OPEL SUDDENLY QUITS AUSTRALIA

Bad news coming from Down Under (not related to the fact that their cricket team is being hammered at the Ashes) is that General Motors is pulling the Opel brand out of the country. And it’s only been 11 monthssince it arrived. Up until September 2012, GM had Holden holding things down, under. Then it decided to introduce the premium Opel into that market, with an annual sales target of 15 000.

But alas, in 2012 the company only managed to sell 541 vehicles and was on track to deliver over 1 000 units at the end of this year. That’s not enough to make a strong business case and thus GM it seems, really had no choice but to pull Opel out of the Australian market. As it is in South Africa, the Opel brand seems to be priced higher than its equivalent rivals and that appears to have been the main problem.

Back at home, Opel is not making big splashes either. But whether this could lead to a pull-out as well is yet unknown. To be fair though, Opel has been in Mzansi for over 25 yearsas opposed to the 11-month Australian experiment.

Post Title → OPEL SUDDENLY QUITS AUSTRALIA

405KW NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT RS RUMOURED

We recently reported on an upcoming Range Rover Evoque RS, the high-performance baby model from Land Rover. But now it seems the new Range RoverSport is not to be left behind either. Previous (or actually current) generation has the Superchargedmodel with 375kW as its flagship. No more. A Range Rover Sport RS is coming.

Propelled by the company’s hardworking 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, the Range Sport RS is said to be able to wield about 405kW, which will make it quite a formidablerival to the BMW X6 M, Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG and Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Not only is the engine a close match for the Germans, but the car itself has gone running and lost some weight. So the combination of fewer kilogrammes and more kiloWatts should see it becoming a very serious contender in the segment.

So serious in fact that Land Rover is apparently asking for a 0 – 100km/h time of 4.6 secondsfrom the engineers. That’s about BMW M5/ Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG/ Jaguar XFR quick.

Post Title → 405KW NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT RS RUMOURED

MANDELA ARREST REENACTED ON FILM

On 5 August 1962, Nelson Mandela was arrested by apartheid security forces on the R103, outside the town of Howick – just outside of Pietermaritzburg in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa. Today, 51 years later, we remember this defining moment South Africa's history which changed the course of the country's liberation struggle.

This arrest was dramatically recreated in the film Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom which is based on Mandela’s autobiography. The image you see here is from the film and depicts the arrest with Idris Elba playing Nelson Mandela and Grant Swanby as Sergeant Vorster.  This scene was shot a short distance away from the arrest site.

Post Title → MANDELA ARREST REENACTED ON FILM

SPECIAL TOYOTA HILUX DAKAR EDITION RELEASED

Toyota South Africais celebrating its amazing successes at the Dakar race (two podium finishes in the past two races) by launching a Hilux Dakar Edition. Before you get too excited, this car is really nothing like the Hilux that Toyota prepares for the race. Nevertheless it has a strong spirituallink at least, if not a heritageone.

Dakar Edition kit is available for all three body types, that is, single cab, Xtra cab and double cab. Some of the stuff that Toyota have come up to create this special edition includes things like stainless steel nudge bar, rear styling bar and side steps, all featuring the Dakar logo. “Sporty” smokey grey alloy wheels add to the standout attitude, as are colour-coded side mirrors and door handles. Engines and power outputs remain the same.

Inside not much has changed, except the fitment of a reversing camera for Xtra and double cab variants, black leather seats and door inserts with red stitching and a set of matching carpets.

The Toyota Hilux Dakar Edition will only be available up to September.

Post Title → SPECIAL TOYOTA HILUX DAKAR EDITION RELEASED