Petrol Price Relief for April 2020 as Oil Price Crashes
We're headed for an interesting period as the impacts of COVID 19, Rand/Dollar exchange rates and an oil price crash combine, resulting in chaos for the fuel price for April 2020. The petrol price is coming down!?
"The current data shows petrol down by up to R1.11 a litre, diesel by R1.10 and illuminating paraffin by R1.18. However, these declines must be weighed against the 25 cent increases to the fuel levies announced by the Finance Minister in February which come into effect in April," said the Automobile Association of SA. With the levies thrown in, we're still looking at a reduction of 86 cents per litre for petrol and 85 cents per litre for diesel.
Despite the Rand suffering heavily losses against the US Dollar, there's been chaos in the oil production with Saudi Arabia breaking ranks with OPEC. The Saudis not only slashed prices, but upped production substantially. "The AA says Saudi Arabia's actions come at a time where global oil demand is in decline as the COVID-19 virus hits manufacturing and commerce, leading to a steep slump in the oil price. The last time oil prices dropped this suddenly was in the first Gulf War, almost 30 years ago. However, it means good news at the pumps for South Africans," said the AA.
How long will all of this last? "There is little indication of what the final picture of COVID-19 spread will be, nor where the Rand will stabilise against the dollar. It can also not be predicted how long the Saudis are prepared to hold out in their oil price war, since their oil industry is believed to be able to maintain profitability at substantially lower per-barrel prices than the current level," the AA notes.
We have experienced the Hyundai i30 N but Hyundai is developing an i20 N. Our spy photographers have caught an i20 N prototype testing…
Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien. We have paid for these photos and at the photographer's request, have watermarked them.?
Last year we saw spy shots of an i20 N test mule being put through its paces and more recently, Hyundai revealed a new and rather sporty-looking i20 hatchback. A fully-fledged i20 N just seems like a logical step for Hyundai’s N Division which has a wealth of motorsport experience to draw upon considering its successful exploits with the i20 in the World Rally Championship (WRC).
Recent promotional i20 video content from Europe points to a sporty silhouette of what we think is an i20 N. Giveaway features include a chunky high-mounted spoiler, beefier wheels and red detailing seen along the side skirts.
You will recall that Toyota recently revealed its new Gazoo Racing Yaris and an i20 N would make for an exciting match-up. The i20 N will also take aim at the Volkswagen Polo GTI.
Now, a new batch of spy images has landed on our desk once again confirming that Hyundai is hard at work on a hot i20 N model. The prototype is heavily camouflaged but the twin-exhaust system is a clear sign of performance intent. You can also see the high-mounted spoiler visible beneath the camouflage.
Dual-exhaust pipes and a high-mounted spoiler are signs of what's to come from Hyundai…
As for what will power the i20 N, that’s up for debate, but if you consider that the Toyota Yaris GR offers 192 kW and 360 Nm of torque from a 3-cylinder, 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine, the i20 N will have to offer similar potency. We previously pointed to the possibility of Hyundai making use of a revised 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine, the same that powers products such as the Veloster Turbo, Tucson and Elantra Sport. Time will reveal all!
In terms of transmissions, a 6-speed manual is a strong possibility and should make enthusiasts happy but a dual-clutch transmission is not out of the question either. The i20 N is also likely to feature a stiffer and sportier suspension to complement its performance intentions.
We will keep you up to date as soon as Hyundai drops any more clues regarding the i20 N, so stay tuned!
The Danish hypercar maker has revealed its latest offering. Meet the Zenvo TSR-S.
Powered by a 5.8-litre twin supercharged petrol V8 motor with 880 kW, the Zenvo V8 TSR-S is the street-legal version of the brand's track car.
There's extensive use of carbon fibre and the vehicle features full fragmented lightweight carbon fibre wheels as well as exposed carbon fibre body sections. These wheels are 15 kg lighter than their aluminium equivalents and each takes 1 week to create.
Along with the vehicle's reveal, Zenvo has announced a hybrid version of its 7-speed sequential gearbox with helical-cut dog gears. The new 'box offers two modes; Road and Race. Road removes the harshness in favour of comfort, while Race gives you that fast and direct gearshift. Interestingly, the new 'box also features a hybrid module which gives the car an electric power boost, while engaging reverse gear sees the car use full electric power to go backwards.
This is Zenvo's flagship product and performance looks mighty impressive. The Danes claim 0-100 kph in 2.8 seconds and an electronically-limited top speed of 325 kph. Price? Zenvo is making just 5 cars per year at a cost of €1.45m each.
Mercedes-Benz has upgraded its Vito Marco Polo Activity touring vehicle for 2020. Check it out.
The changes are mostly mechanical and focus on the driving aspect. The Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo Activity features an updated 176 kW and 500 Nm diesel engine in its flagship derivative, giving it performance stats of 0-100 kph in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 210 kph.
Airmatic air suspension makes its debut in the Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo Activity for the first time, improving ride comfort and handling. It can also raise the body up by 35 mm at speeds of up to 30 kph – useful when you want to cross some gravel. There's also been an improvement when it comes to the safety side of things and Distronic, Active Brake Assist and a digital inside rearview mirror have been added.
These updates will be rolled out from October 2020 and the vehicle will also feature a redesigned rear bumper as well as underbody trims. Inside, digital radio (DAB+) is now offered as well as smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The cabin has been given a mild refresh too and there are new-look air vents and a chrome package. On the outside, the new model can be differentiated by its restyled radiator grille and colour-coded bumpers.
BMW will have 5 EV models on the market by the end of 2021 and 25 electrified derivatives by 2023, but it will also reduce the number of traditional–drivetrain variants (which we understand to be non-hybridised turbopetrol and -diesel derivatives) by up to 50%.
Oliver Zipse – the chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG – this week announced the results for the BMW Group at the end of the 2019 financial year. Although the group had delivered a record 2 538 367 units and its revenue exceeded €100 billion for the year for the first time, its profit (before financial result) was €7.4 billion, which was 17% lower than in 2018.
BMW acknowledged that the provision of €1.4 billion (following the receipt of a Statement of Objections from the EU Commission, in connection with ongoing antitrust proceedings), as well as upfront expenditure for research and development, had reduced profits and “as expected, headwinds also came from negative developments in currencies and raw materials prices.”
BMW's 2019 Q4 revenue – the highest ever for a single quarter – has helped by a growing demand for its upper-luxury vehicles.
Profit (before tax) ended up at €7.2 billion (which is 26.1% lower than in 2018) and net profit amounted to €5 billion (a reduction of a whopping 28.9%).
The good news for the BMW Group was that "in 2019, we improved our profitability from quarter to quarter. This shows we have the right products and that our strategy is effective," Zipse was quoted as saying. "We are embracing the transformation of our industry and have trust in our innovative strength. We recognised the signs of change at an early stage and made preparations accordingly.”
‘CO2 reduction goals on target’
The BMW Group was confident that it would achieve its CO2 fleet target for its European new-car registrations again this year, which is approximately 20% below last year’s target. “A third of that step can be achieved by further improvements to conventional drivetrain systems and the rest by the growth in the field of electrified vehicles,” the company said in a statement.
By the end of 2021, the BMW Group intends to have more than 1 million vehicles with all-electric or plug-in hybrid drivetrains on the roads. At that stage, the BMW Group will offer 5 all-electric vehicles: the i3, Mini Cooper SE (which will be launched in South Africa soon), the BMW iX3 (which will soon go into production in Shenyang, China), followed, in 2021, by the BMW iNext in Dingolfing, Germany, and BMW i4 at the Group’s Munich plant.
The iNext – BMW’s forthcoming luxury electric SUV – has been doing some hot-weather testing in South Africa.
25 electrified derivatives by 2023
The BMW Group expects that by 2021, the global demand for electrified vehicles will be twice as high as it was in 2019. Sales of EVs will grow, on average, by more than 30% per annum up to 2025.
By 2023, the BMW Group plans to have 25 electrified models in its product line-up – of which more than half will be all-electric. The key to achieving that objective was “to have intelligent vehicle architectures that allow models to be powered fully electrically, as a plug-in hybrid or with a combustion engine."
Following the local launch of the X5 xDrive45e, BMW now offers its premium SUV in turbopetrol-, -diesel and PHEV guises.
The high costs of EV technology
The BMW Group spent €6 billion on research and development last year (11.9% more than in 2018), while capital expenditure increased by 12.3% to €5.7 billion. That trend is unlikely to change, so to compensate for the high upfront costs of future-oriented technologies, the BMW Group remains committed to improving efficiency continually as part of the Performance > NEXT programme, which is expected to generate efficiency savings (through faster digital processes and leaner structures) in excess of €12 billion by the end of 2022. New model development times will be reduced by a third.
Will the rationalisation of BMW's line-up spell the end for a few turbodiesel derivatives, now that diesel motors are no longer in vogue?
50% reduction in traditional drivetrains
On the product side, up to half of traditional (non-electrified) drivetrain derivatives will be eliminated from 2021 onwards in the transition to creating enhanced, intelligent vehicle architectures – in favour of additional electrified drivetrains. “It is in this area that the full impact of these measures will come into effect, particularly in the years after 2022,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the BMW Group’s model portfolio is being regularly assessed to find additional potential ways of reducing complexity. Apart for seeking greater efficiency through indirect purchasing and better leveraging of material and production costs, the Munich-based group is focusing on new models in segments where the rates of return are highest: One of the Group's targets, the company claims, is to double its sales volume in the luxury segment from 2018 to 2020…
Rolls-Royce will build a special Dawn Silver Bullet Collection car to celebrate the new decade in style by drawing inspiration from the long-gone 1920’s…
Rolls Royce describes the Dawn Silver Bullet Collection as an “ode to decadence, to frivolity, to heady heydays and irreverent past times. Traversing the landscape with supreme accuracy, travelling great distances with speed and precision, this open-top roadster iteration of Dawn, is, like a silver bullet.”
Much like the roadsters of the ’20s, the Dawn Silver Bullet Collection will be rare and only 50 will be made.
Key details include the Aero Cowling which gives the car a ‘sense of speed and purpose’. A rakish centre spine brings the bodywork into the cabin while a vapour-blasted titanium finisher windbreak bears the ‘Silver Bullet’ name. The model will feature a bespoke, ultra-metallic silver paint finish which contrasts with darker elements such as the dark headlights and bumper finisher. The wheels are part-polished with a translucent shadow finish and a single silver pinstripe.
Moving inside, the Dawn Silver Bullet Collection features top quality finishes including an open-pore carbon fibre fascia and quilted transmission tunnel resembling a rebellious leather jacket.
As the car embodies the spirit of freedom, Rolls-Royce will curate a series of ‘Silver Bullet Drives’ for owners of this bespoke car to enjoy.
New BMW 118i Review – Has Front-Wheel-Drive Ruined The 1 Series?
BMW's first front-wheel-drive 1 Series joined the market at the end of 2019. Ciro De Siena spent some time behind the wheel of the entry 118i to bring you this video review.
Platform-sharing makes a lot of sense, especially to accountants. BMW has resolutely stuck to rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive drivetrains thus far but for the 1 Series, the allure of sharing drivetrains across the MINI and BMW brands proved too strong for the company to resist.
Add to that that polling BMW customers revealed that most 1 Series drivers couldn't even tell if their very own cars were FWD or RWD. So, here we are in 2020, test driving a FWD 1 Series.
In this in-depth video, our video guy Ciro De Siena takes a detailed look at the newcomer, and tries to answer the question that most people who buy 1 Series couldn't give two hoots about, but many fanboys have lost sleep over: has front-wheel-drive ruined the 1 Series?
Volkswagen is readying an estate version or Shooting Brake of its Arteon premium sedan. Here's what we know so far.
Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien. We have paid for these photos and at the photographer's request, have watermarked them.
The Volkswagen Arteon is a stylish sportback-styled luxury sedan. Powered by a choice of either turbopetrol and turbodiesel engines, the Arteon has a lot going for it. It also bagged a win in the #CarsAwards-powered by WesBank.
Now Volkswagen is working on an interestingly-styled Shooting Brake version of its Arteon which will debut alongside a facelifted model. The Shooting Brake will bring even more practicality to an already spacious vehicle.
The updated Volkswagen Arteon will feature substantial revisions both inside and out, with many speculating it'll gain the all-new infotainment system that's been seen in the new Volkswagen Golf 8. In terms of engines, we're expecting largely the same engines as before, the option of all-wheel drive on some models, which should find favour in the colder European markets. There's also a strong rumour of an Arteon R, packing the same engine from the Volkswagen Golf R.
The sad part of all of this is this is the beginning of the end for Volkswagen's internal combustion engines for this line of cars as the ID Space Vizzion previews the way for a stylish estate powered by electricity. Expect to see the updated Volkswagen Arteon as well as the Arteon Shooting Brake revealed before the end of 2020.
Spy shots of the next-generation performance Mercedes-AMG C-Class have emerged. This will be the new C53.
Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien. We have paid for these photos and at the photographer's request, have watermarked them.
The new 5th generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class will be revealed soon, but attention is focusing on the performance variants. When we got wind of the Mercedes-AMG C63 losing its iconic 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 in favour of a 4-cylinder motor, we were keen to see what AMG would come up with.
What you see here is the Mercedes-AMG C53 4Matic, which will rival the BMW M340i xDrive and Audi S4. We know it's an AMG thanks to its grille, performance wheels and big brake callipers. There are also large exhaust tips, indicating this isn't your average C-Class. Under the bonnet is not going to be the 3.0-litre inline 6 like the E53 and CLS 53, but rather an advanced version of the 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder motor which we've experienced in the compact Mercedes-AMG A45 S hatchback. For the record, that motor produces 310 kW and 500 Nm. That's more power than the current C43 3.0-litre biturbo V6 which makes 287 kW.
Expect to see a production reveal of the all-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class before the end of 2020, with the AMG performance models following on in 2021.
The charismatic founder of the Modena-based supercar maker has unveiled the Imola and BC Roadster derivatives of the Pagani Huayra hypercar on YouTube.
Although both cars were due to be shown at the (subsequently cancelled) 2020 Geneva Show, Mr Pagani opted to reveal both limited-edition machines in the metal, live from the company’s headquarters in Modena, Italy via its official YouTube channel.
Last month we reported that Pagani would produce just 5 examples of its track-optimised Imola hypercar – the most powerful Huayra the firm has ever built and valued at approximately R80 million. Powered by a newly-developed Mercedes-AMG twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 engine, the Imola produces peak outputs of 608 kW and 1 100 Nm, but thanks to the extensive use of composite materials, including carbon-fibre and carbon-titanium in its construction, the hypercar weighs just 1 240 kg.
The production run of the Huayra Imola is just 5 units; it features the new 6.0-litre V12 engine from AMG tuned to 608 kW.
The Imola further features a sophisticated aerodynamics package, with a roof-mounted scoop and combination of large wing/diffuser combination at the rear. In partnership with the car’s flat underside, the surface aerodynamic details generate massive amounts of downforce as speeds increase.
But, apart from the Imola (#3 out of 5), Pagani also showcased the Roadster BC, which tips the scales at only 10 kg more than the Huayra Imola: 1 250 kg…
The Imola and BC Roadster are believed to be two of the last derivatives of the Huayra that Pagani will produce.
In the case of the BC Roadster, its 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 produces slightly milder outputs (590 kW at 5 900 rpm and 1 050 Nm from 2 000-5 600 rpm) and is mated with a 7-speed sequential gearbox – its flywheel-clutch unit consists of a triple-disc clutch, electronically-controlled diff and a 3-way coupling system – the complete transmission is 35% lighter than a comparable dual-clutch ‘box.
Apart from a pair of new-generation turbos, the Affalterbach-built V12 features a novel hydroformed manifold, twin throttle bodies and no fewer than 4 intercoolers. Meanwhile, the monster engine’s titanium 6-pipe exhaust features 2 extra direct outlets from the catalytic converters to exploit the “blown-diffuser” principle of the BC Roadster’s active dynamics to generate further downforce.
Mercedes-AMG builds the Pagani's twin-turbo V12 motor exclusively for the Italian supercar firm.
As such, the Roadster BC was designed to generate an aerodynamic load with a downforce target of 500 kg at 280 kph, while maintaining a ground clearance “that will allow passengers to (still) enjoy driving it on public roads".
With the benefit of Pirelli PZero Trofeo R tyres (20-inch at the front, 21-inch at the rear), which were tailor-made for the model, the open-topped Pagani is claimed to go from 0-100 kph in 3 seconds, hit a top speed of 383 kph and achieve lateral acceleration of 1.9g during constant running, with peaks of 2.2g, and a longitudinal deceleration of 2.2g.
The BC Roadster is shod with 14-spoke APP forged monolithic aluminium alloys (20-inch at the front, 21-inch at the rear).
To help the BC Roadster remain firmly (and safely) on terra firma, the newcomer is underpinned by a forged aluminium-alloy independent double wishbone suspension with helical springs and electronically-controlled shock absorbers.
Stopping power comes courtesy of a Brembo carbon-ceramic system, with 398×36 mm discs with 6-piston calipers at the front, with 380×34 mm units with 4-piston calipers at the rear.
Compared to the Imola, the BC Roadster is in relatively generous supply… Instead of just 5 cars, Pagani will build 40 units. Price? It’s yours for R57 million (we assume that excludes delivery).
Watch a video that details how the BC Roadster was developed:
