Positive signs, but Middle East creates uncertainty
The Automotive Business Council | naamsa says in reaction on new vehicle sales in February that the economic environment remains supportive.
- Industry News
- 3 March 2026
Range Rover opened the waiting list for its highly anticipated Range Rover Electric, ahead of formal orders opening to clients.
With more patents anticipated to be filed for New Range Rover Electric than any other Range Rover before, prototypes are now being subjected to one of the most rigorous engineering sign-off programmes ever. This includes extreme temperature testing in all conditions and every terrain and wading through water up to 850 mm deep.
The manufacturer says the company is on target to create the quietest and most refined Range Rover ever, with a unique active road-noise cancellation configuration and sound design, plus cabin comfort levels enabled by its electric underpinnings.
Range Rover will offer future clients a seamless electric ownership experience – effortless charging, energy partnerships, software-over-the-air updates and intelligent technology to maximise range.
Range Rover Electric will be built on the flexible Modular Longitudinal Architecture in Solihull, United Kingdom, alongside existing mild and extended-range plug-in electric hybrid Range Rover vehicles, as a new underbody facility opens at the plant.
Batteries and electric drive units (EDUs) will be assembled at JLR’s new Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton, also in the United Kingdom.
JLR says the Range Rover Electric will deliver performance comparable to a flagship Range Rover V8 with the all-terrain capability developed in-house by Land Rover experts that has been a hallmark since Range Rover’s inception in 1970.
Global on-road testing has started, from Sweden to Dubai, in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +50°C. The global physical testing programme has been adapted for Range Rover’s first fully electric vehicle to ensure robustness of the electric drive system, including its underfloor, battery durability, chassis integrity and vehicle dynamics tests for thermal derating.
Leapmotor has launched the Leapmotor App in South Africa, giving C10 REEV customers seamless smartphone-based access to their vehicle and connected services.
Ethiopia’s decision to prohibit the import of petrol and diesel vehicles in 2024 has set in motion a rapid restructuring of its transport sector, prompting a remarkable surge in the adoption of electric vehicles (EV).
Volvo Cars has issued a major recall affecting more than 40 000 units of its EX30 electric SUV after discovering that certain high‑voltage battery modules pose an overheating risk.