
MAN Truck & Bus rewards top dealers
MAN Truck & Bus South Africa (MTBSA) hosted its 2025 Dealer of the Year Awards, celebrating outstanding performance and dedication within its dealer network.
- Dealer News
- 19 May 2025
Just a few days after its official introduction to the South African market, the TopGear SA team, in a convoy of Nissan Navara Warriors, has embarked on a record-breaking expedition into South Africa’s most extreme hinterland.
The record? The Longest Off-Road Journey Ever. That is, to conquer over 1 000km or more of off-road driving. That means, no roads at all, but just a 1 000km of the brutal, harsh but magnificent landscape of the Northern Cape’s Namakwaland.
The record is an official Guinness World Record, fully approved and adjudicated by the UK-based organisation.
Based on the 600km Namaqualand Eco route, the intrepid team in their Warriors will spend the next week trundling through desolate desert conditions, barren mountains and rocky valleys, while hugging the raging Gariep River, Mzansi’s longest waterway, and back out into the desolate expanse as they make their way to the river’s end, the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay.
“What better way to put a vehicle through its paces than take it to one of the hottest and toughest provinces in our country? This undertaking will push both the vehicles and the crew to the extreme,” adds Lerato Matebese, TopGear SA Publishing Editor.
The Warrior, which is a Nissan-approved conversion of the Nissan Pro4X conceived and perfected by Australian after-market specialists Premcar, has created a version of the Navara that is taller, wider and with greater ground clearance than the factory-built vehicle.
Shod with LT 275/65/R17 MAXXIS RAZR AT tyres instead of the factory-specced 255/65 R17 AT, the Navara Warrior has improved approach and ramp breakover angles and increased front and rear tracks, which are ideal for the conditions they’ll be subjected to through the Namaqualand Eco route.
Other additions include the distinctive Warrior styling externally and internally, and the installation of a sports bar at the back. Off-road capabilities are further boosted by off-road-focused shock absorbers and a 40mm higher ground clearance.
The record will culminate with an event on the 4th of April 2025 in Tshwane, where the Nissan Navara Warrior record-breaking vehicles, together with the TopGear SA crew, will be joined by media and other stakeholders to mark and celebrate this milestone.
Cubbi, a new online action platform for dealerships, says its business model is shaking up the dealer landscape.
Compared to global standards, the trading environment in South Africa remained extremely competitive, and in 2024, there were no fewer than 50 passenger car brands and 2 203 model derivatives, the greatest selection of market-size ratio found globally.
The Automotive Business Council (naamsa) released its second Automotive Trade Manual 2025 publication, previously published by naamsa under the banner of the Automotive Industry Export Council [AIEC].