Dakar - South African crews dig deep as second week begins
The 2026 Dakar Rally roared back into action on Monday with Stage 8, a gruelling 481km loop around Wadi Ad Dawasir.
- Industry News
- 12 January 2026
Nissan’s off-road capable Patrol is now available with a new look and new technology.
From the outside the most important changes include Nissan's V-motion shape grille along with the new boomerang-shaped LED headlights. At the back the Patrol’s new taillights also have a boomerang theme. They are integrated with a large chrome nameplate. There also is new machine-cut 18” alloys.
Inside, the Patrol has a 13-speaker Bose premium sound system, a multi-screen DVD entertainment system, 8” rear seat entertainment, independent wireless headphones and remote-enabled passenger vehicle infotainment.

New diamond-stitch quilted leather seats, which are heated and cooled, and a hand-stitched steering wheel are standard.
The Patrol is equipped with driver assistance technology, including Intelligent Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection and the Intelligent Forward Collision Warning system that warns the driver of risks that lie beyond the driver's forward field of vision.
The radar system does not only sense the relative velocity and distance of a vehicle directly ahead, but also that of a vehicle travelling in front of the preceding one. Also included is standard Intelligent Cruise Control and Intelligent Driver Alert, which analyses the driver steering behaviour to signal and alert if signs of drowsiness, or inattention are detected.
Under the hood is Nissan’s well-knwon 5.6 litre V8 engine boasting 298 kW and torque of 560 Nm.

The Patrol is launched at a price of R1 515 700 (September 2020).
Competitors include the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 and the new Land Rover Defender 110.
Lepas, part of the global Chery Group, will officially enter the South African market in February 2026, bringing a new vision of modern automotive elegance with the L4, L6 and flagship L8, the brand says.
BYD has added another model to its line-up in South Africa. This time it is the Sealion 5, which slots in below the larger Sealine 6, which is also available locally.
Geely has formally returned to the South African market with the introduction of two new models, the fully electric E5 and the plug-in hybrid E5 EM i.