SUZUKI LAUNCHES KIZASHI SEDAN IN MZANSI

Suzuki South Africa has now followed its Australian, Japanese and US relatives by launching the all-new Kizashi locally. Parting with conventional Suzuki tradition, the Kizashi is a larger sedan instead of a hatch or an SUV. And its target is one that’s hard to beat. But value being one of Suzuki’s mottos, it sure will give it a hard run for its won…

NEXT HYUNDAI I30 RENDERED, READY FOR FRANKFURT

Hyundai will, at the 2011 Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) in September, unveil a concept car that points towards the next-generation i30 hatch. Called the GDS Concept so far, it will eventually be developed and launched as the i30 sometime in 2012.

MINISTER NDEBELE VISITS KZN CRASH VICTIMS

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele earlier today (12 August 2011) visited people injured in yesterday's (11 August 2011) road crash involving a mini-bus taxi on the N2 near Mandeni in KwaZulu-Natal, which resulted in 11 fatalities.

JAGUAR BRINGING OUT BIG GUNS AT PEBBLE BEACH

Jaguar Cars is celebrating its 50th year anniversary at the Pebble Beach Automotive Weekend with a series of memorable heritage events, featuring an array of significant vehicles representing the past, present and future of the brand. A major highlight of the weekend will be Jaguar's C-X75 hybrid supercar on display at the Pebble Concours Concept Lawn on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be opportunities to test drive Jaguar's current model year line up throughout the weekend.

HYUNDAI STRONGER ON COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

Hyundai today announced that they have, in the last 6 months (February – July 2011), surpassed the total number of commercial vehicles that they sold in 2010 and more importantly that these sales have beat the average market growth (22% year on year, 2009 - 2010) for the commercial vehicle sector across the board, increasing their market share by 100%.

FORD ALREADY CONTEMPLATING NEXT FOCUS RS

Ford’s performance division is apparently not wasting any time following up on the liquid Focus RS. At 224kW and 440Nm of torque, the RS is no child’s toy. Yes, it’s not as fast to 100km/h as you’d expect, tipping over 6 seconds quite comfortably. Yet, the way it does it is close to poetry. With the new Focus now launched, next is the ST. After that of course, is the RS.

BMW ROMPS AHEAD IN GLOBAL SALES

With July 2011 global sales of 108 721 units, BMW has maintained its place atop the premium pile, at while at the same time reporting record sales for the month. The company has never sold as many cars in July before as it piped Audi to second place and Mercedes-Benz remains at bronze level.

ANOTHER NEW PORSCHE IN THE WORKS?

Car and Driver magazine says it’s pretty sure that Porsche is planning a direct Ferrari 458 Italia/ McLaren MP4-12C competitor. We thought the 911 Turbo S was it, but apparently not. Word from the rag is that this new super car is mid-engined and will slot in above the 911 but below the confirmed 918 Spyder.

AUDI INTRODUCES MORE POWERFUL 1.8 TFSI

Audi has upgraded its 1.8-litre TFSI engine for the European market. Logic dictates the same will happen for the South African buyer within the next few months. Currently sticking out 118kW, the new motor now makes a full-on 125kW at 3800rpm. It is still a 4-cylinder with a new single turbo whining through it.

MAZDA CX-5 TO DEBUT IN FRANKFURT

Mazda hasn’t’ really had a killer product in a long while. Yes its cars sell well enough but they don’t exactly crack up the charts in the same way as some of its competitors like Volkswagen or Toyota do. One car to set the tone for the next-generation Mazda is the CX-5, a compact crossover ready to take out cars like the Dodge Caliber and Nissan Qashqai.

PEUGEOT 308 UPDATED

Peugeot South Africa has updated the 308 range with some subtle changes to the exterior and minor refreshers to the interior. The 308 is probably Peugeot’s most important car as its purpose is to take on the likes of VW Golf. In Mzansi it sells pretty well, although not as well as it should be. These changes could be just the trick to entice buyers into this well-made hatch.

NISSAN'S 370 Z RACER DEBUTS NICELY

Former Formula GTi Challenge champion Marco da Cunha gave the class A Exa Nissan Dealer Team’s new Tubular/R&A Cellular Nissan 370Z a successful debut in round five of the Bridgestone South African Production Car Championship at Port Elizabeth’s Aldo Scribante circuit on Saturday.
 

BMW DEBUTS NEW TURBO ENGINES FOR MZANSI

The BMW X3 is the one to carry the brand’s first small petrol turbo unit, a 2.0-litre motor with very good entry-level power credentials while remaining true to environmental promises. The new X3 xDrive 20i will start selling in South Africa this October at a price to be announced soon. At the same time BMW says it has already begun selling the xDrive30d, a turbo diesel variant.