Toyota and Agri SA celebrate farming sector
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) once again took centre stage in celebrating the resilience, determination and innovation within South Africa’s agricultural sector.
- Industry News
- 25 November 2024
Mahindra launched three special new Pik Up models to expand the locally designed Karoo range.
Christened the Pik Up Karoo Dusk, Karoo Dawn and Karoo Storm, the new models will offer many of the same features that made the first edition Karoo Dusk a sell-out success and will also offer several new features, including an all-leather interior and custom paint colours.
“The Karoo nameplate signifies our commitment to South Africa and the way South Africans have adopted the Pik Up lifestyle range as their desire to ‘Unleash The Explorer in You’ and enjoy the adventure and family fun. This is equally true of our new Karoo Dawn, Dusk and Storm models, and we are very excited to showcase our range of Authentic Bakkies to our fans,” says Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa.
All three special edition models are built on the upgraded Pik Up Karoo platform.
For this range of special Pik Up models, Mahindra has upgraded the cloth seats to leather upholstery and has bumped up the infotainment system from a 7” to a large HD 9” system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and in-built maps.
Building on the successful recipe of the previous Karoo Dusk, all three special Karoo models will be fitted with a heavy-duty off-road suspension, off-road tyres and hardened 4x4 rims, including an additional off-road rim for the spare wheel.
All models will also have front and rear steel bumpers for better off-road clearance. The bumpers are securely anchored to the chassis and offer recovery and hitching points for off-road use. In addition, the rear step has been trimmed with non-slip diamond plating for ease of access to the load bin, and the front bumper is fitted with special LED driving lights.
Using the Karoo dusk and nightfall as visual inspiration, Mahindra has painted the Karoo Dusk black and finished it with black and blue Karoo decals. The Mahindra designers further finished the sports bar and roller shutter door fitted to the rubberised load bin in pitch black and added a longer sports bar to the front approach bumper.
The Karoo Dawn is another addition to the range and is finished in a sandy beige colour that is popular among farmers and overland enthusiasts.
Mahindra tasked its designers to capture the colours of the desert in early morning in the design of the Karoo Dawn, leading to the unique body colour and the rich orange highlights in the Karoo decals.
The Mahindra Karoo Dawn has all the same features of the Karoo Dusk, with the exception of the roller shutter door and long sports bar. Instead, it adds an additional heavy-duty roof rack and a flush-mounted tonneau cover as standard.
The third and final special edition version of the Karoo is the Karoo Storm.
This model is inspired by the stunning and rare Karoo rainstorms. To celebrate the special experience of living through a Karoo storm, Mahindra has finished the Pik Up Karoo Storm in a unique light blue accentuated by a black-and-grey Karoo decal set.
Like its siblings, it has a factory-fitted approach and departure bumper, a rubberised load bay, tonneau cover and special off-road rims and tyres. The Karoo Storm also has a full leather interior as standard, and it has the same hardy rubber mats that are standard across the special Karoo range.
All Karoo and Karoo Special Edition models are fitted with Mahindra’s mHawk 2.2 turbodiesel engine. The engine delivers 103 kW and 320 Nm.
In the Special Edition models, buyers are treated to the new six-speed Aisin automatic transmission. Pricing for all three models (July 2022) is R614 999.
The bakkie war has intensified with the local launch of Mitsubishi’s next-generation Triton, an evolution in the iconic bakkie’s 46-year legacy.
JAC Motors added ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) to its X200 2.8L TDI 1.5-tonne single-cab, enhancing safety for both the crew and cargo. This latest upgrade complements the ABS-equipped X200 1.3-tonne double-cab targeted at organisations with labour-intensive operations.
Omoda South Africa has revealed a new entry-level version of the C5, making the premium crossover line-up even more attainable.