
The legend is back - VW introduces updated Golf GTI
Volkswagen will introduce the updated Golf GTI to the South African market in the last quarter of 2025. Well over 2.3 million GTIs have been sold worldwide.
- Product News
- 2 September 2025
It is a taste of adrenaline and adventure like no other, and for the second consecutive year, Nissan South Africa is the mainline sponsor for the 20th edition of the Spirit of Africa.
The Nissan Spirit of Africa is about adrenaline, speed and experiencing the great outdoors.
“We are excited to have brought the challenge back this year with more power and gusto than ever before, and we’re even more excited to see how our motoring associates did behind the wheel of the rugged and redefined Nissan Navara,” says Maciej Kleinkiewicz, Managing Director for Nissan SA.
“At last year’s inaugural Nissan Spirit of Africa challenge, we had a fantastic turnout of 300 teams who entered our gruelling and competitive race, with 400 teams expected to participate this year. We’ve strived for gold as this year’s challenge gets underway, with excitement building leading up to our female-focused leg on 4-6 June. We encourage all female drivers to enter and tackle Africa’s toughest offroad course,” Maciej adds.
Renowned for its challenging terrain and thrilling atmosphere, the Spirit of Africa challenge was created by legendary local racing driver, Sarel van der Merwe. It has been described as the “toughest 4X4 challenge in Africa” and gives “average” drivers an opportunity to test their offroad ability in a competitive environment.
If you are looking for an exciting three-day experience that includes camping under the African sky and traditional local food in between intense offroad driving, then Nissan Spirit of Africa is just the challenge for you.
Several highly capable Nissan Navaras were made available for the media leg of the event, with each having been put to the test and pushed to the limit.
Through rough terrain marked by steep inclines, muddy crossings and heart-stopping descents as expected from this year’s Spirit of Africa – the Nissan Navara pushed each boundary, defied every hazard and ultimately came out on top.
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) notes that August continued the positive trend for new-vehicle sales in South Africa, reflecting strong consumer demand and activity across the market.
Although the tariff clouds are gathering over the South African economy with serious implications for the local automotive export industry, local sales of new vehicles are soldiering on at a decent pace.
Automechanika Johannesburg successfully hosted its final CEO Breakfast for 2025 at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, bringing together senior automotive industry leaders for strategic discussions as the co-located Festival of Motoring roared into life.