In line with its parent company’s recent strategic realignment to new-energy vehicles (NEV), Toyota South Africa recently laid its NRV cards for SA on the table.
Although the company maintains that internal combustion engines (ICE) still have a role to play, it said it will be shifting a large part of its focus to traditional hybrid vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and other engine conversions over the next few years, as far as the SA market is concerned.
The biggest news is that Toyota will be launching a new, mildly hybrid Hilux and Fortuner in early 2024 consisting of the standard ICE combined with an integrated starter generator and 12V-48V battery.
The company will also be introducing the Toyota Crown to South Africa this year. This crossover Crown variant is powered by a 2.5-litre, parallel-hybrid drivetrain with an output in the neighbourhood of 170kW and a fuel consumption of under 5.0L/100km.
Another NEV addition to the local market from Toyota will be a hybrid version of the new Urban Cruiser.
It is also rumoured that the plug-in hybrid RAV4, Lexus NX and RX are on their way.
Toyota has said that owing to the current scarcity of electricity on the African continent, that BEVs won’t be a practical solution yet for local consumers.
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (Manufacturing) (Pty Ltd) (“Ford South Africa”) is proud to announce the official launch of the Ford Pro™ Convertor (FPC) programme, marking a new chapter in the company’s vehicle conversion services tailored for the commercial market.
The new Volvo XC70 mid-size SUV is Volvo Cars’ first extended-range plug-in hybrid. It provides a pure electric range of up to 200 kilometres, making it Volvo Cars’ longest-range plug-in hybrid to date.
What started as a casual braai challenge between four friends creating content for IgnitionTV ended in victory, What staas JAC Motors' T9 2.0L CTi smashed the official South African 24-hour Endurance Record for commercial vehicles, covering 4 084 kilometres at an impressive average speed of 170.1 km/h at Gerotek, just outside Pretoria in South Africa.
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I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
The new Volvo XC70 mid-size SUV is Volvo Cars’ first extended-range plug-in hybrid. It provides a pure electric range of up to 200 kilometres, making it Volvo Cars’ longest-range plug-in hybrid to date.
A shift towards an electric vehicle landscape in South Africa will get another boost with the soon-to-be released Geely Riddara double cab 4x4 and 4x2 bakkies locally by Enviro Automotive.
The latest Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition clearly showed the worldwide shift towards new-energy drivetrains like battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
