PEUGEOT 207 POP ART POPS UP

Peugeot South Africa has announced a revised and realigned 207 hatchback range for the local market. The new line-up will focus on affordability, value and contemporary style, and will mark the return of the highly popular Pop Art nameplate.
 

AUDI R8 GT SPYDER BREAKS COVER!

Just a couple of months after delivering the Audi R8 GT Coupe to Mzansi customers, Audi has now officially taken the wraps off the Spyder edition of the same car. Spyder is fancy for cabriolet or convertible. In Germany the car will be priced at €207 800 (R2 million).

FORD ANNOUNCES 1.0-LITRE ECOBOOST ENGINE

Ford has announced that it’s developing a 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, the smallest engine to ever come out with a Blue Oval. The 3-cylinder petrol motor with a turbocharger was designed at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in the United Kingdom. At the same time the company announced its first 8-speed automatic gearbox.

FORD MUSTANG TO LOSE V6, V8 FOR 4-CYLINDER?

The greenies are like water; they infiltrate absolutely everything. This time it’s the turn of one of Detroit’s greatest icon, the Ford Mustang. According to Motor Authority, the people’s pony is about to ditch its soul. Yep, Mustang is set to get a 4-cylinder engine pretty soon! Gone will be the V8s and V6s honest Americans adore so much. Or will they?

VOLKSWAGEN SA KEEPS SALES LEAD

During May 2011 a total of 28 830 new passenger cars were sold in South Africa. Total new passenger car sales increased by 9.5% when compared to April 2011, and grew by 12.1% when compared to May last year. This brought year-to-date sales of new passenger cars in 2011 to a level 20.3 % above January to May sales in 2010.
 

NISSAN LEAF GOES RACING

On June 26, a 100 percent electric Nissan LEAF will compete in the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with veteran Nissan off-road truck racing champion Chad Hord behind the wheel.  The Nissan LEAF will compete in the Production Class for electric vehicles and, other than the removal of some interior parts like seats and carpets to make room for safety equipment, such as a roll cage, racing seats and safety harnesses, the LEAF will be very close to the way it left the factory.

FORD FIGO CRACKS TOP 3 MARKET SALES

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa’s (FMCSA) May sales performance nearly tripled that of the market driven by strong sales of Figo, Fiesta, Bantam and Ranger. Ford passenger car sales also grew more than three times the South Africa new vehicle market trend.

BMW M2 PATENTED, 2 SERIES COMING

Although it’s still in rumour stages, talk of a BMW 2 Series is persisting, despite denials from the company itself. Nevertheless news coming out of Germany and the US is that a BMW patent and trademark has been filed in the name of M2. Now why would they register M2, unless they are developing a 2 Series-based M car? And since there’s currently no 2 Series to speak of, are we to expect one soon?

STASIS PULLS OVER 300KW FROM AUDI S5 CABRIOLET

STaSIS is a North American tuner that seems quite happy working with German products from Audi. The tuning house has released details of a tuned S5 Cabriolet. In Mzansi the S5 is still powered by the old 4.2-litre V8 engine, while elsewhere they are now using the 3.0-litre supercharged motor found in the S4 sedan.

AUDI A1 CLUBSPORT: THE POWER OF A BMW M5

Audi is presenting this 370kW Audi A1 Clubsport quattro at the 2011 Wörtherseetour. The show is one where manufacturers go really crazy with their vehicles and showcase performance normally not associated with certain models. Hence 370kW in the small A1.

LAST NISSAN GT-R GODZILLA MAY HIT 420KW JACKPOT!

The okes at Best Car magazine in Japan (through 7tune.com) reckon they have the best scoop of the day by “revealing” awesome news about the next and last Nissan GT-R. It was only two months ago that Nissan showed the world the new 390kW GT-R and promised less than 3 seconds for 0 – 100km/h. This scoop claims the last R35 Godzilla edition will hit the streets in 2012, with up to 418kW!

REFRESHED HYUNDAI I10 WILL BE A STAR

Hyundai launched its new facelift i10 sub-compact amid first quarter results that painted the company as one to really look out for, if your name is Toyota or Volkswagen. And the i10 is one of its best-selling models in the country. Goodness, the Koreans have arrived!

1 M COUPE: DID BMW LIE?

InsideLine, one of America’s favourite motoring reads, got its hands on a new BMW 1 Series M Coupe. First thing they did? Put the dynamite on a dyno of course! Strapped to the hilt the turbo laser surprised test engineers by posting around 280kW, which is all of 30kW more than what BMW officials claim! Say what?

HONDA ACCORD ADORNS FRESHER FACE

Honda’s Accord has been one of our favourite cars since it came into the country as Darth Vader’s helmet in 2003. Since then we’ve had two new models, one facelift in 2006 the other all-new (2008). It’s time for a facelift again. While the first facelift made things sober, this one gives Accord a sharper future. Both sedan and Tourer are affected.

MERCEDES-BENZ SLS AMG ROADSTER IS OFFICIAL!

The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster has been dropped upon us. It follows swiftly on the tailpipes of the SLS AMG Coupe which we tested a while ago. Most obvious is that the gullwing doors that make the Coupe so interesting are now gone, in favour of normal pull-out doors. Other than that, the cars are virtually the same. Oh, the Roadster also has a soft convertible roof.