Unlike the Touareg, and perhaps due to its MQB platform, the Talagon is not designed for robust off-road exploration. Think of it more in the line of a large station wagon, with adequate ride height and gravel travel ability.
Targeted primarily at the Chinese market, where diesel use is negligible, the Talagon’s powertrain is VW’s 2.5-litre turbopetrol V6. It might be an odd configuration to South African petrolheads, but there is 220 kW of power on offer, supported by 500 Nm of torque.
Drive is to all four wheels, via the 4Motion system, with rapid and relaxed shifting available, thanks to VW’s seven-speed DSG transmission.
So, VW’s largest SUV is based on the new Golf’s underpinnings? Strange, but true.
Mercedes-AMG A45 S Review – Flat-out in the most powerful hot hatch you can buy
We've been waiting a while for the A45 S to land on our doorstep, but it was certainly worth the wait. What's it like to drive the world's most powerful 2-litre? We handed the keys to Ciro the video guy and let him get on with telling you.
How far can you stretch a 2.0-litre motor? How much power can you squeeze out of it? According to Mercedes-AMG, 310kW seems to be the answer, so far.
And the result is one of the most powerful 2.0-litre performance cars ever, the 2019 Mercedes A45 S AMG. We finally got our hands on one and spent a day out on an airfield drag racing it against the limited edition BMW M2 CS, and you can watch that video here.
In this video, our relatively tame motoring journalist Ciro De Siena is let loose on a 2km runway in Merc's million-Rand little monster. Is this car just a straight-line hero, a robot-to-robot racer? Or is there enough in the dynamics department to keep you interested when things get twisty?
Lexus has revealed its updated ES sedan and the good news is its scheduled to arrive in South Africa before the end of 2021. Here's what you can expect.
Despite the rampant sales successes of the SUV, Lexus still sees big value in the sedan market. The Lexus ES made its debut back in 1989 and the Japanese brand has shifted around 2.65 million units to more than 80 countries.
The facelifted 7th generation Lexus ES receives similar styling cues to that of the flagship LS sedan. There are now geometric square bezels within the headlamp units, while new adaptive high-beam tech makes its debut, trim dependent. The trademark Lexus grille has been given a new mesh pattern and there are new-look 17- and 18-inch wheels.
There's been some work under the skin, with the rear suspension of the updated Lexus ES switching from a single-sheet structure to a stronger dual-sheet structure. This new setup, along with improved torsional and lateral rigidity has resulted in more neutral handling and balance. Lexus International Chief Engineer Tetsuya Aoki said: "Our goal was to deepen the high quality of the ES and to add new value. In addition to further improving quietness and ride comfort, we pursued linearity in vehicle movement, in response to steering wheel operation, that is faithful to the driver's intentions."
Inside, the facelifted Lexus ES features new cabin design features, ornamentation options and technology. A high-res 12.3 inch widescreen display has been repositioned closer to the driver and this new infotainment system adds touchscreen functionality. There are new materials in the doors and dashboard, giving customers more luxury.
The updated Lexus ES has a big focus on safety too, with the enhanced Lexus Safety System featuring a single-lens camera and millimetre-wave radar to help detect potential hazards. Other new features include Emergency Steering Assist, which assists steering within the vehicle's lane as cued by the driver, and Low Speed Acceleration Control, which supports the prevention of collisions caused by pedal misapplication at low speed.
Currently, the Lexus ES is available in petrol and hybrid derivatives. The line-up comprises the petrol ES 250 EX grade, an ES 300 hybrid EX grade (entry) ES 300 hybrid SE grade (top spec). The hybrid powertrain is a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine mated to an electric battery and motor. Total output is rated at 160 kW and the vehicle is said to consume 4.6 L/100 km.
When is the updated Lexus ES coming to South Africa?
Lexus Sales and Marketing Vice President, Glenn Crompton says: “Lexus is fully committed to lowering fuel emissions and will continue to expand its hybrid offering across the product line up where possible. The ES 300h line-up was a natural extension for a luxury sedan that has had a good market share for hybrid sales over the last year. Lexus continued to command market leadership in Electrifed technology and achieved a 29% market share in 2020 within the luxury segment. The greater number of Lexus customers purchasing this luxury sedan will continue to enjoy the luxury of choice, supplemented by a new standard of range-wide connectivity,” Crompton concludes.
Lexus South Africa has confirmed it will be introducing the updated Lexus ES range in the 4th quarter of 2021.
Toyota's 2030 promise, means more battery power, for your bakkie.
The Shanghai auto show has brought some big reveals, but also caution, regarding electrification.
As the world attempts to ease out of lockdown and return to some semblance of normalizing production and the product introduction schedule, there has been much relief at Shanghai.
But for Toyota, despite the reveal of its new electric vehicle, the theme remains cautious.
The promise of a solid-state battery breakthrough remains largely unrealized, and Toyota has now indicated that its fleet-wide electrification targets are unreachable. A deadline of 2025 was scheduled to have every single Toyota model available with an electric or hybrid drivetrain option, but this is clearly not going to happen, especially as it appears the bakkie and van business will need more time to develop the tech.
Toyota has recommitted to a new deadline, in 2030. Realism is meeting expectation in the rush to appease policy makers and environmental campaigners with electric vehicles, and many of the pre-pandemic promises, are not deliverable.
For Toyota, its commercial fleet is a problem. Electrifying passenger and traditional luxury vehicle platforms should not be too complicated, but the profitable bakkie and van product portfolio will require a complete rethink. With new platforms and expensive technology integration.
Hilux is one of Toyota’s most popular global vehicles and a strong source of profits for the Japanese company. An electric Hilux is very unlikely, even in the medium term. But Toyota will have to bring some form of alternative energy to the bakkie’s powertrain, whether it will be hybrid or hydrogen is unclear.
The most obvious solution is to produce a diesel-electric hybrid. But this will surely inflate the price and add parts complexity for dealers, increasing the serviceability burden on what will surely be a low-volume Hilux derivative.
Engineering a hybrid vehicle to cope with rugged off-road conditions and thousands of kilometres on corrugated dirt roads, in warm and dusty conditions, are all part of the challenges for Toyota’s 2030 goal. It will probably take the best part of the 9 years left in its target before we see a hybrid Hilux on the world stage, and probably even longer before we see it come to SA.
Volkswagen has won the World Car of the Year title for a record-extending 5th time. The Wolfsburg-based firm’s ID.4 electric crossover was chosen as the 2021 WCOTY by a jury of 93 motoring journalists, including Cars.co.za's Consumer Experience Manager, Hannes Oosthuizen, from 28 countries across the globe.
The Volkswagen ID.4 was chosen ahead of the Honda-e and Toyota Yaris, the latter of which underpins the South Africa-bound Yaris GR, to take the overall honours in the 16th iterations of the World Car Awards, the winners of which were announced live on YouTube overnight.
In many ways, the Wolfsburg-based brand's battery-electric compact crossover is more significant than its ID.3 hatchback sibling, because it is the first ID model to be rolled out in the US and China (in addition to some key European markets). While Volkswagen SA is evaluating the local viability of ID models with a small ID.3 test fleet, the ID.4 is more likely to be launched in Mzansi in the near future.
This year’s winner was chosen from an initial entry list of 24 vehicles from all over the world. Vehicles eligible for the World Car of the Year award must be produced in volumes of at least 10 000 units/year, must be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and must be “on-sale” in at least 2 major markets, on at least 2 separate continents, between 1 May 2020 and 1 May 2021.
The category winners of the 2021 World Car Awards, meanwhile, are:
World Urban Car of the Year – Honda e
Honda's cute little "e" electric city car was a finalist in 3 categories and was awarded the 2021 World Urban Car trophy.
Although the Honda-e failed to win the overall 2021 WCOTY, the Japanese brand's pint-sized BEV (battery electric vehicle) was nominated in two other categories, one of which it won: World Urban Car.
World Luxury Car of the Year – Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class the king of luxury once again? We'll find out soon!
The S-Class represents the pinnacle of the Mercedes-Benz product line and apart from being an important part of the brand’s history, it also serves as the spearhead, as it were, for showcasing the latest and greatest technology currently in Merc’s arsenal. Local pricing details have already been released for the new-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class and a correspondent has already driven it overseas.
World Performance Car of the Year – Porsche 911 Turbo
The view most other road users will see – the 911 Turbo S offers unrivalled performance and dynamic capability at the price.
Whereas VW holds the record for the most number of overall WCOTY victories, Porsche has a firm grip on the World Performance Car of the Year title. Since the category was introduced in 2006, the Zuffenhausen-based brand has won it 7 times, including this year, with the 911 Turbo. We recently published a full review of the 911 Turbo S and Porsche SA announced pricing for the 2021 GT3.
Previous overall winners of the World Car of the Year programme include the Audi A6 (2005), BMW 3 Series (2006), Lexus LS 460 (2007), Mazda2 (2008), Volkswagen Golf 6 (2009), Volkswagen Polo (2010), Nissan Leaf (2011), Volkswagen Up (2012), Volkswagen Golf 7 (2013), Audi A3 (2014), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (2015), Mazda MX-5 (2016), Jaguar F-Pace (2017), Volvo XC60 (2018) and Jaguar I-Pace (2019) and Kia Telluride (2020).
Cars.co.za's Hannes Oosthuizen has served as WCOTY jury member for South Africa from 2006 to 2013 and 2016 to the present day. What's more, two of Hannes' fellow South African WCOTY judges, Brenwin Naidu and Lerato Matebese, are veteran Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – powered by WesBank judges.
Chinese SUV manufacturer, Haval, has launched the new Jolion compact SUV in South Africa! See specification and pricing details below!
Haval has taken significant strides since arriving on local soil back in 2017. The H2 compact family car was one of the first Haval models to go on sale locally (alongside the H1) and was followed by the H6, H6C and flagship H9 SUV. Considering how popular SUVs are right now, Haval has managed to attract widespread support locally by offering models that are generously equipped with features and nicely priced against rivalling products which has played a major role in the brand’s success in South Africa.
The H2 has been a particularly popular model for Haval and a facelifted H2 arrived early in 2020.
Now, Haval is introducing the new Jolion compact SUV in South Africa and it will initially slot in just above the current H2 until the current H2 model is slowly phased out of the market.
The Jolion's interior offers upmarket appeal and is expected to be crammed with nice-to-have features.
What features are offered on the Haval Jolion?
The Jolion will be produced on Haval’s new modular L.E.M.O.N platform, which is a modular platform able to cater for a variety of body shapes and powertrain options. The Jolion is bigger and wider than the current H2 and is more technologically advanced and includes features such as a 10.25-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system (12.3-inch in Super Luxury trim) and wireless charging. The Virtual Instrument Cluster has 3 visual modes that the driver can set to preference and a heads-up display projects speed and other useful information directly ahead of the driver. Push-button start and keyless entry are also standard. The centre console, on DCT derivatives, features a nifty-looking rotary dial shifter. Haval describes the Jolion's interior design as being 'premium and sporty'.
The Jolion range comprises 5 derivatives starting with the base City, Luxury, Premium and top-spec Super Luxury.
In terms of safety, the Jolion is fitted with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control with traction control, secondary collision, mitigation, anti-roll, hill assist, tyre pressure monitoring and rear parking sensors with a reverse camera with guidelines. The top-spec Super Luxury derivative boasts features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and blind-spot detection.
How much power does the new Haval Jolion have?
As far as engine power is concerned, the Jolion makes use of a 1.5-litre turbopetrol engine with power outputs of 105 kW and 210 Nm. However, unlike the current H2, the Jolion makes use of a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and a 5-speed manual transmission.
How much does the new Haval Jolion Cost in South Africa?
Jolion 1.5T City Manual – R299 900
Jolion 1.5T Luxury Manual – R332 900
Jolion 1.5T Premium 7DCT – R339 900
Jolion 1.5T Luxury 7DCT – R367 900
Jolion 1.5T Super Luxury – R398 900
The Haval Jolion is sold with a 5-year/100 000 km warranty and a 5-year/60 000 km service plan.
Volkswagen has teased an updated version of its popular Polo. Here's what we know so far.
Update: With less than 24 hours to go before the official reveal, some leaked images found their way onto the Internet. We get to see the front, the rear and get a good look at the revised interior.
With a stellar sales record of around 18 million units finding homes around the world, Volkswagen knows it cannot mess what's clearly a winning recipe with its Polo.
The reveal of the updated Volkswagen Polo will take place on the 22nd April 2021 and the teaser image you see here gives us some clues as to what we can expect. We can clearly see the redesigned headlight as well as an extended LED strip that reaches to the badge. This fashionable design element is something we've seen in a few cars now, not just the Volkswagen stable. The Volkswagen Golf 8 has it and this update to the Volkswagen Polo ties the family together quite nicely. We've already seen some Volkswagen Polo spy shots, but Volkswagen has cleverly kept the good stuff well hidden.
A design update is just a small factor in the overall facelift process and given how tech-heavy vehicles are these days, it should come as no surprise that Volkswagen has given the Polo a big update under the skin. The teaser image was accompanied by the claim that 'the technologies and specification matric of the best-seller have had a comprehensive update.'
What could this mean? We reckon this means the introduction of modern semi-autonomous safety equipment as well as enhanced connectivity such as that seen in the soon-to-be-launched Volkswagen Golf 8. The updated Volkswagen Polo is important because not only is a popular model in South Africa, but its also assembled in the Eastern Cape, at Volkswagen's facility in Uitenhage.
We expect the updated model to also be built in South Africa, but as to when production will start is unclear. Set your alarms for Thursday the 22nd April 2021.
Mitsubishi is offering just 100 examples of the Pajero Legend 100 in South Africa. See specification and pricing details below.
With its roots in the gruelling Dakar Rally, where the Pajero racked up multiple wins, 12 in fact, from 1985 to 2007, this is no doubt an impressive achievement that the Minato-based firm is very proud of. Sadly though, production of the Pajero has come to an end and the model will soon be no more.
However, Mitsubishi is inviting 100 lucky buyers to join the ‘Legend 100 Club’ by purchasing a limited edition Pajero Legend 100 which features an obligatory “Legend 100” badge and owners will receive a certificate of membership to the club.
“We are down to the last 100 units and celebrating it with the Pajero ‘Legend 100’ Club, which will find new lucky homes in 2021, proving the popularity of the car that built up an unequalled Dakar record which still stands today,” says Nic Campbell, General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors South Africa.
Both the SWB (3-door) and LWB (5-door) Pajero will receive “Legend 100” certification. Engine power comes courtesy of a 3.2-litre turbodiesel engine with 140 kW and 441 Nm. Mitsubishi’s Super Select II-4WD system ensures notable offroad capability and provides 4 driving modes including 2WD High Range, 4WD, 4WD High and Low Range with a locked centre differential.
The Pajero Legend 100 is also equipped with 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, active stability control with traction control as well as a rear view camera and rear park distance control for added reassurance.
