The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe has arrived in South Africa! Take a look at specification and pricing details…
We drove the new E-Class Coupe at its international launch in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this year and found it to be impressively styled and packed with useful technology and luxury appointments. The good news is that the E-Class Coupe has now arrived on local shores and will be offered with a range of engine options to suit your taste. Take a look at what you can expect in terms of specification and pricing for this svelte coupe…
The range
Three turbopetrol engines and a turbodiesel engine will be offered locally with the range-topping 245 kW turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 powering the E400 4Matic.
The local lineup will include 3 petrol engines in the form of the E200, E300 and the range-topping E400 4Matic. The diesel-powered E220d will also be offered.
In terms of outputs, the E200 offers 135 kW and 300 Nm of torque from its 2.0-litre turbopetrol engine with a claimed fuel consumption figure of 6.5 L/100 km. The more powerful turbocharged 2.0-litre E300 develops 180 kW and 370 Nm of torque and is claimed to consume 6.4 L/100 km. The petrol engine range is headlined by the E400 4Matic which employs a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine that develops a hearty 245 kW and 480 Nm of torque with a claimed fuel consumption figure of 8.1 L/100km.
The only diesel option in the lineup is the E220d fitted with a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with 143 kW and 400 Nm of torque. This engine prioritises efficiency and Mercedes-Benz claims a fuel consumption figure of 4.0 L/100km. The E300, E220d and E400 4Matic Coupe derivatives make use of a quick-shifting 9-speed automatic transmission as standard while the E200 is equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. The 9-speed automatic transmission will be optionally available on the E200, however. A total of 5 driving modes are offered via the Dynamic Select switch and these include Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Individual and Eco.
Ride comfort is provided by the standard Direct Control suspension while Dynamic Body Control (adaptive damping) and Air Body Control (multi-chamber air suspension) is offered as an option.
Key features
The optional Widescreen Cockpit is a must-have feature in the E-Class Coupe.
The new E-Class Coupe has grown in size and sits some 15 mm lower when compared with its sedan counterpart. It’s now 123 mm longer, 74 mm wider and 33 mm higher than the outgoing model and the wheelbase has been stretched by 113 mm which has a positive impact on interior space for both front and rear passengers.
Key design features include a long power dome bonnet, single-louvred diamond grille, standard LED headlights, 2-part LED taillight clusters with a glowing crystal effect and welcome/goodbye lighting function. Multibeam LED headlights are offered as an optional.
The E-Class Coupe's interior is modern and sophisticated with a wide range of trim options available to customers.
The interior design closely mimics that of the E-Class sedan and the highlight feature is the optional Widescreen Cockpit which is a long, configurable digital display that combines a pair of large 12.3-inch screens. The instrument cluster can be customised with a choice of 3 themes including Classic, Sport and Progressive, depending on your preference, while the screen to the right handles functions such as infotainment and navigation. Functions can be operated using the mounted steering wheel controls or touchpad controller.
A comprehensive head-up display is also fitted and communicates information such as speed, speed limits and navigation to the driver. Interior space is surprisingly generous, even for rear passengers and the boot is sizable, offering 425 litres of space.
In terms of technology, there’s lots of it. Qi-enabled smartphones can be charged wirelessly on a charging pad and pair automatically with the infotainment system using Near Field Communication (NFC). This effectively turns your smartphone into a digital key, allowing you to lock/unlock the car or start the engine. You can access Remote Parking Pilot via an app, allowing you to park the car using your phone.
Larger dimensions and a stretched wheelbase translates into more space for passengers, particularly in the rear.
Distance Pilot Distronic with Steering Pilot is a handy semi-autonomous feature out on the highway and lets you adapt and maintain your distance from the car ahead of you and can follow at speeds up to 210 kph. Steering Pilot will keep the car on track at speeds of up to 130 kph and in a traffic jam, very little input is required from the driver. Active Lane Change Assist will help you change lanes safely by steering into the lane once the camera and radar systems deem it safe to do so.
Buyers can choose from 2 trim lines including Avantgarde and AMG Line, depending on your taste and Mercedes-Benz offers a wide range of optional equipment and packages for the E-Class Coupe.
We will have the new E-Class Coupe on test soon, so look out for a thorough evaluation in the near future. Here is what you can expect to pay for the new E-Class Coupe…
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe – Price in South Africa
E200 Coupe R754 500
E220d Coupe R806 500
E300 Coupe R842 500
E400 4Matic R1 021 500
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe is sold with a 2-year/unlimited km warranty and a 6-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.
After months of speculation and teaser images, Jaguar has officially confirmed production of a compact performance SUV, which will be called the Jaguar E-Pace.
On the back of the successful Jaguar F-Pace comes a smaller performance compact SUV. The new E-Pace will slot in below the F-Pace and will be followed by the all-electric I-Pace in 2018. Jaguar is going all out with its SUV range and given the popularity of luxury SUVs, the E-Pace will surely be a success. It's interesting to note that the Jaguar F-Pace boosted the brand's sales by 83%, so a smaller and more affordable luxury SUV offering is definitely going to make sound business sense.
Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar, said: “The combination of sports car looks with Jaguar performance will ensure that the E-Pace stands out. Every Jaguar is designed to excite the senses, and we think E-Pace will do just that, albeit with its own individual character.” While we haven't seen the full car in its entirety yet, some details have been released ahead of its world reveal on the 13th July 2017.
We know that it will feature all-wheel drive technology and will be powered by an all-Ingenium line-up of petrol and diesel engines. It'll feature a range of connected technology and safety features, and Jaguar has said that the E-Pace will have indicative pricing from £28,500 in the United Kingdom. That translates directly to R471 231.84 using the exchange rate on 21 June 2017. Based on import duty and estimates, we predict that pricing for the new Jaguar E-Pace will start from R550 000. We'll have more details after the reveal next month, so stay tuned!
The Porsche Panamera, now in its 2nd generation, is claimed to be the ultimate combination of a first class saloon and a super sedan. Can the Zuffenhausen-based company's underappreciated 4-door excel equally in both aspects? We test the all-wheel-driven 4S to find out…
Whereas not everyone was won over by the original car's somewhat lopsided styling, its ability to deliver continent-crossing performance was never in dispute. Its successor builds on the first version's strengths, but over and above significant improvements in the car's interior packaging, it looks more like the iconic 911, albeit with 4 seats and 4 doors.
In this video, shot in Johannesburg, South Africa – far from our usual locales – we take a detailed look at the changes made to the model. Our Joburg guy, Francisco, also gives the brutal launch control a whirl and gets to grips with the mighty new 2.9-litre V6 motor.
Mercedes-AMG: Hand-Built Engines Meets 21st Century Tech
We travelled to the home of Mercedes-AMG engines, located in a tiny hamlet called Affalterbach on the outskirts of Stuttgart, Germany. It was a surreal experience as we examined the AMG philosophy of "One Man, One Engine".
Daimlerstraße 1, 71563 Affalterbach, Germany is an uncomplicated postal address. When you quietly roll into Affalterbach, double checks on the satnav and supplied route guides are numerous. This tiny town can't possibly be the home of Mercedes-AMG, the passionate performance brand. There are few signposts and once the houses give way to light industrial units, you feel a bit better. Suddenly there's what looks to be an AMG dealership and that's it. Unlike many factories and plants that Cars.co.za has been exposed to over the years, this is nothing like anything we've ever encountered. Where are the guards? Where's the barbed wire fences and the myriad of CCTV cameras? AMG HQ is suspiciously unassuming…
An aerial view of the Mercedes-AMG home in Affalterbach, Germany. As you can see, it takes up most of the small town.
AMG's history is a fascinating one. What started out as an independent firm in 1967 by former Benz engineers Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher quickly turned into a fully Mercedes-Benz endorsed operation, before Daimler AG purchased the controlling share and made it an official part of the Mercedes-Benz lineup. The letters? AMG stands for Aufrecht, Melcher and Großaspach (which was Aufrecht's hometown). AMG grabbed everyone's attention by shoving a large capacity V8 engine into an SEL and it took first place in class (and second overall) in the 1971 24-hour race at Spa, Belgium. It was from that race when AMG got the reputation for large capacity, powerful engines delivering brute-force performance.
'One man, one engine'
In the age of computer-aided design, 3D printing and laser-guided measuring, building things by hand just seems primitive and crude. Why bother, when robots can almost do everything for you? But when everything these days seems to be mass produced, the AMG philosophy has refined the hand-made, artisanal manufacturing concept down to an art. The engine assembly area is deceptively easy to access and this is where the division's V8 and V12 engines are crafted. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder and the 3.0-litre V6s were tested and developed here, but are built elsewhere. Currently, the plant builds the M178 4.0-litre V8 Bi-Turbo, M157 5.5-litre V8 Bi-Turbo, and M275 6.0-litre L V12 Bi-Turbo.
AMG technicians working on their engines. When the day ends, the technician will cover the engine and resume the job during the next shift
This is where it gets interesting. One technician will be assigned one engine and they will build the entire thing from start to finish on a special trolley. During our visit, we watched an AMG technician piece together the crankshaft of a 4.0-litre engine. This technician will do it all, including topping up the fluids and taking the engine to various checkpoints. See, while there's this legendary handbuilt process going on, the computer-controlled checks are extraordinary. Each engine is checked for leaks and does a run on a cold-test bench to ensure everything has been bolted on correctly. If a technician has done something incorrectly, the system will detect it and so that it can be rectified.
The V8 engines, on average, take a few hours to complete, with the big V12s requiring a bit more time. If the working day ends before an AMG technician can complete his engine, they simply stop, cover it up and store it until the next day. If they go on leave, that engine will be stored until he returns. If they pass away (or quit their job, we guess), the engine is disassembled and the parts returned to stores and will make their way into other engines. It's a fanatical and zealous way of doing things, but it's helped to make AMG into what it is today. When an engine is complete, a signed plaque will be placed on the cover and this is one of the AMG signatures (pun intended) that has endeared the brand to its fans.
Take a virtual tour through the factory:
The mighty V12
These technicians aren't your run-of-the-mill engine builders. AMG runs an internship programme and it'll only take the best students. Each AMG technician has many years of experience under his or her belt. Yes, AMG has women engine builders in its assembly plant! However, the best of the best is a man named Michael Kübler. Kübler has to be the repeat winner of AMG's Most Valuable Employee. Why? Well, he's responsible for the assembly of the mighty V12 engine as well as the V8 engines used in the GT3 AMG race cars.
A twin-turbocharged V12 engine – the biggest and most powerful motor built by Mercedes-AMG.
While there is another technician who can assemble the V12 motor and an alternate technician who can construct the GT3 motors, he is the only one who can do both. He's a friendly and chatty guy, a complete petrolhead with a C63 as a company car. He's also switched on in terms of the digital world and boasts an Instagram following of almost 200 000. As soon as we were introduced, we asked, "Are you F1Mike28 (on Instagram)?" and proceeded to go full fanboy when he answered in the affirmative. Prior to this meeting, we'd chatted to Kübler each and every time we had an AMG model on test and he'd always pass a kind comment. Now he's someone who you'd want to represent your brand, wouldn't you?
This V12 engine is an extraordinary piece of engineering. It's a 6.0-litre twin turbocharged 12-cylinder and, compared with the V8s we'd seen being assembled, this is substantially larger. It has gut-wrenching levels of power: 463 kW and 1000 Nm are big numbers and there's so much shove that the torque is electronically limited to improve driveability and the associated transmission needed to be strengthened to cope with all that power. This V12 is not just a Mercedes-AMG motor; Italian supercar Pagani has been using it in its vehicles since 1999.
What about the future?
The age of big engines is coming to an end. As emissions laws become ever stricter, performance powerhouses like AMG will have to find new ways of satisfying its customers. Already we've seen downsized AMG products like the 45 models (powered by a 2.0-litre turbopetrol) and the 43 models (3.0-litre V6 turbopetrol), but what about the bigger and more powerful products? The trend suggests that electric assistance is one of the ways forward and Mercedes-AMG showcased its new hypercar as part of the 50-year celebrations.
It's going to be an insane thing called the AMG Project 1 hypercar. It makes extensive use of hybrid Formula One technology to generate a claimed output of more than 746 kW. It'll be breathtakingly fast, yet offer fuel consumption matching a normal A45 AMG. We'll see the finished production version at the Frankfurt Auto Show, which will be held in September 2017.
If this hypercar project gains momentum, we can expect to see the hybrid performance technology work its way through the entire AMG portfolio within a few years. We simply can't wait!
AMG unveiled its powertrain and chassis at its 50 year anniversary celebration held at the Nurburgring 24 hour race.
Nearly six months after we first drove the monster AMG E63 S, it has arrived in SA. You're in for R1.8 million to get your hands on one, but it's one helluva good drive.
Mercedes-Benz is currently launching the local versions of the AMG E63 S. The fire-breathing sedan has the super saloon market to itself for a bit as BMW's M5 is only due next year and the current one is no match for this 4Matic Merc from Affalterbach. Here's a quick recap of what makes the new E63 such a special piece of machinery.
Mercedes-AMG has launched the most powerful E-Class ever, the E63 S. We spent some time with it on the twisty roads in the Algarve and then punished it on the Portimao circuit in Portugal.
“We will only be getting the S model in SA,” says our Mercedes-Benz host, Shirle Greig. Let’s get that out of the way at the beginning, shall we? Mercedes-Benz South Africa expects most buyers to fork out the extra cash for the higher power outputs and better specced S model. That’s not a bad thing, because when you’re considering machinery of this calibre, you want the very best model that's going to offer you the most bang.
Most powerful E-Class
Despite decreasing the engine capacity from 5.5-litres to just 4.0-litres, the new E63 is even more powerful. There’s now 450 kW and 850 Nm available and that’s mental for a luxury, almost limousine-like sedan. Zero to 100 kph is dealt with in 3.4 seconds and it has to be electronically shackled at 250 kph. Dispense with the restraint by adding the AMG Drivers Package and the E63 S will hit 300kph.
Capacity of the new E63 has dropped from 5.5-litres to 4.0-litres but, it's even more powerful now.
It seems that the E63 isn’t happy about losing 1.5-litres worth of capacity and its complaints are notably vocal. Thumb the driving mode toggle into Sport or even Sport Plus and the engine and exhaust commence a brutal argument with each other. Lay into the throttle and the V8 snarls and crackles like a cornered tiger. As you come off the throttle, the exhaust retorts with its own depiction of a Highveld thunderstorm. It gets the pulse racing – and this, all whilst it’s standing in the parking lot of the Faro airport in Portugal.
Driving to the track
The road section from the airport to Portimao's circuit was an impressive stretch of seemingly endless squiggly tarmac, perfect for getting to grips with the handling of the new performance E-Class. Big news for the E63 is that it only comes in all-wheel-drive (4MATIC). For the first time,according to Mercedes, torque can now be distributed to the front and rear axles in a variable manner, improving the agility of the big sedan.
On the narrow, swooping corners, you can feel the system doing its best to improve turn-in and then, when you add power, quells understeer to keep a tight exit. It’s a confidence-inspiring drive and it feels like a tighter and more taught car than its size suggests.
The power figures imply this should be an absolute brute when you mash the throttle, but the chassis and new suspension setup work well in tandem to harness the power. It doesn’t slide or break traction when you boot it out of a corner and it’s very involving to point and squirt, brake hard, turn-in and then repeat. It’s certainly one of the most surprising drives I’ve had in a long time.
I'm sure once you engage Drift Mode and turn it into a purely rear-wheel-drive car, it will easily break traction at the rear and do the slidey stuff AMG is renowned for. The engine is also amazingly responsive to throttle inputs, showing no indication of turbo lag.
The big AMG impressed on the road with its eager engine and tight chassis.
The new sporty suspension is firm on the road but that’s something you would expect from an AMG-badged car. In Comfort mode, it’s easy enough to live with and bumps in the road don’t jar or unsettle the E63 much. In Sports mode, it stiffens up a bit more and you’ll want to aim for smooth-surfaced tarmac if you plan to use this mode often.
Track time
It wouldn’t be an AMG launch if there wasn’t a track involved, and what a track it was. Those of you who have watched the first episode of the Grand Tour know what I’m on about. I'm talking about the Portimao circuit and it’s laced with dramatic elevation changes and fast corners that lead into slow corners. The only thing it’s missing is a fast change of direction.
Portimao circuit is a serious test for any car, long corners and elevation changes makes it tough on cars.
We hit the limiter on the way into turn 1, that’s 250 kph before standing hard on the brakes. The E63 feels more stable and balanced under hard braking, allowing you to really tramp on the pedal, getting the most out of the deceleration. There’s surprisingly little body roll when you sling it into an apex and it seems more nimble on the front-end than most super sedans do. The difference between Sport and Sport Plus mode is quickly evident when you engage the power on corner exit.
Sport mode really cuts the throttle and will only allow maximum acceleration when the steering wheel is just about dead-straight. Sport Plus, however, gives you the power as soon as you jab at the throttle but then holds you back ever so slightly as it begins to break traction at the rear. There’s tons of grip at the rear so it doesn’t feel like you’re being held back all that much when the electronic traction control kicks in.
"Drift Mode" turns the E63 into a rear-wheel-drive machine.
The steering is excellently weighted and must be one of the best examples of electronic steering I’ve experienced. You get a superb feel for what the car is doing underneath you and the AMG is fast to respond to steering inputs. However, like Audi, there are too many buttons on the steering wheel, so your palms tend to press all the buttons when you’re correcting or making adjustments to the wheel. You can easily find yourself accidentally changing the instrument cluster theme or adding a new destination to the navigation whilst you’re trying to concentrate mid-corner, which is mildly annoying.
Summing up the big E
On performance car launches, the manufacturers pick the best roads that play to the car’s strengths and this was clearly evident here. The E63 S felt incredibly powerful, balanced and confident on sweeping roads. Then, when we took it to the track, it impressed further with its braking and crisp turn-in. The real test will be when it arrives in South Africa and ventures onto the roads we know so well. For now, it does seem to be a well put together super sedan with a fierce engine, teamed up with a chassis that’s capable of dealing with all the power and torque it kicks out.
Mercedes-AMG E63 S Pricing
Mercedes-Benz South Africa has already pencilled in pricing for the E63 S – the only model it will be bringing in. It’s a hefty R1 849 900 excluding CO2 tax and will only land here by around June 2017, so start saving now!
Peugeot will be introducing an Africa-only double-cab bakkie, simply called the Pick Up. Could/should Peugeot South Africa be convinced to launch it in the local market?
The Pick Up will only be sold in Africa and is set to go on sale in September. Whether it will ever be available in South Africa is a mystery: Peugeot South Africa said it wouldn't bring the newcomer to the market "at the moment", yet Peugeot CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato tweeted that Peugeot was making a strong comeback in Africa and tagged Peugeot SA in his tweet, which certainly raised a few eyebrows! The Pick Up appears to be specially built for North and West Sub-Saharan Africa so we speculate it could be for left-hand drive markets only.
What we know about the Pick Up
It’s exclusively available in double-cab guise and likely to target the bottom end of the segment, possibly along the lines of the Fiat Fullback or even below that, to compete with Chinese and Indian offerings. Think of it as a double-cab workhorse bakkie, more than a lifestyle vehicle.
It has a 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine with 85 kW and 250 Nm of torque. It’s also available in 4×2 and 4×4 with a low-range gearbox. The gearbox is only available as a 5-speed manual.
Ground clearance is reasonable at between 210 and 215 mm. The load bay length measures 1.40 metres long by 1.39 metres wide and has a load capacity of 815 kg.
In order to target that lower end of the double cab market, it’s not quite as luxurious as the current leisure bakkies, but has a decent amount of standard kit. Manual air-conditioning, electric windows, radio/CD with USB and auxiliary input capabilities can be expected.
In terms of safety, it is equipped with ABS, EBD and dual front airbags.
The price of both petrol and diesel is likely to drop from July if things stay steady until the month end.
The price of petrol is expected to drop between 60 and 64 cents per litre from the beginning of July. The AA announced its predictions after mid-month data showed that the price of oil has dropped by around 8 percent since the beginning of June. The Rand had held firm until that point in the month, which should reflect a 60 cent drop in diesel and a 57 cent drop for illuminating paraffin.
The AA was quoted as saying "The Rand remained mostly stable against the US dollar in the first half of June, with strength in the currency contributing three cents a litre to the drop," "The big move was from oil, which shrugged off OPEC's production quotas to drop by around eight percent since the start of the month."
The predictions were made prior to the June 19 announcement by the Public Protector that recommended changes to the constitution. The rand has since lost 1.4% against the US Dollar, which will no doubt diminish the drop in the fuel price somewhat.
The XC60 is a hugely important model for Volvo. Not only is it the best-selling model in the Swedish brand’s lineup, but it is also the best-selling car in its segment in Europe. We attended the global launch of the XC60 in Barcelona, Spain, and our first impressions can be seen in our video below.
We’d like to take you through some of the most important aspects of the new XC60 which will be heading to South Africa in 2018.
1. Arrival date and pricing in South Africa
The XC60 will arrive in South Africa in Q2 of 2018 and pricing is yet to be confirmed.
While this is likely to be the information you’re most keen on learning, unfortunately, we don’t have very specific information at this time. Volvo SA has committed to launching the car locally in Q2 of 2018, which is manufacturer-speak for “we’re not exactly sure when we’ll finally get our stock”. We’re expecting a local launch in the April-to-June window next year.
Volvo’s local representatives were even less concrete about pricing. Again, we can speculate, and we expect the XC60 to be priced around key rivals such as the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Land Rover Discovery Sport. We do know that the local XC60 will represent value for money in terms of specification which will include a fully digital instrument display, Sensus touchscreen infotainment system and electric front seats will be fitted as standard across the range.
2. Engines and drivetrains
Buyers in South Africa will have the choice between 2 petrol and 2 diesel engines when the XC60 arrives in 2018.
Volvo has made a concerted effort to streamline the engines available across their product portfolio; essentially you can have any engine you like as long as it’s a turbocharged 4-cylinder 2-litre. Additionally, all XC60's sold in South Africa will feature all-wheel drive, with power sent through a Geartronic 8-speed automatic transmission. All of the brand’s engines will be available in our market, but the T8 hybrid variant, however, is still under consideration and we suspect it might prove to be too pricey to be truly competitive. Two petrol and two diesel engines will be available in four states of tune:
T6 turbo petrol: 235kW, 400Nm
T5 turbo petrol: 187kW, 350Nm
D5 turbo diesel: 173kW, 480Nm
D4 turbo diesel: 140kW, 400Nm
Interestingly, the engines are not detuned from those found in the XC90 for application in the XC60. That means, with less weight to contend with, the engines feel less strained – addressing one of the issues we had with the XC90. Hopefully, in the real world, they’ll prove to be more economical too.
At the global launch in Spain, we sampled the T6 petrol and D5 diesel, with the diesel proving to be our pick of the bunch. With exceptional refinement and impressively low noise levels, coupled with smooth acceleration thanks to Volvo’s unique PowerPulse system, it's the variant we’d happily live with.
The T6 petrol, while offering more than adequate power, did not seem to offer the same smooth, seamless experience as the diesel. On first impressions, it felt like the motor and the transmission were slightly at odds, but further testing will be conducted when we get our hands on the car on local soil.
3. Best-in-class Interior
Taking direction from the XC90 and S90, the XC60's interior is top-notch in terms of execution and comfort.
If you are at all familiar with the XC90 or the new S90, the XC60’s interior is nothing new. However, the execution and overall feel is exceptional and we would argue that it's best-in-class. With clean, uncluttered surfaces, dominated by the company’s award winning and intuitive Sensus touchscreen infotainment system, the cabin is light, spacious and comfortable. The front seats are particularly comfortable and rear seat passengers are treated to their own climate control, optional heated seats and a very handy 240V outlet socket, which saved us a few times on our launch drive.
The loading area is sizable if a little short on depth compared with the XC90, but that is to be expected in what is ultimately a smaller car. However, on the launch it swallowed 4 medium-sized suitcases with space to spare.
4. Significant safety updates
The XC60 is fitted with a host of safety features that will soon be found on other Volvo models.
The XC60 now carries the torch as Volvo’s most advanced car, with new safety systems debuting on this model which will be rolled out across the Volvo stable in due course. In addition to Volvo’s PilotAssist, which will steer the car between clear lane markings at up to 130 kph, and control the car in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the XC60 offers a variety of systems which help in mitigating or avoiding accident situations.
Blind spot information with steering assist adds to the existing blind spot monitoring system. In addition to warning the driver of a car approaching in his or her blindspot, the car will now gently steer the car back into the correct lane if it detects an imminent collision.
Oncoming lane mitigation monitors if the Volvo is drifting into the opposite lane and if it detects oncoming traffic, it will gently steer the vehicle into the correct lane. This system is always active but works when lane keep assist is switched off.
If the City Safety with steering support detects an imminent collision with a slow-moving vehicle, pedestrian or large animal in the car’s path, and the driver initiates a swerve to avoid the object, the system will kick in to assist the driver in executing the maneuver safely, by providing steering support and alternatively braking the inside and outside wheels to maintain stability.
To see all of these systems in action, watch our first drive review of the XC60 here:
5. More onboard technology
New technology has also been added to the infotainment system. Volvo has partnered with Google to provide full search functionality. With access to the whole of Google, users should be able to find their desired destination with ease. One touch will then add that destination to the car’s navigation system. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are now also included as standard, however, bear in mind that Google has not authorised Android Auto for South Africa at this stage – an issue which affects all manufacturers. Tune-in and Spotify apps are also pre-loaded.
Volvo's Sensus infotainment system operates like a tablet and is intuitive and easy to use.
Important to note here is that Volvo has not at this stage committed to offering a connected vehicle service in South Africa, which would ordinarily provide a constant internet connection using a local mobile network. For SA motorists, there is the option to create a hotspot for the car, via either your smartphone or a mobile WiFi device. The car will then use this internet connection to provide the services mentioned above. The car can also be connected to your home WiFi in order to execute software updates.
See how Volvo is working closely with Google on its in-car connectivity systems
Chinese Cars: The (not-so-obvious) Barriers to Wider Acceptance
Several well-known brands are under severe pressure in South Africa, with General Motors having recently announced a shock exit, taking Chevrolet with it. In contrast, it would appear that some Chinese brands are preparing a second onslaught in South Africa. To be more successful this time round, however, there are 3 things they need to get right first…
I remember way back in 2007, when the first Chinese test vehicles passed through my hands, the prediction made by some observers that the Chinese car industry would do in 5 years what took the Korean marques 10, and the Japanese 20. Only a really in-depth analysis will prove that hypothesis either way, but I think most will agree that the Chinese car brands have largely failed to deliver within an export-market context. They certainly have not made meaningful impact in South Africa… well, not recently, anyway.
Why?
Well, along the way product quality was a serious issue, as was consistent and quality dealership support. It will still take time before consumers are completely convinced that the latter aspect has been remedied (if, indeed, it has), but the product has, for the biggest part, progressed in leaps and bounds. There are however 3 other matters that stand between Chinese cars and greater acceptance.
Do you own a Chinese vehicle? Please tell us what you think of it as well as the service you have received, by completing this in-depth survey. It will greatly assist us in giving accurate buying advice to South African consumers.
Problem 1: Product lag
We tend to judge car companies by the products they put on the market. It's only natural. Back in 2007, several of the brands delivered acceptable products given their price points, while most were, frankly speaking, only barely preferable to walking. The atrocious Chana Benni remains a vivid memory, mostly because when I close my eyes and try really hard, I can still recall its nose-hair singeing chemical stench.
Chinese cars have moved on considerably since the days of the atrocious Chana Benni. Thank goodness…
Many South Africans were, however, prepared to cut the Chinese brands' marginal build quality some slack, as long as their models' asking prices were right, and a few brands did reasonably brisk business in South Africa during the early years of introduction, most notably GWM with its bakkies, Geely and Chery (primarily with the cheap QQ budget car). This, in turn, lured a few more to the market, unfortunately with limited support. A number of those have come and gone, including CMC, Lifan, Hafei and others. Undoubtedly these poorly supported "fly-by-night" operations hurt the chances of the more serious challengers and reinforced the perception that buying Chinese was akin to flushing money down the loo.
Nevertheless, the first few years were quite promising, with a number of brands finding traction. By around 2013/2014, however, the impact of Chinese brands in South Africa had diminished greatly. Partly due to exchange rate difficulties, as well as rising manufacturing costs in China, the attractive price advantage had eroded too much for local consumers to favour Chinese products over established brands' wares. Besides… the market never stands still, and it seemed as if Chinese products, in fact, couldn't keep up the expected rate of improvement despite initial hopes of fast progress. Instead, there was a lack of new introductions and most Chinese offerings appeared outdated, even at relatively lower price points.
Recently launched in SA, the Haval H2 is arguably the first Chinese product to compete in terms of product ability and quality with the market leaders.
When I first travelled to China in 2013, however, it became clear that what we as South Africans believed to be representative of modern-day Chinese cars were worlds apart from what was the case in China. Case in point… I sat in the Haval H2, now freshly launched and receiving widespread acclaim, for the first time in July/August 2013. That's just about 4 years ago… Most European or Japanese brands launch their fresh offerings in South Africa within a few months from their international market introductions. It has taken the H2 nearly 4 years to arrive… Now imagine the potential impact had the H2 gone on sale in South Africa during 2014, prior to the recent sales boom and product expansion in the compact crossover segment.
I recently revisited China to attend the Shanghai Auto Show. It was truly a case of two worlds. Several of the big Chinese brands are now making attractive cars and SUVs, while only a few remain stuck in the "copy/paste" & low-quality mode of operation. But the point is that "product" is not the biggest problem. The best Chinese brands now produce cars that can, in pure "showroom appeal" terms, compare with anything from Korea, Germany or Japan. It is just that the Chinese brands take too long to get these new products to overseas markets. The all-new Haval H6, launched in Shanghai, is a striking machine that looks every bit as appealing as its foreign rivals, but it's not destined for South Africa in the near future.
And that's a big mistake. Again.
The latest Chinese-market Chery Tiggo 7 is world's removed from what is offered in South Africa.
Haval, however, is by no means the only culprit. Chery makes some very attractive products, such as the latest Arrizo 7 sedan and Tiggo 7 SUV, but we in South Africa are still offered the relatively ancient J2, J3 and Tiggo models, not to mention the archaic QQ. New market arrival, BAIC, may indeed be doing the commendable thing by building a factory in Mzansi, but it chose one of its older products, the D20, to lead its charge into the local market. Instead, perhaps, the X25 compact crossover would have found more immediate favour.
If China wants to replicate in the car world what it has done with smartphones (see Huawei, for example), then it needs to follow the same approach. Give us the latest products, good quality and competitive pricing. The product is there. Just give it to us.
The BAIC X25 will compete in the booming compact crossover segment, when it eventually reaches South Africa.
Problem 2: Poor communication
Let's be clear about this… the leading Chinese car brands are doing fine without achieving significant export market penetration. Last year Haval sold a million vehicles, and in the annual Brand Finance report (issued recently), it was listed as the second most valuable SUV brand in the world, behind Land Rover and ahead of Mahindra and Jeep. Perhaps most tellingly, it ranked as the "World's Most Powerful" SUV brand in the same report, with this metric taking factors such as home-market popularity, growth prospects and revenues into account.
In the overall brands' rankings (by Value), China's Geely occupies 24th place (up from 61), Haval has moved into 30th place (just ahead of Tesla) having previously not even appeared on the list at all, while BAIC has risen from 59th to get into 50th place. So… the Chinese are coming, there's no doubt about it.
Now, image if they managed to crack the export markets…
Geely, which owns Volvo and recently introduced its new Lynk&Co. sub-brand (above), is now the 24th most valuable automotive brand in the world.
To do this, however, there needs to be a serious change in the manner in which brands communicate with their export markets, not only in terms of the liaison between the Chinese firms and their local importers and/or distributers, but also how involved (or not) they are with marketing products in those markets… poorly written/translated documents/pamphlets/web pages and press releases abound; all too often Chinese brands' sales brochures are inaccurate and seemingly translated by feeding the originals into Baidu and just hitting "print".
Having worked for a Chinese car company before, I can attest to the fact that supplied marketing material is often incompatible with local requirements and norms. It's a problem that doesn't only affect the sales collateral that an importer or distributor can use, but also breaks the connection with the end consumer. In fact, very often there is no clear communication at all! Note that the BAIC South African website still does not list any dealers, even though it launched its first product with much fanfare (including attractive pricing) in April! At the launch itself, the D20 on display showed impressive build quality, so once again the product is promising, but the garbled communication to the media and the market a missed opportunity.
The BAIC D20 looks well-built and the pricing is good, but where do you buy one?
In short then, while Chinese brands should communicate their positioning strategies clearly and early enough with local importers/distributors, it should allow those with localised market knowledge to handle the marketing messaging etc. Alternatively one ends up with clumsy slogans such as BAIC's "The better and ingenious choice" or phrases such as "create a nice mood" in Haval's H2 brochure. This may all seem very petty and unimportant, but it perpetuates the perception that Chinese products are "cheap" and somewhat laughable – surely the re-writing and proofreading skills of a first-language editor can't be too expensive to procure?
Problem 3: Going against the market standard
Closely related to problem number 2 is most Chinese brands' belief that they don't have to fall in line with accepted (localised) industry norms. A major area of consumer concern or mistrust in Chinese vehicles cars remains crash safety ratings. Telling consumers in export markets that a new Chinese product has a 5-star Chinese crash rating is arguably causing more harm than good. The accepted standard, quite simply, is EuroNCAP… So, even though Chinese cars are not widely distributed in Europe, the legacy of historically poor crash safety (as vividly displayed in a variety of Youtube crash videos), will not be countered until Chinese cars are submitted for crash testing to EuroNCAP and perform well. Geely submitted its Emgrand EC7 in 2011 and performed reasonably well (see video above). There is no reason why current Chinese vehicles shouldn't do well in EuroNCAP.
Conclusion
Now that the best Chinese products can compete in quality terms, the platform from which to launch a more successful export market assault is much more stable. But producing quality vehicles was the easy part. Chinese brands now have to ensure that the latest products become available in export markets soon after their Chinese introductions and that export market distributors have (relative) autonomy to communicate the strengths of these products with their localised media and consumers.
At the same time, Chinese brands need to take ownership of the ways in which their products (and brands) are distributed through dealership networks in their export markets. The necessary quality checks and consumer service are absolutely crucial to change the negative perception that still lingers. Attractive products and a good purchasing propositions might get consumers into the showroom, but only exceptional service and fuss-free ownership will get them to come back.
Hyundai Kona under consideration for SA [with Video]
Having secured immediate sales success with the Creta, Hyundai South Africa is considering the local introduction of the Kona, which could slot in between the Indian-built Creta family car and the ever popular Tucson.
Built on a scaled version of the Korean manufacturer's latest compact car platform, the Kona carries on the Hyundai tradition of naming its SUVs after American destinations. "With the Kona, we have created a stylish and highly functional compact SUV, perfectly suited to the needs of customers who pursue challenging, action-filled lifestyles," said Euisun Chung, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company. "We aim to set new standards for the compact SUV segment, with appealing design, cutting-edge connectivity and class-leading safety features."
Compared with the Creta (also known as the ix25 in some markets), the Kona features bolder crossover-flavoured-hatchback styling and the entire package is altogether more upmarket. Apart from the obligatory dark plastic cladding, the "floating" roof is in a contrasting colour and the front lighting consists of a triple stack of LEDs, which looks very futuristic (the running lights sit at the top of the nose, with the main beams under them). Despite its high-tech good looks, Hyundai claims the new Kona will be very capable in low-grip road conditions; standard versions will be front-wheel driven, but top derivatives will be offered with all-wheel drive configuration.
Kona looks to be a stylish yet practical B-segment SUV. Petrol and diesel engines are available.
This segment of the market prides itself on customisation and the Hyundai Kona offers a number of colour variations and combinations. The two-tone roof is a nice touch. There were no interior shots to accompany this article, but Hyundai claims the Kona has best-in-class interior space, which if true, will give it a competitive edge.
Powertrain
The Hyundai Kona is assembled on an all-new compact platform which is designed to give owners a proper SUV experience, which means an elevated driving position and substantial ground clearance. Kona will be offered with a choice of either petrol or diesel engines, and four-wheel drive is available, but not standard across the range. Some of the engines include:
2.0-liter petrol engine produces 110 kW and 179 Nm. 0-100kph in 10 seconds and a top speed of 194 kph. It comes with a six-speed automatic transmission.
1.6T-GDI engine boasts 130kW and 265 Nm and it's possible to do a 0-100kph in 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 210kph. A 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (7DCT) is standard.
1.0 T-GDI turbocharged three-cylinder engine with six-speed manual transmission and has 88 kW and 172 Nm. \
Technology
It's not confirmed for SA as yet, but we'd be surprised if it didn't come to our market.
The Hyundai Kona features a premium infotainment system which offers various advanced connectivity features, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It can be specified with a 5-, 7- or 8-inch display (offered as standard or option dependent on market). Further options include DAB digital radio (Europe), HD Radio (North America), rear view camera display, and 4G telematics (North America) for connectivity. A head-up display and a wireless charging pad are also fitted.
The newcomer has been earmarked for right-hand-drive markets (Australia will receive the Kona by September), but not the Africa-Middle East region (under which South Africa falls) – at least not yet. However, considering how briskly the local compact family car segment is growing, we'd think it could fare better (sales-wise) than the upcoming i30 compact hatchback!
