Author:charleen-clarke
Hyundai calls its new Kona crossover “beautiful” and “perky” … I’m not sure I’d go that far, but one thing is for certain – this is Hyundai breaking out of its conservative mould and into a bold new world of design! Indeed, in the ultra-competitive C-segment SUV/crossover arena, the Kona will have to stand out to make a real impression… Looking rugged, bold, eye-catching – alienistic – stand out it does! Muscular haunches and strong character lines are interplayed with […]
Three and a half out of ten, that’s what I rated Datsun’s original GO back in 2015. It was so lacking that my suggestion was to rather buy something second hand… In the ensuing years, though, the market has changed significantly, with many new competitors entering the entry-level segment – and prices going up (as with everything in recent years). Nissan South Africa knew, therefore, that it had to ensure the updated GO addressed all its previous issues and offered […]
Daimler let its incredible Urbanetic, which we first saw at the 2018 IAA in Hannover, lose on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip during the Consumer Electronics Show. Needless to say, it attracted a massive amount of attention. That was primarily because the vehicle looks so funky. However, the technology inside this vehicle study is even more incredible. Naturally, it is autonomous (dah, that’s obvious nowadays). It also runs on a battery-electric drive (another dah to that, because it’s also hardly breaking […]
As part of its activities at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Daimler Trucks hired the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and let us loose on and around the track … in order to experience its latest (and most definitely greatest) North American truck and bus/coach range. Daimler Trucks is aiming to offer the widest electric commercial vehicle product range in North America (out of all the original equipment manufacturers). Accordingly, the bulk of the test vehicles – the […]
Sophie Punte, executive director of the Smart Freight Centre, has a dream. She would like to “green” the global supply chain. CHARLEEN CLARKE went face to face with her and asked her how she planned to achieve this. Have you always been an environmental champion? Yes, when I was 21, I travelled to India and I returned a changed person. I discovered that the environment needed to be protected and I decided to dedicate my life to this cause. I […]
The Ford Ranger is consistently among the top-selling bakkies in South Africa (every so often it claims the top spot for the month) and, with a model range of more than 25 vehicles, there is certainly something to suit every buyer and application. In but a few months’ time a new series of Ranger will be launched locally, with new models and a new generation of engines. We thought, then, that this would be the perfect opportunity to get reacquainted […]
Peugeot has reimagined its 308 and repositioned it – whittling the range down to one high-value model, the 308 Allure 1,2 THP (with manual or auto gearbox). In a segment dominated by the ever-brilliant Golf and packed full with a host of new competitors, that are more determined than ever to have a piece of the Golf pie, the lone 308 has a tough fight on its hands. What can I expect from the 308? Peugeot has given the 308 […]
Incredibly, after years of hoo-ha surrounding the topic of platooning, the concept has been ditched by the world’s biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles! This revelation came from Martin Daum, member of the board of management of Daimler AG with responsibility for Daimler Trucks & Buses, who was addressing the world’s commercial vehicle media at a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Daum told us lots of other interesting stuff (more about that later), but it was the […]
The boom in the compact SUV segment is showing no signs of abating, with almost every manufacturer offering at least one model. Opel’s is this, the Grandland X – one of the first new models to be launched following General Motors’s offloading of the brand to the PSA Group (Peugeot/Citroën). This means that the Grandland X shares a platform with one of its rivals – the Peugeot 3008. You’d expect much of the same, then… But, a week spent with […]
Daimler has gone on a shopping spree, ordering battery cells to the value of a whopping €20 billion (about R324 billion). The orders will ensure that the company has a steady supply of battery cells until 2030. The battery cells will be used across its product range – in anything and everything from cars to buses and trucks. By 2022, the entire Mercedes-Benz car portfolio will be electrified, with various electrified alternatives available in every segment. In total, there will […]
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