Monster Petrol Price Increase Forecast for February 2021
The Automobile Association (AA) is predicting a steep increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and paraffin for February 2021.
Based on unaudited mid-month fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund, the AA estimates petrol will increase by 80 cents a litre, diesel will increase of around 61 cents a litre, and illuminating paraffin for an increase of 63 cents.
"The problem is international oil prices, which have been consistently climbing with each passing day," the Association says. "A general increase in positive sentiment as COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out has combined with upticks in global economic activity, pushing up demand for oil – and taking prices with it."
Thankfully we have the current Rand/US Dollar exchange rate which has been relatively stable. "Despite some wild swings in the daily exchange rate, and the average rate creeping up from around R14.60 to just over R15.00, only four cents of the substantial predicted increases come from Rand weakness."
"With the Rand relatively strong by recent standards, the only hope for a reprieve relies on a pullback by oil. Unfortunately, the trend lines suggest that the situation may deteriorate further before month end," the AA concludes.
Kia has officially ushered in a new brand logo and slogan which represents the brand’s transformation.
Update: After its logo change, the Korean carmaker went on to announce its first all-electric vehicle will be launched soon and shared some teaser images of its future electrified family. Assembled on the same Electric Globabl Modular Platform (E-GMP) as the Hyundai Ioniq, the new Kia electric vehicle is said to have up to 500 km of range and feature fast-charging capability. Interestingly, this E-GMP platform is scalable and can be set up to be either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
There will be an entire portfolio of electric vehicles, with the Korean brand going the simple route when it comes to names. The range will comprise EV1 to EV9, and you can see the family in the teaser images. We can spot a compact SUV and a small city hatchback, and it's expected the new-generation of Kia's electrified products to be revealed in the first quarter of 2021. The goals are ambitious too, with Kia targeting a 6.6 percent share of the global BEV market by 2025, and global annual sales of 500,000 BEVs by 2026.
Kia now has a new-look corporate logo and a new slogan to boot, all in the name of transformation.
Kia aims to establish a leadership position in the automotive industry at large and an overhaul of its corporate identity was deemed necessary as the brand embarks on its transformation. Kia’s new brand strategy including its new brand purpose and philosophy will be revealed on 15 January 2021 via Kia’s Youtube channel.
The new logo and slogan reveal forms part of Kia’s ‘Plan S’, which is a long-term business strategy that broadly-speaking aims to position Kia as a leading global automaker while also popularising electric vehicles and introducing a broad range of mobility services to markets all over the world,
Kia’s new slogan is ‘Movement that inspires’ which replaces the outgoing ‘The Power to Surprise’. The new logo is said to resemble a handwritten signature with a rhymical, unbroken line that is meant to convey inspiration and confidence while the rising gestures of the logo represent the rising ambitions of the brand and its new customer offering.
“Kia’s new logo represents the company’s commitment to becoming an icon for change and innovation”, said Ho Sung Song, Kia’s President and CEO. “The automotive industry is experiencing a period of rapid transformation, and Kia is proactively shaping and adapting to these changes. Our new logo represents our desire to inspire customers as their mobility needs evolve, and for our employees to rise to the challenges we face in a fast-changing industry.”
The new Kia logo and slogan were unveiled in spectacular fashion in Incheon, Korea, where 303 pyrodrones launched hundreds of fireworks in a synchronised artistic display. The event set a new Guinness World Record for ‘Most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launching fireworks simultaneously’.
BMW Group tuner AC Schnitzer has released its kit for the Mini JCW GP.
The announcement of a new JCW GP product from Mini was met with much excitement. This is the most-focused iteration of Mini and arguably the one that truly epitomises the go-kart performance. However, when it came to the crux, our international driving report suggested it didn't quite deliver the thrills in abundance. While it certainly looked the part, it's performance abilities weren't as radical as hoped.
German tuner AC Schnitzer hopes to address some issues and unlock its true potential. Sourced from Drexler Motorsport is a new limited-slip front differential to replace the standard LSD in the vehicle. This new diff is said to improve traction through corners, while limiting torque steer. There's a new coilover suspension kit sourced from kW to help soften the ride. One of the criticisms of the Mini GP is its harsh ride and these 3-way adjustable springs are said to fix the ride comfort without compromising on the handling.
Being an AC Schnitzer product, you can expect the stereotypical big alloy wheels too. The German tuner hasn't touched the styling which is understandable, the MINI JCW GP is already one wild-looking hatchback.
It’s been 25 years since the 1st-generation Boxster was introduced and, to mark the anniversary of the roadster that debuted Porsche’s water-cooled flat-6 motor and made the aspirational brand accessible to a wider clientele, the Zuffenhausen-based firm has launched a limited-edition derivative.
Porsche will produce only 1 250 units of the Boxster 25 Years and, unsurprisingly, it’s powered by the 294 kW/420 Nm naturally aspirated 4.0-litre 6-cylinder boxer engine of the GTS 4.0 (as opposed to the either the turbocharged 2.0- or 2.5-litre 4-cylinder motor, both of which were introduced with the launch of the current 718 Boxster range in 2016).
Designed to reference Porsche's concept car from 1993, the Boxster 25 Years features tasteful Neodyme exterior accents.
It’s available with a 6-speed manual ‘box or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (PDK) and comes standard with, inter alia, the Sport Chrono package, Porsche Active Suspension Management sports suspension, which lowers the ride height by 10 mm, as well as Porsche Torque Vectoring with a mechanical limited-slip diff.
When equipped with a PDK, the Boxster 25 Years is said to accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in 4 sec, going on to a top speed of 293 kph, but as with other limited-edition Porsche derivatives, such as the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition, it’s all about the exclusive trims and detailing! In the case of the newcomer, it references the Boxster concept car that debuted at the 1993 Detroit Motor Show.
The Bordeaux leather trim gives the special-edition derivative a characteristic deep-red interior.
The Boxster is now in its 4th generation (the 986 debuted in 1996, the 987 in 2004, the 981 in 2012 and the current 982 – named the 718 Boxster – arrived 5 years ago). But the range (of which more than 350 000 units have been built) owes its existence to the enthusiastic public response to the show car 25 years ago, which debuted the “fried egg” headlamps that also adorned the 996-series 911.
Such was the excitement about the show car that Porsche’s Executive Board intervened in the design development of the production model and issued a directive to “build the concept car just like that”. Well, of course, that isn’t exactly what happened, but the brand’s decision to push the roadster into production – and develop the Cayman coupe variant – have certainly been vindicated since.
The dual-tone 20-inch alloy wheels add significantly to the Boxster 25 Years' on-road presence.
One of the most striking features of the special edition is the reinterpreted colour Neodyme (a copper-like shimmering brown), which contrasted with the GT Silver Metallic finish of the 1993 show car.
On the Boxster 25 Years, the front apron, the spokes and centre of the 20-inch alloy wheels, side air intakes (each adorned with a mono bar) and nomenclature lettering are clad in the eye-catching Neodyme hue. It contrasts tastefully with the GT Silver Metallic (shown here), but Deep Black Metallic and Carrara White Metallic finishes are also available.
The fuel filler cap, which is enhanced by Porsche script from the Exclusive Design range, has a shiny aluminium look, as do the high-gloss tailpipes of the sports exhaust system.
Aluminium inserts feature prominently in the cabin, the rim of the 3-spoke GT sports steering wheel matches the interior.
While the windscreen surround is finished in contrasting black, the limited-edition derivative combines a Bordeaux leather interior with a red fabric convertible top embossed with "Boxster 25" lettering. The interior package includes aluminium trim embellishments, 14-way electrically adjustable sports seats, door sill trims with "Boxster 25" lettering a leather-trimmed and heated sports steering wheel.
The unveiling of the Boxster 25 Years follows the recent introductions of the 718 Boxster Spyder (in mid-2019) and the much-celebrated arrival of the 4.0-litre flat-6 powered GTS 4.0 (during 2020). Late last year, Cars.co.za’s resident track test ace Ashley Oldfield reviewed the range-topping Cayman GT4 – the ultimate expression of the Boxster's tin-topped sibling.
Porsche says the Boxster 25 Years is available to order and will roll into dealerships worldwide from the end of March 2021. According to Porsche South Africa's website, the newcomer costs R1 660 000 (with a 3-year maintenance plan*) and R1 710 000 (with a 5-year maintenance plan*). * Driveplan
More Power for Updated Suzuki Swift, But Not For SA
The latest generation of Suzuki’s popular Swift hatchback has gone under the knife for its first makeover and is reportedly due for reveal in February 2021.
The latest third-generation Swift was launched in South Africa back in 2018 and Suzuki is now gearing up to introduce the facelifted Swift. In a report filed by Indian online publication, Indianautosblog.com, an updated Swift is due to launch in India in February 2021. Swifts destined for South Africa are sourced from India and the specification is therefore not quite the same as the Euro-spec Swift pictured above.
While stylistic changes are expected to be minimal (minor grille update, new exterior colours, upholstery update etc) the big news is that Suzuki will be calling on a more powerful engine to do duty in the Swift! The current Swift is powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre petrol engine with 61 kW and 113 Nm of torque but Suzuki’s K12N Dualjet engine will now power the Swift and will offer 67 kW but torque will remain at 113 Nm. Suzuki SA has, however, now confirmed that the current 61 kW 1.2-litre engine will be offered locally and that the more powerful 1.2-litre unit is not destined for SA. A 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT will still be offered.
The Swift Sport’s punchy turbocharged 1.4-litre Boosterjet engine with 103 kW and 230 Nm is expected to remain unchanged.
Suzuki SA has also confirmed that the facelifted Swift will reach South Africa in the second quarter of 2021.
The next-generation Ford Ranger double-cab bakkie has been spied undergoing testing!
Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien. We have paid for these photos and at the photographer's request, have watermarked them.
The next Ford Ranger is in development and these latest spy images hint at what’s to come from Ford with regards to its popular Ranger bakkie.
In 2019, Ford and Volkswagen announced an alliance that would see the co-development of a number of products, including the next-generation Amarok which will be based on the next-generation Ranger which will be produced at Ford’s local production facility at Silverton, Gauteng.
While the 2 bakkies will be mechanically similar, they are expected to have their own design identity in line with each brand’s styling philosophy. In the case of the next-generation Ranger, these latest spy images suggest that the new Ranger will share styling cues from the new F-150 which is hugely popular in the U.S. This is most evident in the upright headlight design and daytime running light design.
While much of this test mule is well-hidden thanks to the extensive camouflage, the grille does appear to be very bold. New taillights can also be seen at the rear. The Ranger’s interior is expected to undergo a major overhaul with higher quality materials and a modern design on the cards. A new SYNC 4 infotainment system is also expected.
The 'baby F-150' is in the making, which should please local Ranger fans.
As for what will power the next-generation Ford Ranger, reports suggest that the familiar 201 kW / 420 Nm 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine will carry over in the U.S. while a hybrid powertrain is also a possibility. Other markets, such as South Africa, are likely to receive a selection of turbodiesel engines. We may even see an enhanced version of the current 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel engine with higher outputs doing service under the bonnet. A 10-speed automatic transmission is also likely. More powertrain details are expected to come to the fore as the development of the new Ranger progresses.
The new Ford Ranger is due to be revealed later in 2021, and as always, we will keep you updated as soon as more information becomes available.
The VW Group has made significant changes to the structure of its premium brands. Seeking better efficiencies, without diluting the individual brands, there have been some key personnel changes.
Audi is the latest VW sub-brand to see a notable staff announcement. The German luxury vehicle company, and one of VW’s greatest profit sources, announced in early January, that its head of exterior design is moving to Bentley.
The replacement for Andreas Mindt has now been confirmed, and it is a 41-year old: Philipp Römers. After design stints at Mercedes-Benz and VW, Römers has been with Audi since 2014.
His most distinguished Audi projects are the current A6 and A8 luxury sedans. But Römers is perhaps best known, for his work as an exterior designer on VW’s iconic Golf 7 and current Passat.
With a portfolio and product experience that is mostly in the sedan and hatchback vehicle configurations, it will be interesting to see how Römers influences Audi’s growing range of crossovers and SUVs.
His most recent work, before being promoted to head of exterior design, was Audi’s E-tron GT. There have been murmurs of discontent from design-minded critics, that Audi is relying too heavily on elaborate and oversized grilles to give its vehicles identity.
Philipp Römers will be keen to bring a sense of the classic Audi purity back to the brand’s design language. One of his first projects, after joining Audi, was the company’s elegant and excellently proportioned Prologue coupe, which debuted at the 2015 Los Angeles auto show.
If Römers can channel some of the Prologue’s style into Audi’s future offerings, the brand’s design standing is sure to return.
With social distancing being the order of the day throughout the recent festive season, Cars.co.za journalist Gero Lilleike decided to venture out of Cape Town and into the great outdoors to undertake the ultimate camping road trip with the updated Volkswagen Caravelle. Take a look at how the T6.1 performed!
We Like: Engine performance, comfortable ride and handling, practicality
We Don’t Like: Spare wheel is not easy to inspect/change, some marginal interior materials
Fast Facts
Model Tested: Volkswagen Caravelle Highline 4Motion
With the latest updates, the Caravelle is now a more sophisticated product.
If you don't already know this, the Caravelle sits above the Kombi in Volkswagen’s range of people-movers and the updated T6.1 Caravelle will finally reach local showrooms this month replete with enhanced styling and a modernised interior. In fact, the revised cabin is equipped with the latest infotainment and connectivity features on offer from the Wolfsburg-based marque.
The latest updates have pushed the Caravelle further upmarket, where it squares off against the similarly-priced Mercedes-Benz V-Class. We briefly sampled the latest Caravelle at its official launch last year, but more recently we were afforded the opportunity to live with the luxury minibus during the festive season.
Camping is perhaps the best way to achieve social distancing while still being able to travel and explore the country safely; Cars.co.za journalist and resident outdoorsman Gero Lilleike decided to take social distancing to the next level and embark on a 4 000-km camping road trip that would not only expose the Caravelle’s long-distance driving ability, but also test its practicality.
How does it fare in terms of…
Practicality
The Caravelle has lots of space for luggage and camping gear.
Buyers of large family cars appreciate (load- and people-carrying) flexibility above most other aspects of their vehicles and in that regard, the Caravelle certainly excels. Volkswagen's contender can seat up to 7 passengers in comfort – and even offers separate ventilation outlets for the rear occupants, I might add, but its talents comfortably extend beyond that…
Whether you are part of a big family, small family or, like me, one half of a childless couple, the adaptability of the Caravelle means that you have a practical solution for just about any situation. Due to the fact that the seats are fixed on a rail system, the rear bench and middle seats can slide fore or aft to either create a larger load bay or to improve legroom. Moreover, the rear seatback can be folded down to create a flat surface that can be used to load longer items – or even serve as a bed for the kids at your favourite camping spot. The middle row features 2 individual seats that can swivel while a central foldable table with storage space is particularly useful. The middle seats can be adjusted to face forward or you can opt for a meeting-style setup where they face rearwards.
We had lots of luggage and camping equipment to haul to our destination, which meant that only the 2 middle seats were free to use during our trip as we used the rear bench as extra storage for bags and equipment. The foldable table served as a mobile work station and with multiple 12V sockets available, we were able to use the Caravelle as a charging station for laptops, cellphones and camera equipment by using an inverter, which is a must-have piece of equipment on any camping trip, unless, of course, you are Bear Grylls.
I even managed to pack a surfboard, which I slotted in down the side of the interior and it never got in the way; it's a testament to the sheer amount of space available in the Caravelle!
We were surprised at how much luggage and gear the Caravelle could load… note the surfboard…
Furthermore, ingress to the Caravelle’s cabin is via a pair of electrically-powered sliding doors – we particularly like that they can be opened, paused and closed with a one-touch pull of the handle.
The extra storage compartments (located under the rear bench) are also nifty. There are 3 separate compartments and they are surprisingly spacious and useful to store small and medium-sized items out of sight, which means you can organise your packing more effectively. However, the plastic covers are made of plastic of marginal quality and they feel less-than-hardwearing as a consequence. It's also worth noting that the rear tailgate opens upwards, which means that you won't be able to access the load bay if you are parked tail-first in close proximity to a wall or another vehicle.
We also experienced a flat tyre on our journey and we quickly discovered that releasing and installing the spare wheel (which is placed underneath the vehicle) is a fussy process that requires at least 2 people to carry out; not only is the spare' heavy, but its location makes the task of liberating it from its well quite awkward. That's the worst of our criticisms as for as practicality is concerned, however.
Performance and economy
The Caravelle is worth its salt over long distances; it offers enough power and comfort to ensure a pleasant driving experience.
Apart from offering considerable practicality as a family vehicle, the Caravelle’s on-road performance is refreshingly spirited. With its 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel engine producing 146 kW and 450 Nm of torque and paired exclusively with a 7-speed automatic transmission, the powertrain provides ample shove to shuffle along the T6.1 with a fair turn of speed.
Under hard acceleration, a brief moment of lag is experienced as the turbos spool up, but when they come on song, the Caravelle pulls forward with purpose and the um, bus, is particularly adept at executing overtaking manoeuvres quickly and effortlessly on the highway. The transmission, in turn, shifts smoothly and unobtrusively, which contributes appreciably to the overall driving comfort.
We found the engine wonderfully refined – it’s not a clunky or noisy diesel motor. What's more, the cabin is so well insulated from mechanical noise that the T6.1 tends to warp your perception of speed; it's much faster than what the driver perceives. With that said, the cruise control (accessed via the multifunction steering wheel) is a good way to ensure that you remain within speed limits.
In terms of fuel-efficiency, Volkswagen’s official claim is 7.2 L/100 km, but that's ambitious. During our trip, the onboard computer displayed figures between 9.7 and 10 L/100 km, which was fair.
Ride and handling
The Caravelle delivers a comfortable ride quality, but body roll is noticeable while cornering.
The Volkswagen’s ride quality is generally good – on most tar surfaces – courtesy of a supple suspension that manages to absorb imperfections with aplomb. It also fares well on gravel, but, by virtue of the lower-profile rubber fitted to its wheels, the Caravelle is more suited to traversing sealed roads. Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive adds further confidence, especially in wet conditions.
The Caravelle’s steering, meanwhile, is lightly weighted and fairly responsive to inputs. Handling-wise, the T6.1 is sufficiently wieldy for a vehicle that's based on the Transporter commercial-vehicle platform (even though Volkswagen hides it rather well), but due to its bulk, it loses some of its composure under cornering. The Volkswagen stands some 1 990-mm tall and has a kerb weight of 2 357 kg, which translates to a fair amount of lean and body roll under cornering, but this effect can, of course, be countered by brushing off some speed and making more measured steering inputs.
Interior and features
The Caravelle comes well equipped with standard features.
The Caravelle’s cabin boasts good perceived build quality; its overall design is unspectacular, but still pleasing to the eye and the general layout is ergonomically sound. Volkswagen’s Discover Pro Media infotainment system is standard and features integrated navigation, which is useful. The menu layout is intuitive and easy to use and, in combination with the 10.25-inch configurable digital instrument cluster, the Caravelle exudes a notably premium look and feel. There’s even a wireless charging dock for your smartphone, but this is an optional feature.
It must be said, however, that the infotainment screen does attract a considerable amount of dust and fingerprints and it’s advisable to keep a soft cloth at hand to wipe the panel clean. It’s also worth mentioning that the infotainment system shut down and rebooted without warning on at least 4 occasions during its tenure in our test fleet; we hope that it was an issue with this particular unit.
The interior materials in the cabin are mostly of the utilitarian variety and while this bodes well for a long service life, we do think that Volkswagen could have added some more soft-touch areas and higher-quality materials in certain areas to further boost the premium look and feel of the interior. Nonetheless, the Caravelle's cabin is a comfortable space to occupy during a long road trip!
There’s also an impressive list of useful active safety features offered on the Caravelle including crosswind assist, trailer assist, rear traffic alert, manoeuvre braking function, lane assist, hill start assist, hill descent assist and park assist, the latter of which is useful to manoeuvre the large Caravelle into parking spaces. The T6.1 is fitted with 6 airbags and a reverse-view camera with static guidelines.
Price and warranty
The Volkswagen 2.0 BiTDI Highline 4Motion is priced from R1 166 600 and is sold with a 3-year/120 000 km warranty and a 5-year/60 000 km service plan.
The Caravelle proved itself on this test and we think it's worth a closer look in this segment.
The latest Caravelle’s long-distance performance is mightily impressive – not only was the T6.1 pleasant to drive, but it proved to be hugely practical, arguably more so than a conventional SUV. In addition, the Volkswagen’s enhanced on-board technology and upgraded interior were not only timely improvements – they have bolstered the purchasing proposition of the model.
Since the launch of the Caravelle T6.1 in October 2020, its 7-figure price tag (R1 166 600) has been widely criticised, which is a trifle unfair if you consider that the asking price for the Volkswagen’s primary rival, the Mercedes-Benz V250d, starts at R1 099 606 – and the vehicles offer similar outputs and features. It must also be noted that the Caravelle offers slightly more in the way of nice-to-have standard features, such as heated front seats, integrated navigation and a standard reverse-view camera, to name a few, which means it represents better value for money than its rival from Stuttgart.
Sadly, however, premium brand snobs will likely place badge perception above overall value. Remember the Volkswagen Arteon? It was an award-winning product, but it sold poorly in Mzansi because buyers don't perceive Volkswagen as a premium brand that can compete against the likes of BMW, Benz and Audi. If the badge on the nose means little to you, then the Caravelle deserves your attention. It's also worth mentioning that the outgoing Kia Grand Sedona, which will be replaced by the new, renamed-to-Carnival model this year, offers exceptional value under the R1-million mark.
This Caravelle T6.1 is more competitive than ever and definitely worth considering if you are in the market for a practical family vehicle and feel less than inclined to be swept up by the SUV craze…
South African consumers have had to wait patiently for the local arrival of the Golf 8 range, which will be spearheaded by the GTI in a few months' time, but the upshot of the delay is that our market won’t be affected by the voluntary update that Volkswagen has issued for 56 000 units of its premium hatchback.
The Golf 8 was the best-selling car in Europe in 2020, which is impressive considering that production of the Teutonic hatchback was temporarily halted in May, Autocar reports, due to issues with the onboard emergency call system, which resulted in customer cars being stored for up to a month while the Wolfsburg-based endeavoured to find a solution to the problem.
The 8th-generation Golf relies more on technology and digital interfaces than any of its predecessors.
Last year, VW's much-publicised software issues, which delayed the launch of the Golf 8 in 2019 and have also plagued the ID.3 electric vehicle, effectively triggered an organisational shake-up in the German group’s structure. In July, the brand announced that its head of Digital Car & Services, Christian Senger, would leave the company a little more than a year after taking up his position.
He was replaced by Dirk Hilgenberg, who, like his predecessor, spent most of his career at BMW (at Rolls-Royce aviation’s engine division), before being headhunted by VW.
Senger joined VW in 2016 (as the brand's E-Mobility product boss), but he left the company last year.
As a result, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann became the VW Group board member for car software. Duesmann, to whom Hilgenberg reports, promised that 5 000 IT professionals, coders and engineers would be recruited by his division over the next 12 months.
Now, ostensibly as a direct consequence of the VW Group’s "tech shake-up" (and subsequent recruitment drive), the brand has announced a “voluntary service measure” for Golf 8 units that were produced before July 2020; it’s not technically a recall, however, because it isn’t mandatory and can be completed during a regular service.
The voluntary update campaign affects 56 000 examples of the Golf 8 across the globe and, according to Autocar, fixes software issues affecting the infotainment system and reverse-view camera.
Meanwhile, the Golf 8 GTI is scheduled to be launched in South Africa in the 2nd quarter, while the range’s flagship – the R model, will arrive in the final quarter of 2021.
Meet the finalists in the Entry Level category of the 2020/21 #CarsAwards powered by WesBank!
Now in its 6th year, the #CarsAwards was conceived to be South Africa's definitive automotive awards programme and is backed, for the 5th year running, by the country's leading supplier of vehicle finance, WesBank.
Budgets are tight. Fuel costs are rising. Yet buying an affordable car doesn’t mean you should compromise on safety, technology and quality. The winner of this category represents as much good car as possible for the money. Value is very important, as are running costs and all such “common sense” considerations. The price cap in this category is set at R200 000.
This category is guided by both eligibility factors and Pillars of Success.
Eligibility factors for this category include a list price that does not exceed R200 000 (as of October 1, 2020) and pricing must include the cost of all necessary optional features to meet the eligibility criteria.
Eligible vehicles must be equipped with ABS and dual front airbags.
Pillars of success for this category include fuel economy, value for money, practicality and brand strength.
Visit www.carsawards.co.za for more information. In no particular order, the finalists are as follows:
Hyundai Atos 1.1 Motion
Hyundai’s popular Atos nameplate returned to South Africa in 2019 and represents an attractive value offering in the entry-level car segment. The 1.1 Motion offers good build quality, generous specification, a surprisingly refined driving experience, as well as commendable fuel efficiency.
Suzuki introduced the pint-sized S-Presso, which offers quirky, youthful styling and a host of desirable features that entry-level buyers will appreciate, during 2020. It has some high-riding appeal with a ground clearance of 180 mm, but, more than that, it’s interior is cheery and the newcomer is powered by a perky engine that consistently returns excellent fuel consumption.
The Swift accounts for most of Suzuki South Africa’s new vehicle sales and is, therefore, a very important model for the award-winning Japanese manufacturer. The Swift has won the Budget Car category for the last 2 years (2018/19 and 2019/20), but the Indian-made hatchback’s value for money proposition is so competitive that the 1.2 GL derivative fits into the entry-level category.
