Triton brings the challenge to competitors
The bakkie war has intensified with the local launch of Mitsubishi’s next-generation Triton, an evolution in the iconic bakkie’s 46-year legacy.
- Product News
- 21 November 2024
Business at Ford’s manufacturing plant in Silverton Pretoria is getting back to normal but the risk of interrupted power supply remains, Ford says.
The problems arose when overhead powerlines collapsed over the N4 on 10 April after a huge storm that left large parts of Pretoria, especially in the eastern part of the city, without electricity. This included the Ford plant and related industries in the Ford supply chain.
Production was suspended on 11 April and restored in stages starting on the evening of April 12, when production has slowly resumed.
The estimated total loss of production during the down days was 1 440 units. and a dark picture of the impact of the shutdown for an extended period was sketched by Ford Africa’s president, Neale Hill.
Ford tells Dealerfloor that the scale of the Eskom infrastructure concern holds the risk of interrupted supply. “However, we continue to liaise with Eskom and local government as they work to balance the system and fully restore the network.”
The newly upgraded Silverton plant is currently the second largest in the world producing the new generation Ford Ranger as well as the Volkswagen Amarok, both for local consumption and export to more than 100 markets. More than 700 Ranger pick-ups are manufactured in Pretoria every day utilising three shifts working at the plant.
The bakkie war has intensified with the local launch of Mitsubishi’s next-generation Triton, an evolution in the iconic bakkie’s 46-year legacy.
Unlike in the past, when dealerships primarily waited for customers to come to them, we now take a more proactive approach, bringing our vehicles directly to places where people gather, allowing them to experience the product first-hand, including offering test drives,” says Gerrie van der Kaay, Dealer Principal at Supergroup Dealerships Jetour Midrand.
JAC Motors added ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) to its X200 2.8L TDI 1.5-tonne single-cab, enhancing safety for both the crew and cargo. This latest upgrade complements the ABS-equipped X200 1.3-tonne double-cab targeted at organisations with labour-intensive crews.
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