Author:focus-on-transport
We have entered a new era of the re-imagination of commercial vehicles, and Peugeot is at the forefront of this innovation. Today’s passenger vehicles are designed to quickly, efficiently and comfortably get commuters from point A to B in sprawling urban landscapes. Similarly, gone are the days when commercial vehicles were viewed as large, unwieldy and unfriendly modes of transportation. The trend is to give the consumer the best of both worlds – vehicles that are luxurious, while being hardy […]
GAVIN MYERS drives the entry model into the new Mercedes-Benz X-Class range – the X 220 d 4×2 Progressive. Around the time you read this, FOCUS will be joining Mercedes-Benz South Africa for the local launch of the V6-powered X 350 d flagship of the X-Class range. This, it’s currently rumoured, could be South Africa’s first R1-million bakkie! That said, it’s hard to imagine that, at R646 071, the X 220 d Progressive is only the “entry level” X-Class… Granted, […]
With higher levels of electrification being installed into modern vehicles, and with the increased use of alternative powerplants, fighting a vehicle fire needs to be handled with extra care. Randolph J. Harris, a certified vehicle fire investigator with over 500 vehicle-fire investigations to his name, has found that the most common cause of truck fires is an electrical short in the engine compartment. “An electrical short occurs at over 2 760°C (hot enough to melt iron). This overheating can ignite […]
In little more than five years, a battery and vehicle manufacturer from China has gone from nowhere to top-seller in the European electric-bus market. It’s now turning its attention to the European truck market. TIM BLAKEMORE, managing editor of Commercial Vehicle Engineer, reports Battery-powered refuse-collection trucks made by Build Your Dreams (BYD), a huge and fast-growing multinational electric-vehicle manufacturer based in China, could soon be on sale in Europe for the first time. Speaking last month at the group’s global head office in […]
The increasing cost of fuel, labour and input costs in the commuter-bus sector is not being satisfied by government subsidies or inflation on ticket sales. GARETH GREATHEAD discusses the situation. In the first week of October, the price of fuel increased by 99 cents for petrol and R1,24 for wholesale diesel. According to the Automobile Association (AA), this is the largest fuel price hike in the history of the country, aside from months where taxes were linked to increases. The AA […]
Note: For the time being, Mercedes-Benz SA (MBSA) will only report aggregated sales data. The MBSA commercial vehicle market split volumes are estimates based on historical trends and forecasting techniques. Light Commercial Vehicles < 3 501 kg Total: 14 342 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles South Africa 50 Ford Motor Company 3 048 GWM 163 Hyundai Automotive SA 300 Isuzu Motors South Africa 1 193 JMC 46 Kia South Africa 98 Mahindra 296 Mazda South Africa 3 Mitsubishi 26 Mercedes-Benz SA – […]
Engen, in collaboration with FUEL Online Training, is celebrating a record 3,5-million training interventions to Engen forecourt attendants around the country since 2013. The training focuses on job skills and competencies related to customer service, as well as critical life skills, which can be accessed via an iPad training app. Community support material created for Engen staff includes basic first aid, drug and alcohol abuse prevention and understanding money management. The programme has also offered 640 000 education interventions concerning […]
Interview data from 450 transport companies across Europe, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Asia, conducted by the International Road Transport Union (IRU), has provided global snapshot survey of the future of road transport. Published by the IRU, the report states that, in the face of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, technology-driven innovation will be key to meeting the challenges of tomorrow in the road-transport sector. This topic has topped the agenda of the IRU World Congress, a new global event […]
The BMW i brand, which produces the i3 electric city car and i8 electric-hybrid sports car, is well known. However, BMW i is now moving in a different emission-free direction and promoting sustainability in public transport. For the first time, the electric motors and high-voltage batteries developed for the BMW i3 will be used to power a city bus, which is designed and made by Turkish manufacturer Karsan specifically for use in inner-city traffic. “Collaboration with the BMW Group enables us […]
Once again. South Africa’s contenders in the UD Trucks Extra Mile Challenge driver competition have done well at the finals in Ageo, Japan. Tatiya Sisilia, from Clover SA in Johannesburg, was awarded Best Green Band driver in the Quon category, while Chuttur Sunilduth, from Mauritius, walked away with the accolade for the Best Safety Mindset in the Quester category. The local drivers were two of the nine finalists, selected from 300 initial participants who underwent local qualifying rounds held in […]
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