Egypt woos Volkswagen with body shop, assembly-line deal

In a new strategic cooperation agreement, Volkswagen Group Africa (VWA) and the government of Egypt will conduct a feasibility study on the construction of a body shop and assembly buildings in the... 

Auto industry hopeful as new-vehicle sales finally tick upwards

Total new-vehicle sales in July inched up by 1.5%, to 44 229 units, compared with the same month last year, driven by an improvement in the passenger-car market. July were only the second month,... 

Balancell expands plant tenfold, seeks govt backing for energy storage industry

Energy storage company Balancell is moving into a new R80-million factory in Ndabeni, Cape Town, as the business gears up to grow its capacity roughly tenfold, says chief commercial officer Ian... 

Crestcare’s new R238m private hospital in Malmesbury to create employment for 170 people

The Crestcare Hospital Group has cut the ribbon on its newest development, the R238-million acute hospital in the Western Cape town of Malmesbury. Crestcare’s majority shareholder is black-owned... 

Hyundai targets fourth sales spot

Hyundai has set itself the goal to return to fourth position (in terms of market share) in the combined passenger and light commercial vehicle market, says Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Hyundai... 

Kia South Africa’s new CEO seeks to push market share beyond 5% by 2026

Kia South Africa has appointed Paul Turnbull as its new CEO. Turnbull joins the Korean brand from sibling Hyundai Automotive South Africa. He succeeds Gary Scott, who takes up the position of chief... 

Hino sees new 700 Series boosting sales in the extra-heavy market

Hino South Africa (SA) says its new 700 Series range has bumped up the company’s sales in the extra-heavy segment significantly in its first year on showroom floors. From July 2022 to June 2023... 

Mercedes-Benz’s hydrogen trucks start customer trials in Germany

Daimler Truck has started the first customer trials of its hydrogen-powered Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks in Germany. A total of five units will enter the fleets of Air Products, Amazon, Holcim, Ineos... 

Golden Arrow to acquire 120 electric buses from BYD

Cape Town’s Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) has signed a deal to acquire 120 electric buses from Chinese automotive powerhouse BYD, following four years of testing. Delivery of the 65-seater units... 

Enviro Automotive launches electric SUV at under R400 000

Pretoria-based importer and distributor of battery electric vehicles (EVs), Enviro Automotive, has launched the Dayun Yuehu S5 mini sports-utility vehicle (SUV) in South Africa. The 3.6-m S5 is... 

Daimler SA appoints new Mercedes-Benz Buses GM

Following the promotion of Jason Brunninger as the new head of sales and marketing for coaches in North America, Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) has appointed Deon de Vries as the new GM for... 

Zero Carbon Logistics signs MoU with China’s Sany on N3 truck chargers

Zero Carbon Logistics (Zero CL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer Sany to be the technology provider for its proposed off-grid electric truck... 

Vayu Robotics launches autonomous delivery robot in the US, signs deal for 2 500 units

California-based Vayu Robotics this week announced the real-world deployment of an autonomous on-road delivery robot. The robot, combining AI models with low-cost sensing, is being rolled out in... 

‘Unconscionable’ to return allocated money instead of fixing potholes – Creecy

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says “immediate attention” will be given to the “critical issue” of the underspending of funding allocated to road maintenance and road construction by both... 

Half of China’s NEV brands likely to fail, exports poised for steep growth

More than 130 brands are currently competing in China’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) market, says GlobalData Automotive Division China operations manager John Zeng. Three brands, however, dominate the... 

Give us more policing power and the right to run passenger rail, Cape Town asks GNU

The City of Cape Town’s top requests for the Government of National Unity (GNU) are for municipal police to have the powers to investigate crime; the devolvement of passenger rail to the city; the... 

Shoprite group rolls out electricity wheeling at a third site

The Shoprite retail group has started wheeling renewable electricity at its home office in Brackenfell, Cape Town, making it the company’s third site to implement this energy solution. Wheeling... 

ECape launch for WOW platform to bring taxi industry into the digital age

The newly launched Wealth On Wheels (WOW) platform is set to roll out technologies such as digital cash payments, fleet and vehicle management systems with GPS, and camera monitoring in minibus... 

Balancell expands plant tenfold; seeks govt backing for energy storage industry

Energy storage company Balancell is moving into a new R80-million factory in Ndabeni, Cape Town, as the business gears up to grow its capacity roughly tenfold, says chief commercial officer Ian... 

Mercedes-Benz Vans SA appoints new managing executive

Mercedes-Benz Vans South Africa (SA) has appointed Natasha Jardim as its new managing executive, effective from July. Jardim succeeds Nadia Trimmel, who is moving to a new position within the... 

Crestcare group opens R238m private hospital in Malmesbury

The Crestcare Hospital Group has cut the ribbon on its newest development, the R238-million acute hospital in the Western Cape town of Malmesbury. Crestcare’s majority shareholder is black-owned... 

PRASA passenger numbers reach 40-million a year, increase by 167% – Emeran

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is “making steady and significant progress in getting passenger trains back on track”, with the urban rail service carrying about 40-million... 

Auto market awaits return of consumer confidence, political clarity – TransUnion

The South African automotive sector continues to grapple with significant macroeconomic challenges, says TransUnion Africa CEO Lee Naik. Persistently high interest rates and negative economic... 

Traditional bakkie powerhouses to be challenged by buying-down trend, newcomers – WesBank

South Africa is bakkie country, dominated by Toyota’s Hilux as the country’s long-standing number-one-selling vehicle, with the Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max also perennial favourites, among... 

Recovery in logistics sector continued in May, latest Ctrack index shows

The newest Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) shows that the recent recovery in South Africa’s logistics sector continued in May, albeit at a slower pace. The index improved in May to... 

Cape Town nets R36m in carbon credit auction

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced the successful auction of R36-million in carbon credits, generated by reducing gas emissions at city landfill sites via waste-to-energy initiatives.... 

‘Unconscionable’ to return money to Treasury instead of fixing potholes – Creecy

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says “immediate attention” will be given to the “critical issue” of the underspending of funding allocated to road maintenance and road construction by both... 

Damen signs new NIP agreement with dtic, celebrates more than 40 vessels built at Cape Town shipyard

Damen Shipyards Group (DSG) has signed a new strategic partnership agreement with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) as part of the National Industrial Participation (NIP)... 

Global EV sales growth continues, but significant slowdown in some markets – BloombergNEF

Electric vehicle (EV) markets around the world are not all travelling in the same direction, or at the same speed, in 2024, says research group BloombergNEF (BNEF) in its newest EV Outlook Report.... 

June new-vehicle sales 14% lower year-on-year as affordability woes bite

New-vehicle sales in South Africa dropped by 14% in June, to 40 072 units, compared with the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market reached 26 928 units last month – a decline of 9%... 

AA, Outa weigh in on new Transport Minister

Newly appointed Transport Minister Barbara Creecy is the eleventh minister in this portfolio since 1994, which is a cause for concern as continuity within government departments is vital, says the... 

Cape Town Market goes green with battery, demand management system

The Cape Town Market in Epping has started the commissioning of a battery energy storage and demand management system (DMS).  The commissioning of the 3 MWh system follows the installation of more... 

SPS acquires two solar projects in the Western Cape, enters into a PPA

Sustainable Power Solutions (SPS) has acquired two 5 MW solar projects in Malmesbury, in the Western Cape, through the purchase of the shareholding in Slimsun Too. SPS is a developer and owner of... 

EV charging points to grow by 194% as governments switch focus to infrastructure

A new study from Juniper Research has found that the total number of electric vehicle (EV) charging points globally will grow by 194% to 64-million over the next five years, up from 21.8-million... 

Lexus, Mini, Toyota, Suzuki and Hino take platinum in Dealer Satisfaction Index

Lexus, Mini, Toyota and Suzuki have all taken top honours in this year’s National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) Dealer Satisfaction Index (DSI) awards for passenger cars and light... 

Hyundai targets return to fourth spot in sales chart

Hyundai has set itself the goal to return to fourth position (in terms of market share) in the combined passenger and light commercial vehicle market, says Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Hyundai... 

Govt continues to drag its feet on fuel-price review – Misa

The former Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has failed to review South Africa’s fuel-pricing methodology since the process to do so was announced in 2022, says the Motor Industry... 

Recovery in logistics sector continued in May – Ctrack index

The newest Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) shows that the recent recovery in South Africa’s logistics sector continued in May, albeit at a slower pace. The index improved in May to... 

Cape Town hits apartment developer with R1m penalty

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has upheld a decision by the city’s Municipal Planning Tribunal to impose a record R1-million penalty for unauthorised construction work in Belville. The penalty... 

Cape Town introduces reversible MyCiTi bus lane to reduce congestion

The City of Cape Town’s Transport Network Technology branch is set to activate a reversible MyCiTi bus lane along the R27 between Loxton road and Broad road in Milnerton. This bus lane, for...