Lepas L4 Embarks on its South African journey
A new chapter begins as the first Lepas L4 vehicles depart Port Taicang in China, bound for South Africa.
- Product News
- 2 February 2026
Bridgestone will continue as the title sponsor of the World Solar Challenge 2023 to be held in Australia during October this year.
This competition is about the design, build and competing with solar-powered vehicles in the world’s foremost solar technology and advanced engineering challenge over 3 000 km across Australia.
The aim is for the different teams to showcase their engineering skills and commitment to sustainability.
Bridgestone's sponsorship of the World Solar Challenge aligns with the company's commitment to sustainability and innovation. It is all directly linked to our environmental targets – to achieve carbon neutrality and work with 100% recycled and renewable materials by 2050, as well as advance sustainable tyre technologies and solutions that preserve the environment for future generations,” said Koji Takagi, Management Board Member and Chief Sustainability Officer, Bridgestone EMIA.
As part of the sponsorship, Bridgestone is also supporting nine university teams in its region. For the competition, the company will equip the university teams with Bridgestone tyres that make use of pioneering technologies that can enhance the performance of their solar powered vehicles.
An example is the ENLITEN tyre technology platform, Bridgestone’s innovative approach to premium tyre development. The combination of multiple cutting-edge technologies provides maximum safety and outstanding tyre performance for drivers, while improving the sustainability characteristics of the tyre. Additionally, ENLITEN makes the Bridgestone tyre portfolio more adaptable to the latest mobility evolution, making all Bridgestone tyres fully EV ready.
Bridgestone’s support of the World Solar Challenge aligns with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, the broad global corporate commitment that clearly defines the value the company is promising to deliver to society, customers and future generations in eight focus areas.
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition has renewed calls for stronger localisation, expanded job creation and deeper transformation in South Africa’s automotive industry after reviewing progress on the South African Automotive Industry Master Plan 2035.
As economic pressures and market volatility continue to shape the local transport industry, UD Trucks Southern Africa says it has demonstrated confident and stable growth, supported by strong retail partnerships and a relentless focus on customer uptime.
Keyloop, a global automotive technology company, has signed an agreement to acquire Motortech.ai, a United Kingdom-based (UK) developer of state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the automotive industry.