Racing cars for Germany to be built by VW in Kariega
South Africa is exporting one of its most successful racing formulas to Germany.
- Industry News
- 7 February 2025
Toyota announced that it has expanded its Land Cruiser 70 Series with the addition of new 5-speed manual gearbox option in the range. The manual powertrain will be offered in both the Single Cab and Station Wagon variants.
What is it?
Toyota says the 5-speed transmission is tailored to suit Land Cruiser 70 Series’ usage requirements.
The 2.8 GD engine, introduced to the LC70 line-up earlier this year, is now available in both automatic and manual transmissions in both body shapes.
Price:
Mated to the Land Cruiser 70 Series’ 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, the new manual powertrain joins the existing six-speed automatic and is priced at R887 000 for the Single Cab and R969 800 for the Station Wagon.
Transmissions:
Toyota added the new four-cylinder automatic powertrain to the Land Cruiser70 Series’ line-up in early 2024 as part of a wide-ranging upgrade for the popular four-wheel drive workhorse and has discontinued the previously available LC 76 (Station Wagon) 4.5 V8 Diesel manual transmission.
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) believes the addition of the new manual option for the Land Cruiser 70 Series will broaden the appeal of the iconic four-wheel drive and help satisfy the demands of those who prefer a manual gearbox.
“When we phased out the LC 76 4.5 V8 Diesel Manual Transmission Station Wagon a few months ago, we anticipated that some customers would miss having a manual gearbox in the line-up. With that in mind, we wanted to make sure we could provide a variety of powertrain options for all our customers, and this new manual transmission is a perfect fit for their needs,” says Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing & Technical Services at TSAM.
A new flywheel compatible with a 12-inch clutch has also been adopted for the new powertrain, providing excellent clutch slip resistance, while a triple synchronisation mechanism has been added for the first gear to enhance shifting operability.
Engines:
The new 2.8-litre manual powertrain generates a maximum power of 150kW from 3 200-3 400 r/min and 450Nm of torque over a wide peak band of 2 400-3 000r/min. The manual transmission offers unique gear ratios and strengthens components to suit the usage of the Land Cruiser 70 Series.
Compared with the previous V8 manual Land Cruiser 70 Series, the new manual gearbox has been designed to make the most of the four-cylinder engine’s higher torque output with shorter first, second and third gears to aid start-off performance, and a longer fifth gear to help improve fuel economy and reduce engine noise when cruising at highway speeds.
Prices:
LC79 4.0 Petrol S/C 5MT (R765 500), LC79 4.2 Diesel S/C 5MT (R829 000), LC79 4.5 Diesel V8 S/C 5MT (R956 200), LC79 2.8 GD-6 Diesel S/C 5MT (R887 000) and the LC79 2.8 GD-6 Diesel S/C 6AT (R917 100).
LC79 4.0 Petrol D/C 5MT (R864 600), LC79 4.2 Diesel D/C 5MT (R920 800), LC79 4.5 Diesel V8 D/C 5MT (R1 039 200) and the LC79 2.8 GD-6 Diesel D/C 6AT (R1 009 000).
LC78 4.2 Diesel SW 5MT (R900 100), LC76 2.8 GD-6 Diesel SW 5MT (R969 800), LC76 2.8 GD-6 Diesel SW 6AT (R999 900) and the LC 76 2.8 GD-6 VX Diesel SW 6AT (R1 091 400).
South Africa is exporting one of its most successful racing formulas to Germany.
In the heart of South Africa’s Limpopo province, where rich biodiversity thrives and conservation challenges persist, Lapalala Wilderness School (LWS) is shaping a future where people and nature co-exist in harmony.
Ford South Africa has appointed Tarryn Knight (photo) as its new Head of Marketing.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.
Daniel Pink
Volkswagen has added two new derivatives to its T-Cross line-up for the 2025 model year. The T-Cross has been the best-selling Volkswagen SUV with over 36 000 cars sold since its launch in 2019.
Volkswagen found a gap in it SUV line-up between the range-topping Touareg and the Tiguan and will fill it with its new Tayron set to arrive locally in the second half of 2025 when pricing and engine specifications will be announced. The Tayron will launch with two equipment lines - Life and R-Line.
If you think Golf in South Africa, you think GTI or even the quicker Golf R. Volkswagen, however, has just introduced a new entry-level Golf consisting of four models slotting in below its twin performance siblings.