Author:charleen-clarke
Ford Trucks is tangibly demonstrating its intention to conquer the lucrative European truck market with a European tour for the F-Max, the 2019 International Truck of the Year. The truck has gone on an eight-country tour, while its manufacturer is working hard on expanding its dealership and after-sales network in Western Europe. Ford Trucks is already successful in the Middle East, parts of Africa, Russia and Turkic Republics – but now it has its eye set on Europe. A spokesman […]
MAN Truck & Bus has received not one, but two sought-after iF Design Awards. The first accolade, the iF Design Award 2019 in the “Automobiles/Vehicles/Bikes” category, was awarded to the new MAN Lion’s City bus. The MAN CitE fully electric concept distribution truck, on the other hand, scooped the iF Gold Award in the “Professional Concept Mobility” category, leaving behind other top-class design studies in the passenger car and motorcycle business. It’s not hard to see why the MAN CitE, […]
Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz won the 2019 South African Car of the Year (COTY) competition with the current range-topping A-Class, the A250. Cyberstoep’s Charleen Clarke was a judge in the competition but, while I was unable to get my hands on an A250, this A200 arrived soon thereafter for me to sample… Immediately, certain aspects of the A200 made it clear why its bigger brother – a Golf GTI competitor – was a strong contender for the COTY crown. But, […]
Haval has launched its fifth and largest SUV into the South African market – the H9, which takes on the popular Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Isuzu mu-X. It’s big, green (well, this one is) and very good value for money … but, up against this armada of super-stiff competition, does the H9 have what it takes to follow in the impressive footsteps of its smaller H6 C and H2 siblings launched over the past few years? […]
With the departure from the South African market of General Motors last year, Isuzu was left without a home. One of the country’s most loved brands, there was no way that it or its customers could have been left in the lurch, and so Isuzu Motors of Japan stepped in and bought the local firm; forming Isuzu Motors Southern Africa. The brand’s market-leading truck division and its beloved KB range of bakkies was saved (the KB subsequently being renamed to […]
The market for sub-compact sedans is a small one; in addition to this Honda Amaze (which replaces the Brio Amaze), there’s the Suzuki Dzire and the Baic (pronounced “bike”) D20. This also means that the market for these vehicles is defined … young families looking for an inexpensive starter, or retirees looking for value for money and a compact package in the last car they are likely to own. The Amaze covers both needs quite well… What can I expect […]
Even though its four years into its lifecycle, the Kia Sportage range of mid-sized SUVs has received rolling updates and model enhancements to allow it to keep pace with the ever-expanding array of competitors and better align it with customer needs and wants. The latest range of updates has been the most comprehensive yet and with it has come the introduction of a new entry-level Sportage; the 1.6 GDI Ignite. A true value proposition, the 1.6 Ignite may seem basic, […]
Bauma 2019 smashed all its records – from the number of visitors to the floor space occupied. I braved the crowds (and, believe me, this was no easy task) and tried to get a reasonable overview of the event. I use the word “reasonable” because, in order to fully take in the show, you need to be there all day for each of the seven show days: bauma (always spelt with a lower case “b” for some unknown reason) is massive! […]
There was a time when the Subaru WRX was at the head of the pack when it came to bang-for-buck performance saloons. Sure, there was the hardcore STi and buyers could also have looked at a range of German super-saloons for their high-performance four-door kicks – but the WRX didn’t sacrifice much in the way of outright speed and handling combined with usable, everyday practicality. Of course, it had the brawny image, too, but, as the naughties progressed hot hatches […]
Here it is, folks; one of the most criminally underrated SUV on sale in South Africa. In March 2019, Subaru South Africa sold just 41 of these new Foresters, while Mazda sold 407 CX-5s, VW sold 447 Tiguans, and Toyota sold 715 new RAV4s. Sure, each of these is a brilliant car in its own right – and there are others in the segment that are just as underrated: the Peugeot 3008 and Opel Grandland X spring to mind, but […]
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