Author:charleen-clarke
An awesome new Land Rover Discovery has gone on sale in the United Kingdom. Itβs called the Discovery Commercial and itβs a rather sexy alternative to a van or bakkie. Instead of seats in the second and third row, it comes with a rather handy 1 856 litres of cargo space. Available with Land Roverβs Ingenium 2.0D SD4Β 179 kW and 3.0D TD6Β 192 kW engines, the Discovery Commercial shares the fundamental underpinnings of the regular Discovery, so you can deliver that […]
In a move that has shocked our industry to its very core, Geely Automotive chairman Li Shufu has purchased 9,69 percent of Daimler β meaning Shufu is the single largest shareholder in the giant German company. Wow, we sure didnβt see that coming… Many South Africans havenβt even heard of Shufu β but heβs rapidly becoming The Big Boy in the global automotive industry. Forbes estimates his real time net worth at US$18,1 billion (R216 billion) β and heβs been […]
In the world of the bakkie-based SUV, the Toyota Fortuner is king. Based as it is on the venerable Hilux, this would only be a reasonable expectation β for in the bakkie world, the Hilux is king. However, while the Ford ranger and Isuzu KB commendably challenge the Hilux on the sales charts, the Fortuner remains comparatively unchallenged. It is undoubtedly the nationβs favourite in its segment β¦ but, does that mean itβs the best? A couple of weeks ago […]
Mercedes-Benz has pulled an electric rabbit out of its hat! The company has lifted the lid on the eActros, which, as its name implies, is a fully electric heavy-duty truck. I must say that I was surprised at the launch. While I knew that MAN was working on bringing an electric truck to market (weβre expecting it within months); the Mercedes-Benz team was very hush hush about its developments. This is not to say that the company has been snoozing […]
The long-awaited Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has made its debut! CHARLEEN CLARKE travelled to Duisburg, Germany, for the world premiere of this highly anticipated new van. “The new Sprinter is to conventional vans what the smartphone is to a plain old mobile phone.β That was how Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, described the new Sprinter in Duisburg. Heβs spot on right on a number of counts … and these are the reasons why. β’ It looks a whole lot better Remember […]
While the 2018 Budget was reasonably sound, it didnβt do nearly enough to promote economic growth in South Africa, writes CHARLEEN CLARKE. Econometrix has been holding its annual budget conference for a whopping 33 years (for the last three years, itβs been partnering with Grant Thornton and GTC). The event always provides expert commentary on the budget and its implications for the country as a whole. This year was no different; the speakers provided expert insight into the budget and […]
Margaret Phillipson, customer service manager at FOCUS, has retired. CHARLEEN CLARKE pays tribute to one of transportβs finest and nicest ladiesβ¦ I have a confession to make: when Tina Monteiro, publisher of FOCUS, told me that sheβd hired Margaret ten years ago, I had my doubts. They were two-fold: Margaret was a banking-industry veteran β so she wasnβt an advertising guru. Also, she knew little or nothing about transport. I truly wondered if she would cope. She didnβt cope. Instead, […]
There are certain things in the world that some people will never understand. How that loving couple came to be; how a βcar guyβ can become utterly besotted with a machine that boils down to four wheels and an engine; and how Alfa Romeos are just so special. Weβll, I recently got married to the most loving, special person Iβve had the privilege of knowing; became besotted with a vehicle that has four wheels and an engine; and well, you […]
Mercedes-Benz has shown its brand new Sprinter to the world and, of course,Β FOCUSΒ was there. On Tuesday, February 6, we joined about 240 of the worldβs leading commercial vehicle journalists in Duisburg, Germany, for the world premiere of this highly anticipated new van. The new Sprinter is the successor to a global phenomenon; Mercedes-Benz has sold more than 3,4-million Sprinters since its premiere in 1995, and, judging by our initial impressions of the new van (which we have yet to drive), […]
Did you know that Mercedes-Benz used to make a bakkie long, long ago? And that Mercedes (sans Benz) made a typewriter? CHARLEEN CLARKE travels to Chile to test drive the companyβs latest pickup and encounters all sorts of surprises. Iβm standing next to the side of the road, conversing with the cutest little Chilean. He owns what some people would call a βjunk shopβ. My co-driver, on the other hand, would βplatzβ at this description. He calls these establishments βantique […]
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