BAIC SA wins prestigious award in China
BAIC South Africa has won the prestigious Excellent Retail Award at the Chinese manufacturer’s 2024 BAIC global distributor business event.
- Industry News
- 17 May 2024
Toyota conducted a successful demo run of the Hilux MHEV (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle) concept model at Kasarani during the seventh round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in Kenya.
The Hilux MHEV concept was driven by four-time WRC champion and former Toyota world title winner, Juha Kankkunen from Finland, with co-driver Jimmi Gathu, a renowned local Kenyan media personality and actor. The company showcased its clear stance to deliver diverse vehicle ranges on its journey towards carbon neutrality.
After the demonstration, Juha Kankkunen said: "I’m 100% sure that this type of car will fit in Africa very well because there are still long-distance drives and it's very difficult to charge electric cars. You can save fuel, which means less CO2. Africa is a good market for this kind of car, and you can reduce CO2 with hybrid cars. That is the future.
"I have had the pleasure of driving different models for the Toyota brand from Full-electric cars, Hybrid and Hydrogen and can attest that these models are much faster than standard models."
Jimmi Gathu excitingly gave his impression, saying: “It was an amazing experience. It’s fantastic that Kenya’s most popular, most reliable, toughest car is being tested as a concept car for hybrid especially in addressing the issue around carbon emissions, beginning with small steps as you seek to achieve carbon neutrality – I think it's perfect.”
Dennis Awori, who is a Country Delegate of CFAO Group in Kenya and Chairman of CFAO Kenya Toyota Tsusho Group, emphasised the importance of bringing vehicle options such as the Hilux MHEV to Africa, where robust and versatile vehicles like the Hilux are highly popular.
Even in relatively well-developed regions of Africa, such as Kenya or even in South Africa, there are some areas where electricity supply is unstable. In these areas, if it takes time to solve issues such as stable electricity supply, and the development of charging networks and securing resources, Mild HEVs are an important option for immediate CO2 reduction. They do not require new equipment or power supply and can also use existing petrol stations and can reduce CO2 emissions.
Fuel consumption is the biggest operational cost in any truck fleet, and ISUZU believes it has a solution for this problem, using a combination of Compressed Natural Gas and Diesel Dual Fuel (CNG-DDF).
The pollution and energy challenges across the world inspired the South African government to dedicate a month to energy education. This year, Energy Month is May.
Enviro Automotive, an importer and local distributor of DFSK's electric vehicles (EV), announced new additions to its C-Series panel van and bakkie line-up to enhance its current offerings. In July 2022, Enviro Automotive introduced the DFSK brand in South Africa with the launch of the EC35 panel van and EC31 one-tonne bakkie.