MZANSI CAR SALES ON THE UP

April 2013 proved to be a great month for vehicle salesin South Africa. The Mzansi market saw 34 346 new passenger cars sold, which was a 16.4% increase to the April 2012 sales figure. Overall some 50 920 vehicles were sold, including light commercial and heavy commercials. At these sort of rates we are looking at another 600 000-plus market for the year.

While the 600 000 number looks likely, some industry experts are cautioning against the early popping of the bubbly. They reckon the weaker rand will make cars less affordable, and therefore slow things down in the coming months.

“The new car market is likely to come under pressure in the coming months due the weakening rand. The market will however continue to be supported by the replacementdemand, low interest rates, highly competitive trading environment and ongoing introduction of new models,” said Mike Glendinning, Director: Sales and Marketing at Volkswagen Group South Africa.

“Sales have grown by 7.5% in the year to date and we expect it to continue at this pace or slightly lower for the remainder of the year,” says Calvyn Hamman, Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors.

TOP 10 SELLING PASSENGER CARS: APRIL 2013
Model                              (Units)
1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo (2 231)
2. Volkswagen Polo (1 828)
3. Toyota Etios (1 581)
4. Ford Figo (1 163)
5. BMW 3 Series (1 127)
6. Mercedes-Benz C-Class (857) 
7. Toyota Fortuner (852)
8. Ford Fiesta (718)
9. Toyota Corolla (702)
10. Volkswagen Golf 7 (551)

TOP 10 SELLING LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES: APRIL 2013
Model                  (Units)
1. Toyota Hilux (3 227)
2. Ford Ranger (1 787)
3. Chevrolet Utility (1 628) 
4. Toyota Quantum (1 354)
5. Nissan NP200 (1 348)
6. Isuzu KB (1 047)
7. Volkswagen Amarok (589)
8. Nissan NP300 Hardbody (390)
9. Mazda BT-50 (205)
10. Toyota Land Cruiser Pick Up (196)

Post Title → MZANSI CAR SALES ON THE UP

HONDA GOES TO KENYA

Honda Motor Southern Africa (HSAF) has confirmed its expansion into sub-Saharan Africa with the official opening of a brand new Honda automotive facility in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. 

The new dealership is located in a dedicated facility on Mombasa Road which underwent a comprehensive upgrade to meet Honda’s stringent standards. 

Opening the facility this week, Honda’s Chief Operating Officer for Europe, the Middle and Near East, and Africa, Manabu Nishimae, said emerging economies such as Africa, China, India and the Middle East had become the driving force of the world economy.

Honda opened a regional East African office in Kenya in August 2011 to better understand local customer needs and identify the right partners to serve the Kenyan market.  

Nishimae added that Honda has established research and development facilities worldwide to ensure its products meet the needs and requirements of its customers in both emerging and developed markets.

“As a result, we were able to deliver 15.4-million motorcycles, 6.1-million power products and 3.8-million automobiles to more than 25 million Honda customers worldwide. By expanding its reach into markets like this one, we hope to increase that count to 39 million customers by 2016.”

The dealership is being operated by TransAfrica Motors (TAM), a Dubai-based industrial conglomerate with a wide range of interests, including four commercial vehicle dealerships in Kenya. TAM will run the Honda dealership as a separate division within the company.

“This new dealership has the infrastructure and the trained staff to provide the ownership experience Honda customers have come to expect around the world,” Nishimae added.

“We will provide wide-ranging support for the new venture as far as product and parts supply, parts training, and operating systems are concerned. This will allow the facility to combine new-car sales with a full service and parts offering to support existing Honda owners in Kenya.”

The new facility provides access to a wide range of Honda’s latest and most advanced vehicles. These include: Honda Brio – a compact but spacious hatchback, Honda Jazz – renowned for its space, versatility and fuel economy, Honda Ballade – compact and economical family sedan, Honda Civic – available in hatch and sedan versions to meet customer needs, Honda Accord – executive sedan with class-leading performance and dynamics, Honda Freed – versatile and spacious family MPV and Honda CR-V – newly launched, fourth-generation of this popular compact SUV.

“We believe that our product line-up for the Kenyan market will meet the requirements and expectations of customers, and we look forward to introducing more exciting new products to this region in the future,” Nishimae concluded.

STORY BY HONDA

Post Title → HONDA GOES TO KENYA

NISSAN BACK ON TARGET WITH SALES

Nissan South Africa has kicked off its 2013 Financial Year (April 2013 to March 2014) with an April 2013 performance which puts it firmly on track to meet its medium-term targets.

The company, which manufactures and markets the Nissan and Infiniti brands, met its short-term targets despite Tiida now being well into its run-out phase and supply constraints on the perennially popular NP200 half-tonner. The latter sold 1 348 units – well over forecast - to maintain a strong presence in the segment.

The most significant feature of the month though was the exceptionally high percentage of total sales which came from the Nissan dealers, with 90.9 percent attributed to the 117-strong retail network. This is higher than the industry average and the highest percentage in 28 months.

Says Johan Kleynhans, Nissan South Africa’s Sales, Marketing and Aftersales  Director:“The sterling work done at dealer level in April echoes that of March, and the message from them is clear: give us more cars and we will sell them. Like Nissan South Africa they’re looking forward to a bumper 2013 Financial Year, and all the necessary infrastructure is in place to meet the demand which will be created by new product introductions.” 

Since 2008 Nissan has doubled its market share, and in 2012 increased volumes by over 10 000 units versus 2011, to grow by 25.2 percent in a market which was up by 8.6 percent.   

“We’re proud to be making a positive contribution to Nissan’s Power 88 global plan, which is to claim eight percent of the market – or 8-million vehicles - by end of March 2017,” Kleynhans continues. “There is certainly growth in the years ahead and last year total industry volume was up by two percent to 80-million cars. However, it is interesting to note that the real growth lies in the developing markets – for example, Nissan sold a million cars in China in last year. 

“Viewed in that context South Africa – and Africa - remains an important part of the overall picture, and our objective is to account for 11 percent of the Africa market by the end of Financial Year 2016.”

STORY BY NISSAN

Post Title → NISSAN BACK ON TARGET WITH SALES

2014 PORSCHE 911 TURBO AND TURBO S BREAK OUT!

Porsche’s new 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S have been unveiled. The two new kings of the 911 range come attached with the “most” labels, including the widest, fastest, quickest and most powerful prefixes attached to them.

Starting with the 911 Turbo, which uses the same 3.8-litre direct injection bi-turbo flat six engine for its 383kWbetween 6000rpm and 6500rpm. Maximum torque is 660Nm between 1950rpm and 5000rpm, but can reach an overboosted figure of 710Nm. Paired with the company 7-speed PDK (double clutch) gearbox, the 911 Turbo can sprint from 0 – 100km/h in a mere 3.2 seconds, reaching a top speed of 318km/h. Turbo S comes with pretty much the same configuration, except that its wield is 412kW (700Nm, with 750Nm overboost function) and 3.1 seconds to the sprint. Average fuel consumption is 9.7 litres per 100km, thanks to items like start/stop technology.

All four wheels are active in all these applications, since the cars are all-wheel-drive (AWD). Porsche says the Turbo S can lap the North Loop of the Nürburgring in “well under 7:30 minutes”.

The cars are fitted with standard 20-inch wheels, while the chassis is of a new, lighter design, featuring optional ceramic brakes. Handling was improved through some steering wheel trickery. The steering angle of the rear wheels can be varied by up to 2.8 degrees, depending on vehicle speed. At speeds up to 50 km/h, when the front wheels are turned the system steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction. At speeds above 80 km/h, the system steers the rear wheels parallel to the turned front wheels. This is equivalent to a virtual lengtheningof the wheelbase by a significant 500 mm and gives the sports car tremendous stability, especially at high speeds.

The interior features lots of hi-tech, such as the standard BOSEsound system, with Burmester being an option. Active cruise control, a speed limiting function, road sign recognition and others are among other features.

Post Title → 2014 PORSCHE 911 TURBO AND TURBO S BREAK OUT!