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Why Can’t We Buy Grey Vehicles in South Africa?

Cars are already – relatively speaking – very expensive, and in these unpredictable times could become even more so. We’re spoilt for choice in South Africa, however, there are still some cars we cannot get here. So why can’t we import used cars? Leo Kok deep dives into the pros and cons of this practice and how it might effect our local industry.

Impact of Covid-19 on the local automotive sector

Covid-19 Lockdown Possibly an Existential Threat to Automakers in SA

Leo Kok

#TechThursday – Four Wheels of Salvation

Lindsey Schutters

Here is The News, We've Gone Viral

Calvin Fisher

Last Mile Transport Solutions Easing Congestion

#TechThursday – Curing Congestion

Lindsey Schutters

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As city driving taxes balloon – expensive parking, time lost in traffic, congestion charges – last mile solutions should grow to meet the park-at-the-edge crowd, says Lindsey Schutters. But with consumer demand dwindling under the weight of our fear of getting our hearts racing, there may not be suitable hardware for our road traffic renaissance.

Four Cars I Thought Were Cool And One I Wish I Understood Better

Kelly Lodewyks

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Kelly Lodewyks is not a ‘full-on’ petrolhead, but that doesn’t mean she can’t appreciate a great car or lament a bad one. As a kid she would stop to look at a cool car or, at least, a car she thought was cool in her eyes. Here's a list of those cars and why she liked them it at the time. Judge her if you must, but she’s not ashamed of her choices.

#TechThursday – The Customer is Always Right

Lindsey Schutters

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Maybe if you lift your eyes from your phone the next time you’re using a ride-hailing service, you can better appreciate the beautiful crescendo of technological harmony that brought this complete stranger to your door. Ride hailing is making our roads safer, but also making us worse people and Lindsey Schutters is totally fine with that.

Japan Owns its Heritage With The Rise of The Takumi

Leo Kok

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A takumi is a craftsperson who has devoted his or her life to mastering a specific craft, be it woodworking, metal crafting, leatherwork, paper cutting or sword making, to name but a few. In the most traditional application of this term, a takumi will only be recognised as a master of his craft after 60 000 hours of dedicated practice.

#TechThursday – Made For Who?

Lindsey Schutters

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Many new cars are not made with any sincerity towards the customer, instead introduced to mitigate against industry clampdowns. The e-Golf, for example, was merely a compliance car to meet the strict European regulations – and in the wake of Dieselgate. Car manufacturers aren’t making cars for people and that’s very worrying for Lindsey Schutters.

The Travelling Car Spotter

Calvin Fisher

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Calvin Fisher is a car spotter, but on a way more passive level - more of a mild car appreciationist perhaps. His favourite thing to do when visiting a new city is to look at the traffic. Referring to the composition, sheer makeup of the moving metal, and how it contrasts to what we have in Mzansi – every city having its own distinct flavour.

#TechThursday – Master Your Universe

Lindsey Schutters

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Did you also know that WhatsApp will record voice notes over your car microphone when you’re connected via Bluetooth? Or that you can connect to Bluetooth without the key in the ignition? Or that you’ve been driving with your rear fog lamps on for forever? Commuting nirvana, suggests Lindsey Schutters, is only achieved through reading the manual.

A Case For Automatics

Kelly Lodewyks

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Kelly Lodewyks wonders why we’re so pressured into learning how to drive manual cars and often teased for not driving a manual if you’re an auto fan, when all the cars in the distant future will be automated and feature automatic gearboxes. Is the manual still relevant for the daily grind? Here are five reasons to consider an automatic.

Five Things to Check When You're Buying a Used Car

Kelly Lodewyks

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Not all of us have are fortunate to have someone in our life who is able to join us when we’re shopping for a second hand car – someone who has experience about what to look out for and what to consider. Sometimes, we’re left to our own devices. To help you along, here are five things that you need to check when you’re buying a pre-owned vehicle.

#TechThursday – Is There Still a Need For Speed?

Lindsey Schutters

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There’s a new fastest car in the world in the form of the Koenigsegg Regera which employs some trick hybrid engineering such as three electric motors and no gearbox. But does outright speed even matter anymore? Or is it an impressive statistic relegated to a dusty set of Top Trump cards? Lindsey Schutters ponders this and more…

#TechThursday – Losing Control

Lindsey Schutters

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Actual switchgear isn’t common in futuristic EVs, take Tesla for example – you’ll battle to spot a physical button at all in its Spartan, minimalist interior, not ideal when changing a setting is buried in a sub-menu, within a folder somewhere… Honda’s new E, despite it’s shortcomings has actual buttons, and this pleases Lindsey Schutters no end.

The Rise and Rise of the Uber Bakkie

Leo Kok

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It started more than a few years ago with the Nissan Navara V9X and has picked up momentum with bakkies from VW, Ford and Mercedes-Benz. Think of the new X-Class in 350d guise or the V6 Amarok, especially now in standout Extreme Edition trim, or more recently, the Ford Ranger Raptor… The Uber bakkie is here, and its here to stay, says Leo Kok.

#TechThursday – The Future is Underwhelming

Lindsey Schutters

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Cruise Origin is the world’s first road ready fully autonomous car and unfortunately it is an uninspiring slab of shared riding and shared ownership. What, were you wanting one of those weird concepts from Minority Report? So sorry to disappoint you but looks like Barney was right all along. What does this mean for SA? Lindsey Schutters explains…

#TechThursday – Rock The Cradle

Lindsey Schutters

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Carmakers are the reason why you see so many people using their phones in traffic because there’s no such thing as an intuitive, well-supported, universal infotainment system. Sure, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have come a long way and integrate well with 3rd party apps for media and satnav, but neither are standard fare, says Lindsey Schutters.

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