Interview with Teresita van Gaalen on how a - Autolive.co.za

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 2EditorStuart Johnstonstujohn@autolive.co.zaChangan – What Went Wrong?General ManagerRoger Houghtonhoughtonr@mwebbiz.co.zaSalesBruno Lupinibruno.lupini@gmail.comEstelle <strong>van</strong> Stadenestellevs@telkomsa.netAngelina Michaelangelinamichael53@gmail.comAddressSuite 106B, MISA Centre12 Fir Street, NorthcliffJohannesburg, 2195Tel+27 (0)83 450 9255Fax+27 (0)86 505 8957Websitewww.autolive.co.za© 2012 WCM Media CCProductionMarketing Support Services+27 (0)12 346 2168danie@marketingss.co.zaLayout and TypesettingBonita TusonDisclaimerWhile reasonable precautions havebeen taken to ensure the accuracyof the advice and information givento readers, neither the Editor, theProprietors, nor the publisherscan accept any responsibility forany damages or injury which mayarise therefrom.AutoLive interviewed charismatic<strong>Teresita</strong> <strong>van</strong> <strong>Gaalen</strong> as she was aboutto take over the reigns of Chana SA inmid-2011, which soon afterwards becameknown as Changan AutomotiveSA. Despite Van <strong>Gaalen</strong>’s best efforts,and those of her team, Changan SAwent into liquidation earlier thisweek. So, how did this sorry state ofaffairs come about, after a very promisingstart for the Chinese econobrandin 2006? Van <strong>Gaalen</strong> providesintriguing background insight, andalso hints at some of her plans forthe future.Q: <strong>Teresita</strong>, how did you initiallyget involved <strong>with</strong> Chana, orChangan, as it became known?TvG: I was in Botswana, and I gota call from a company calledRand-Asia Trade Finance. Thiscompany had taken over fromKarl-Heinz Gobel, who introducedthe brand here and hada good 2007 and a good 2008,but together <strong>with</strong> the rest ofthe Chinese brands was significantlyimpacted by the turn ofthe economy in 2009.TvG: Of course hindsight is alwaysa sure sight. Chana was anew kid on the block, not toowell established, the marketuncertain as to whether it washere to stay or not. By the timethe fall came there were morethan 30 dealers around thecountry.TvG: It is my view that at a timesuch as this a retailers’ approachto importation anddistribution type wholesaleThe Changan name-change announcement at last year’s Jo’burgInternational Motor Show.business adds to the instability.So I think at the time of theeconomic crunch the reservesand the stability of a maturewholesale operation were notthere, to cushion the brand.The product was not yet proven,and so immediately therand spend was headed for anestablished brand.TvG: So, while there was a wonderfulopportunity given tonew [retail] people getting intothe importership side of the automotivebusiness, maturity inthe business model was clearlynot strong enough for the eco-continued on page 4BANNER AD NAG NEW MADE IN.indd 12012/07/30 8:44 AM

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 3Editor’s NoteBuying a new car (or a secondhandone for that matter) is ahuge decision. It all comes downto what you really need, and howmuch budget you have. And mostimportantly, to gaze into the futurea bit and check out factorslike insurance costs, the likely depreciationof your chosen model,and things like servicing costs,and whether your service/maintenanceplan will cover the expenses that surely lie ahead.All this decision-making can, of course, really take the pleasurableedge off the car-buying experience, because, let’s face it,there is something intoxicatingly exciting about hopping behindthe wheel of that new cabbie.It’s much more fun to simply devour the latest road test of thecar you really want to buy, dream about cruising the café-societyboulevards or blasting the mountain back-roads, walk into a dealershipand say to the sales-person: let’s do it.More and more, though, I’m finding that outright performanceis less of a factor for me than the way a car behaves in moresubtle areas.This factor came up for me in three articles I was involved<strong>with</strong> preparing for this issue. The one was on the Toyota 86, whereI learned that the car’s chief engineer on the project, Tetsuya Tada,specified that narrow-section tyres be used on the car, becauseoutright grip was less important than steering feel.This subject came up again when on the launch of the newMercedes-Benz CLS 250 CDi. Rather than being disappointed bya four-cylinder engine, I felt it was perfectly suited to the car.The matter of “feeling” also came up when interviewing Fred<strong>van</strong> der Westhuizen, new Dealer Principal at a Suzuki outfit onthe West Rand. He commented that all his potential customerscame back from test drives in the Suzukis enthusing about “thefeel” of the car.Yes, as the planet moves ever-faster into a digital byte-relatedreality, it is that intangible aspect of “feeling” that is becomingmore and more important. Forget the numbers, go <strong>with</strong> the feeling.Oh, but make sure you have the numbers in your bank accountto make those feelings sustainable.Stuart Johnston,Editorstujohn@autolive.co.zaChevrolet’s GoldenHandshakeIt was a golden welcome back for South African Paralympic swimmer, Natalie du Toit onTuesday – first stop on her way home from Johannesburg’s O R Tambo airport was theWoodmead marketing headquarters of General Motors South Africa where the long-timeChevrolet brand ambassador was handed the keys to a Chevrolet Captiva.Gold in colour, in keeping <strong>with</strong> the performance of this swimming sensation at the2012 London Paralympic Games where she achieved a haul of three gold and one silvermedal, the Chevrolet Captiva LTZ will be du Toit’s personal transport over the comingmonths as she attends the many official sporting and business engagements – Natalie isa very much in demand motivational speaker – that follows in the wake of her success inthe 2012 Paralympic Games.“Natalie has been a Chevrolet brand ambassador for a number of years now and weare excited to be able to continue this relationship <strong>with</strong> her as she moves on from hermedal winning success in swimming competition to a new era in her career as a worldclass athlete,” says Chevrolet brand manager Tim Hendon. “She adds an element of excitementto an iconic automotive brand in South Africa which we trust will transport her instyle as a South African and international sports celebrity.” ■GM’s Tim Hendon hands over the keys for a Captiva to golden girl Nataliedu Toit.

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 4continued from page 2nomic crunch, the <strong>with</strong>drawal of the retailbanks was the dead nail for many.TvG: What happened is that China ConstructionBank, which funded the stock coming in, wascalled upon to support Chana, to avoid thebrand going under, as had already happenedto many other Chinese brands at that time.And some two years after this happened,that’s when they called me in. The take overby China Construction Bank came in 2009and I came in the second quarter of 2011.TvG: They were looking at a turn-around strategy,and also the opportunity to sell thebrand representation and business into theautomotive sector, because neither the bank,nor Rand Asia were, or indeed are, automotivecompanies.TvG: The product enjoys tremendous support,to give you an example of the goodwill thatwas still present, over 20 loyal dealers werestill supporting the product and even todaywe find them there.Q: So how did you see your immediate task?TvG: At the time, there was still clear collaborationbetween CIC, which is ChanganInternational Corporation, the Chongqingbasedmanufacturer and exporter, and theChina Construction Bank which had takenover the debt of the Karl-Heinz Gobel-runoperation.TvG: But because of this debt, I think therewas terminal cancer which afflicted thisbrand from that point on. In my coming onboard, they had agreed to see to the transformationstrategy, which in itself requiredfresh capital.TvG: The debt that the bank took over from theprevious management ran close to R100-million, and then some. That was an enormousdebt. Add some more in terms of relocationof the debt to the bank, and you end up<strong>with</strong> a very stressed position.TvG: To me, the fact that there was a turnaroundstrategy meant there was light at the end ofthe tunnel and at that time the bank had1 700 vehicles held as collateral against debt.In which time, during the 11 or 12 monthsthat I was able to operate correctly, we in factput to market more than 1 300 of those. Some400 vehicles of the old stock are still left.TvG: In that process, the manufacturer allowedsome new stock to come through on verygenerous terms. But what happens, sufficientcapital was generated to run the operation,but there wasn’t sufficient capital made topay the debt. The bank wanted the debt paid,that’s their principal business, the manufacturerwanted vehicles sold, the share-holderswanted some return on their investment.TvG: All this left the brand in a very compromisedposition. So at the end of the day whathappened is what should have happened in2009. We had encouraging success. Take forinstance that we achieved in terms of sellingthe old stock (and I can honestly say I havenever experienced a brand <strong>with</strong> such naturaldemand! We did no marketing, and yetdemand was there, even though we had nomarketing budget).TvG: Nevertheless, the project required commitmentin line of fresh capital for the turnaroundstrategy. And that did not come. Andtherefore it was incumbent upon myself andthe directors of the board, to do the responsiblething.TvG: We operate in a very complex sector of theeconomy. Automotive is not for the faintheartedand top of that we live in difficultfinancial times. There are things that havechanged fundamentally over the past fewyears. One is consumer behaviour is vastlydifferent.Q: In what way is consumer behaviour different?TVG: Well, the buying criteria is different. Thefinal decision is made from a different setof priorities, there is less of the old kind offashion-driven buying, less <strong>van</strong>ity. In factthis new pattern is in favour of brands likeChana. You can see it in the sales patterns,where such a concentration of passengersales are in the entry-level market. This tellsyou that, increasingly, the consumer seesa vehicle as a means of transportation firstand foremost. Of course there will always bethose beautiful people who appreciate technology,who value the right look and feelof more sophisticated vehicles, and thankgoodness for that.TvG: But as far as Changan is concerned, thereneeded to be a sophistication to the operationthat was not there. The way automotivecompanies prosper today is very much linkedto ancillary products, finance, insurance andso on.Q: You are saying that even young companiesshould take these products in-house?TVG: Yes. So when a brand is not allowed toachieve that level of maturity, because ofinsufficient support, I’m afraid it won’tsucceed.Q: So the final decision was to liquidate?TVG: Yes, it had been in a position of liquidationfor the best part of August.Q: Were there South African shareholders stillinvolved?TVG: Rand Asia Finance was the principal shareholder,South African shareholders. But, thebrand will prevail. It is a strong brand. Thelock-out position that we reached regardingthe support structures is one that shouldhave been allowed to happen a long time ago.Q: Are you saying that there is a strong possibilitythat another group will take over the brandhere?TVG: Oh yes, very definitely. I have it on good authoritythat the Chinese will be sending adelegation pretty soon to fully investigate allpossibilities.continued on next pageAre you a Rainmaker ?We are expanding our foot print and have vacancies in the WestRand and Jhb South.Master Technicians, Working Foreman and apprentices required.Specialists in Suzuki and GWM will be given preference.Sales Positions for our pre-owned franchise: iPop Vehicle Sales,Sales Managers and Sales Executives• only candidates <strong>with</strong> an average going rate of10 units plus per month will be considered.• Candidates who demonstrate excellence andenthusiasm will be given preference.Meyer Benjamin : (011) 210 1300Email CV to : meyer@ipopsa.com• We are driven by our commitment to achieveresults for our clients, our team and our firm.• We win through teamwork and trust;respecting individual opinions and diversities.

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 6Autolive Welcomes NewMembers to the Sales TeamFor our 30 th edition of AutoLive, we are proudto welcome two new members to our sales team.Angelina Michael and Estelle <strong>van</strong> Staden join ourlong-serving sales executive Bruno Lupini, and theybring a wealth of experience in the sales, marketingand PR fields to our mix.Angelina and Estelle met some 18 years ago inhospital after each giving birth to their respectivesons, and decided there and then that they wouldwork together! Since that time, after working togetherfor Sue Jowell PR & Communications, they’verun a company called FVS Marketing and PR whichhas an impressive clientele, ranging from propertyto hotel to automotive interests. Angelina has alsoworked specifically on motoring titles in the past forMedia24 on special projects for Rapport, City Pressand Finweek.“We are proud to be associated <strong>with</strong> AutoLive,and look forward to taking this exciting on-linepublication to the next level,” says Estelle.Their contact details are:Angelina MichaelE-mail on angelinamichael53@gmail.com.Cell Number: 083-228-6866Estelle <strong>van</strong> StadenE-mail on estellevs@telkomsa.net.Cell Number: 083-267-1669Still very much on board is Bruno Lupini,who has been involved for over a decade in automotivepublications, and whose family has deepconnections <strong>with</strong> motoring and motorsport goingback three generations. Bruno’s contact details remainbruno.lupini@gmail.com and cell number081-354-7212Who should advertise in Autolive?■■Companies looking to recruit employees forspecialist positions in the motor industry.■■Companies looking for franchisees■■Companies looking for dealers for newvehicle brands or to expand an existingdealer network.■■Automotive marketing consultants■■Training organisations■■Market research companies■■Business management consultants■■IT companies■■Fleet management companies■■Suppliers of workshop equipment■■Car care companies■■Panel beaters and dent removers■■Auction houses■■Courier companies■■Service providers in the finance andinsurance industry■■Vehicle tracking system suppliers■■Organisers of exhibitions and conferences.■■Tyre fitment centres■■Suppliers of car care products■■Suppliers of automotive replacement parts■■Roadworthy testing centres■■Printers■■Accounting firmsAutoLive advertising rates are very cost effective andwe are able to make up advertisements at reasonablerates. The rate card is available under “Advertising”on the AutoLive website, www.autolive.co.za ■To hear more call Bruno Lupini on 081-354-7212 or e-mail him at sales@autolive.co.za or bruno.lupini@gmail.comTo hear more call Angelina Michael on083-228-6866 or e-mail her at sales@autolive.co.za or angelinamichael53@gmail.comTo hear more call Estelle <strong>van</strong> Staden on083-267-1669 or e-mail her at sales@autolive.co.za or estellevs@telkomsa.net

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 7SnippetsFord’s Jeff Nemeth.Warning aboutimport growthThe President and CEO of Ford SA, Jeff Nemeth,says the growth in imported vehicles into SA iscause for concern. Last year a record 69% or 272 00of all vehicles sold in the country were imported.This was up from 66% in 2010.Nemeth said the possibility existed that importedvehicles could gain an even stronger footholdin the SA market next year when the industrysits down <strong>with</strong> the National Union of Metalworkersof SA (NUMSA) to negotiate a new multi-yeardeal <strong>with</strong> labour over wages and conditions ofemployment.A three-year agreement signed in 2010 providedfor an across-the-board wage increase in thevehicle manufacturing sector of 10% in 2010 and a9% increase in both 2011 and 2012.However, this agreement followed an eight-daystrike at the vehicle manufacturing plants. Thisstrike was also sandwiched between strikes at relatedindustries, which made the situation both costlyand disruptive, particularly when export contractshad to be fulfilled. ■“The wide market acceptance of our localmodel line-up has strengthened the commitment ofSuzuki Motor Corporation to the SA market,” saysYamashita Kazuyuki, Managing Director of SuzukiAuto SA. He added that plans are afoot to increasethe dealer network to 35 dealers, and that four newmodels will be introduced over the next two years towiden the range. ■GWM Opens new KZNDealer PartnershipGreat Wall Motors SA has opened a new dealer partnershipon Umhlanga Ridge, north of Durban, to beknown as GWM Gateway. It is part of of the NMIDurban South Motors “brand campus”. The newdealership is a joint venture between BarloworldLimited and NH Partnership. ■Korean turmoilaverted for nowIt appears as though the South Korean motor industryhas, at least for now, escaped further disruptionto its production due to strike action by its workers,following an 11 th hour peace accord at the biggestcompany, Hyundai. However, it was close <strong>with</strong> only52,7% of workers accepting management’s offer.Recent strikes have affected output at Hyundai,Kia and GM Korea (previously Daewoo). Theyhave already lost 80 000, 30 000 and 13 000 unitsrespectively. This was the first major strike actionin this country since 2008 when there were majordisruptions. It was the costliest strike inHyundai’s history.Korean worker demands this time were forhigher wages, scrapping of the night shift and contractworkers to be made permanent employees aftera specified time period.The management of Hyundai, which has operatedits plants for 24 hours a day for the past 45 yearsis to scrap overnight work and shorten workinghours, starting in March 2013. The company says itwill make up for lost working hours by improvingand expanding facilities to increase productivity.Workers will also get a 5,4% rise in basic pay, a bonusequal to five months’ pay and a one-off paymentof US$8 500 per worker.This industrial unrest in South Korea followedthe natural disasters that hit many Asian vehiclemakers last year and allowed the Korean brands tofill the gaps in many markets.“Any protracted stoppage in 2013 will open thedoor for further import growth. It will have a significanteffect on the domestic manufacturing industry,”emphasised Nemeth. ■Free airport parkingfor Navara ownersIn a “creative” marketing move, Nissan is offeringexisting Navara owners free parking atORT International Airport. In partnership <strong>with</strong>Executive Carport Valet Parking, all Nissan Navaraowners are offered free parking that includes a carSuzuki celebratesmilestoneSuzuki Auto SA is celebrating 20 000 sales in thiscountry since the brand began selling cars here fouryears ago. Previously Suzuki began selling motorcycleshere in the 1960s, followed by the sale of outboardboating motors in the 1980s.Navara owners can now leave later for OTR Airport.

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 8Snippetswash. Nissan Product Manager Marinus Ventersays the scheme has been launched to “show appreciation”to Navara customers. ■The Classic Car ShowA car show aimed specifically at fans of musclecars, rods, custom classic pick-ups, British andEuropean classics, as well as specialist bikes willbe held at the Nasrec Expo Centre on October28. The show, organised by ClassicCars.co.za andrestoration experts Rolling Thunder, will alsofeature live rock music and a Miss Classic Carcompetition. ■Muscle pick-ups will be on show at TheClassic Car Show on October 28.Clean waterThe Ford Motor Company of SA has invested R21min a new wastewater treatment plant at its manufacturingfacility in Silverton. It uses a host of the latesttechnology to ensure minimal impact on the environmentand is the first locally-installed ContiFillsystem which uses continuously regenerated sandfiltration as opposed to the classic sand filtrationmethod which requires periodic backwashing andresults in downtime.The new system was supplied and installed byVeolia Water Solutions and Technologies. Initially15% of the recycled water will be re-used. This willincrease to 40% in line <strong>with</strong> planned upgrades. Theprevious treatment system allowed a maximum of7% of the water to be re-used. ■350-million FordsFord recently celebrated the production of its350-millionth vehicle in the 109 years since itsfounding. The landmark vehicle was a Focus madeat a new plant in Thailand. This achievementequates to Ford building a vehicle every 10 secondsduring the 109 years. Parking these vehicles nose totail would extend from the earth to the moon andback – twice! ■Toyota rebuts Ford claimToyota has rebutted Ford’s claim, made at the timeit produced its 350-millionth vehicle, that the FordFocus had been the best-selling car in the worldin the first half of 2012. Ford says it sold 489 616Focus cars in the six-month period, compared to402 187 Toyota Corollas.Toyota says the Corolla figure should in fact be603 840 units as it should include Corolla derivativessold under other names, such as Auris, Matrixand Verso. Corolla is the world’s top selling car ofall time, <strong>with</strong> 39-million units sold since the nameplate was introduced in 1966. ■EcoTest championThe Toyota Prius topped the new and more stringentEcoTest conducted by ADAC, Germany’s largestautomobile club, ahead of 55 other vehicles thathave been tested under the same, new conditions.The Toyota Prius was the first vehicle to be awardeda total of 90 points, claiming the maximum five-starrating. The 4.58l/100km fuel consumption achievedduring the tests was awarded 40 points. The maximum50 points were attributed for the hybrid’slow emissions. ■The Toyota Prius topped the new andmore stringent EcoTest conductedby ADAC, Germany’s largestautomobile club, ahead of 55 othervehicles that have been testedunder the same, new conditions.Enviro awardVolkswagen Group South Africa has been awardedthe prestigious SJM Flex Environmental Awardfrom the Eastern Cape Exporters Club. The awardis in recognition of the strides the company is takingto implement environmentally responsiblemanufacturing practices. The decision to constructa new R500m press plant played a huge part in convincingthe judges of Volkswagen’s commitment toenvironmentally sound manufacturing. The pressplant, which opens at the end of the year, will bethe most environmentally responsible and energyefficientfacility of its kind in both Africa and theVolkswagen Group. ■The Sparco seats, costing betweenR1 900 and R2 000, are styled alongthe lines of F1 seats, and will alsoappeal to safety-conscious mothers.Get them whilethey’re youngDads <strong>with</strong> aspirations to turn their young offspringinto Formula One drivers will be able to starttheir campaigns early, by purchasing the Sparcobaby seat, now being sold by Johannesburg-basedATS, the country’s leading supplier of motorsport–related equipment. The Sparco seats, costing betweenR1 900 and R2 000, are styled along the linesof F1 seats, and will also appeal to safety-consciousmothers. They offer superb protection for childrenweighing between nine months and nineyears-old. They come <strong>with</strong> a five point harness,chest protection pads and generous side-impactprotection. ■A baby safety-seat for aspiring F1 driversis now avilable from ATS of Johannesburg.To advertise incontactEstelle <strong>van</strong> Staden on 083 267 1669 or email her at estellevs@telkomsa.net

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 9PeoplePeter Lindenberg <strong>Interview</strong>ed at the Johannesburg Boat ShowPeter Lindenberg was given a lifetime achievement award by the Gauteng Boat Retailers Association at the recentJohannesburg Boat Show. He is one of South Africa’s sporting heroes, having won multiple championships inwaterskiing and Formula One Power Boating, and competed at the top level internationally.Saldanha. Both of them, the boat bounced andnose-dived at 200 km/h. In the last big one, Igot thrown into the side of the cockpit and thecarbon-fibre sliced my helmet open, all aroundmy head. The amazing thing was, it only slicedmy hair off, I didn’t have so much as a cut onmy head.They put drips into me and fibrillatingmachines straight into my heart.I was in a coma in a hospitalin Cape Town for five days.Peter Lindenberg at the recent Jo’burg Boat Show.After a huge accident which nearly claimed his lifein 2002 at Saldanha Bay, he has focussed exclusivelyon car-racing, and currently builds racing cars forcustomers and races himself in the Historic Racingcategory at tracks all over the country.Q: You had a fantastic career in boating both as askier and a pilot?PL: Yeah, I was a Springbok water-skier from1977 to 1981 and I won the World JumpChampionship in ’81, I won the EuropeanChampionships in ’77 and then I went intowater ski racing and I won the SA champs inthe early ‘80s.Q: You also won the SA Powerboat Championshipson numerous occasions?PL: I won it 15 times. I was leading the WorldChampionships in 1989 by a country mile,but they banned me from two races for beinga South African in what was still the apartheidera. So I finished second.PL: So I’ve got good memories and good memoriesof the boating industry too, because I wassuccessfulQ: You’ve competed on the race track for a few decadesnow in cars. Is racing a top-level boat morehairy, or more extreme, than racing a car?PL: There’s no question. Your reactions in a boatare different. With car racing you react at thetime, in boat racing you’ve got be pre-emptive,you’ve got to predict what’s coming and reactbefore it goes wrong. You’ve got to read thewater, read the air, and once you’ve had the accident,you have the drowning factor, which ofcourse you don’t have in a car.Q: Do you remember your big accident, what actuallyhappened?PL: Well I had two, I had the one in 1991 inMalaysia, and then the one in 2002 atThese days Lindenberg races cars like this ‘66 Ford Galaxie.Q: But you had much greater injuries?PL: My heart stopped, because I actually drowned.They put drips into me and fibrillating machinesstraight into my heart. I was in a comain a hospital in Cape Town for five days.Q: So you don’t remember the actual shunt?PL: I remember the day, and then waking up inhospital. The rest I don’t remember. They saythe mind does that, it blanks that trauma out,to give you a chance to recover. Some peoplesay I’ve never come right since!Q: You operate your race car business these days.Is that in Malmesbury?PL: Yes, I build race cars. I’ve built about five CapriPerana race cars for clients this past year. I recentlyraced a Ford Escort up here in Gauteng,which is great, because I started my track careerin a Ford Escort, back in the early 1980s. ■

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 10SuzukiHeads WestSuzuki-iPop, until now basedexclusively in Rosettenville inJohannesburg’s southern suburbs,has opened a new Suzukidealership, Suzuki West Rand, onOntdekkers Road in Roodepoort.It has been open now for justover a month. We spoke to CEOand owner Meyer Benjamin andnew Dealer Principal Fred <strong>van</strong> derWesthuizen about taking the Suzukibrand out west.Q: Where did the idea come from, why the WestRand, why Suzuki?MB: For years I’ve been in the south and operatedfrom what is, perhaps, not a particularly fashionablearea. The ad<strong>van</strong>tage is, you can keepyour overheads down. Now, as I reinvigoratemy career (Meyer is 60-something) mynew plan of action is to operate according tothe compass – north, south, east and west ofJo’burg. We’re established in the south, we’veopened up on the west, the plan is to open inthe east and the north, all in the Gauteng area.MB: Every acquisition will depend on gettingthe captain. I look at getting the right guysfirst. This new operation, Suzuki West Rand,<strong>with</strong> its iPop used franchise, is exciting. Over150 000 cars pass our dealership every day onOntdekkers Road. That compares to maybeabout 2 000 cars that pass my dealership inthe south.Q: Fred, how much of that passing traffic has translatedinto traffic through the new dealership?FvdW: On a daily basis, we are looking at about10 to 15 people. And strangely enough, it’snot the men that come in and buy, it’s theladies. There’s a lot of walk-in here and it’sa new brand in the area.MB: Once we get known here in the West Rand,establish our footprint, we will start to reallycook.FvdW: We’ve only run two ads in the local newspaperso far, so we haven’t really spentmoney on advertising. But the business isthere. Now we’re going to go to the shoppingcentres and so-on, do some seriouspromotions.Dealer Principal Fred <strong>van</strong> der Westhuizen and CEO Meyer Benjamin.Q: How did you arrive at this particular site?MB: I’ve been looking for a site on the West Randfor a long time, one that was different, unique,wasn’t cluttered. There was a used car operationhere, but pretty unsophisticated. One ofthe major problems <strong>with</strong> dealerships is a lackof parking. Here, we can park 500 cars in thesurrounding car park which is tarred. Thisplace is so ripe for development.MB: What we did was re-plaster from the oldface-brick from the 1950s to modern plaster,and a tiled floor. It cost a bit of money, butbasically, I invest in people. I believe that peoplecome first and lots of groups get it wrong.They put up these Buckingham Palaces, <strong>with</strong>huge investments, huge overheads. My mottoin life is that people matter and results count.That’s the logo going forward for iPop and myinvolvement <strong>with</strong> the Suzuki franchise.Q: Meyer, how did your appointment of Fred <strong>van</strong>der Westhuizen come about?MB: I’ve known Fred for years. He’s been in thegame for a long time. It’s important that he’sa West Rand chap, and the game is territorybased. He knows people here. Our businessThe new Suzuki West Rand dealership, onOntdekkers Road in Roodepoort.in the south consists of 80 per cent referralbusiness.Q: Judging by your dealership in Rosettenville,you seem to have established a happy workingenvironment. What’s the key to that?MB: We try to avoid people that are toxic. Everyorganisation has some of that, we try to employpeople <strong>with</strong> a happy disposition and weset out some basic rules. We have a 10 metrezone, and anyone on our staff who comes<strong>with</strong>in 10 metres of a customer or potentialcustomer, has to acknowledge that person.And that includes me. That’s a strict rule.Q: What about the Suzuki brand?MB: The quality of the brand is amazing. And thesupport we get from Suzuki is first class. Inthe recent dealer-satisfaction awards, Suzukicame <strong>with</strong>in a whisper of being top, as far asmanufacturers supporting their dealershipsare concerned. We could do <strong>with</strong> a widerproduct range, but that’s being addressedby Suzuki.FvdW: It’s amazing, the customers we’ve had inhere in the month and a bit we’ve beenopen, every customer comes back from atest drive <strong>with</strong> the same thought: that thisis one solid motorcar, that you feel part ofthe car.Q: Any promotions you are planning in the nearfuture?MB: Just over a week ago I got a phone call fromFred telling me about the hail damage. Butyou can’t allow negative thoughts to invadeyour mind. So what we’re doing, we are havinga special hail-damage sale here on theused car side, we booked a half-page ad inthe Roodepoort Record, and this comingSaturday we open the dealership <strong>with</strong> a haildamagesale. We expect a stampede. ■

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 12Cocooned in Merc’s CLSNo place to hide! Hope the bodywork wasn’t too badly pitted.By Stuart JohnstonAt one stage we wondered whether all those NewAgers were right about 2012 being the time whenthe planet would devolve into a different life-formaltogether. The sky was darker than a governmentallimo on a moonless night, and yet it was mid-day.Next thing, we were being pelted <strong>with</strong> hailstones as loud as pistol shots and as dense as shotgunblast.The Mercedes CLS was a nice place to be interms of personal injury protection, but we fearedfor the sheet-metal of this brand-new R700 000 carand searched in vain for some place to protect itshitherto pristine bodywork. Uh uh. No handy carportsout here in the Hekpoort region, and parkingunder a tree didn’t seem so smart as the wind washowling too, as those old blue gums looked wellaged.Sorry, Mercedes PR team, but we did our best.Within minutes the road had turned into askating rink, and the traction control was employedto a point where the car wouldn’t exceed 40 km/h. Itried to get it to go faster, but the sensors on the rearwheel hubs said, like Amy Winehouse once sang,no, no, no.Traction was not forthcoming. The old F150pick-up in the rear-vew mirror obviously didn’thave traction control, driven by some crazy farmer,as he loomed closer and closer, and then shotoff into the driveway of what was presumably hissmall-holding. That, or he finally lost it, and therejust happened to be a handy driveway where he leftthe roadAnd all the time, me and my co-driver, freelancejourno and actress Karin Petersen, werecringing as the hailstones landed on that beautifulfour-door-coupe bodywork.We never did discover how bad the damage,if any, was to the car, and to the other cars on thelaunch of the new diesel version of the re-styledCLS, known as the 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY.It actually employs a 2,2-litre diesel motor, thefour-cylinder unit rated at 150 kW, and <strong>with</strong> an impressive500 Nm of torque. The motor is also to befound in some models of the E-Class and the C-Class.The transmission is Merc’s 7G-Tronic system, whichis a very good match to this engine, and providesseamless, effortless forward motion, excepting onroads pelted by one of the most severe hail stormsin memory, as experienced on that day a week agowhen the car was launched to the SA media.Some 170 000 examples of Mercedes’ previousgenCLS have been sold since the shape was introducedback in 2004. Previously it was available inV6 and V8 versions, but this is the first four-cylinderoffering, and it was obvious that Mercedes wereconcerned as to how a “mere” four-cylinder versionof such a stylish car would be received.I feel that the engine is in fact perfectly suitedto a car of this style and nature. The CLS is moreabout appearance than performance, and althoughthere are much more potent V8 and AMG versionsavailable, they are much pricier. The CLS 500, forinstance, costs R1,1 million, whereas the CLS 63AMG goes for R1,35-million. Why not save betweenR400 000 and R650 00 in an era where speedis increasingly becoming superfluous on our roads?And the CLS 250 is not slow. For sure, <strong>with</strong>good traction and an accelerator fully depressed,The road on a South African Spring day!Traction control prevented the Merc fromexceeding 40 km/h.the forward urge is of the unobtrusively-brisk ratherthan the super-quick variety, but the figures stillpoint to a top speed of 242 km/h and a zero to 100km/h time of around seven-point-something seconds.Allied to this, the official consumption claimfor the car is an impressive 5,1 to 5,3 litres of dieselconsumed for every 100 km. Translate this intoreal-world terms of between 6,5 litres and 8,5 litresper 100, depending on your driving style and trafficenvironment, and you have an extremely economicalproposition.The car is still laden <strong>with</strong> equipment to makeyou feel pampered and standard-fit items includethe COMAND APS multimedia system,<strong>with</strong> a 40 gigabyte Navigation hard-drive, andLINGUATRONIC, <strong>with</strong> a text-to-speech functionthat enables you to listen to SMS messages sent toyou by cell-phone.An option that we would definitely specify atR12 500 is the LED headlight fitment, which notonly provides an excellent safety factor in terms ofvisibility to other road users, but looks super-coolto boot.Does the new version of the CLS still look super-cool?I admit to being totally knocked out bythe original, because it was such a bold statementfor Mercedes-Benz to make back in 2004 (the conceptmade its debut at Frankfurt in 2003).It was a marrying of old-world sleekness <strong>with</strong>modern aerodynamics, and it definitely put highstylebefore any practical considerations. In fact,the CLS four-door coupe continued a tradition ofMercedes coupes that goes way back, and manyreaders will remember the CE and SEC versionsof the E-Class and S-Class as being prized modelsfrom the ‘70s and ‘80s. The only difference was, herewas a coupe <strong>with</strong> four doors!So well did the CLS sell that the likes of BMWand Audi followed <strong>with</strong> similar style models, noneof which were as successful as the original CLS. Butnow we have the latest model and gone is the dedicationto sleekness. Instead, there is the aggressiveshovel-nose that is a hall-mark of all latest-generationMercs, and the once-sleek flanks have growngreat bulging wheel-arch flares, as used on the currentS-Class. Personally, I think the new car is nowherenear as classic or eye-catching as the original,although it still has an undeniable presence.Because the launch ride of the new four-cylinderversion was so hamstrung by one of the mostintense hail storms in recent memory (at least wherewe were, in the Magaliesburg region) I can’t tell youmore about every little nuance of the car, as most ofour concentration was spent on staying on the roadand out of trouble. But I can tell you that this car,at R700 000, makes sound economic sense whencompared to the other CLS models in the range,and it’s understated performance perhaps even enhancesits aura of stealthy elegance. We’ll analyseit in more depth when we get one for a test in themonths to come. ■

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 13Toyota Boxes CleverThe Toyota 86, of which there is an almost identical Subaru version available already in Europe, is one of the mostinteresting Toyotas to be produced for years. Its mechanical specification makes for some hugely entertainingreading, as does the driving experience in general.By Stuart JohnstonMy only sadness regarding my first taste of the 86is that I had an automatic model for test. Giventhe car’s purist sporting nature, all the six-speedautomatic did was make me wish every time Iclimbed into it that I had a manual model, whichI believe has quite a delightful gear shift. But moreon that later.The 86’s most unusual attribute is undoubtedlyits engine, which is very much a joint development<strong>with</strong> Subaru. Having had such vast experience <strong>with</strong>boxer (horizontally-opposed piston) engines overthe past half a century, it was natural that Subaruwas left to design the crankcase and cylinder endof the engine. Where Toyota’s engineering expertisecame in was in at the upper end, or maybe thatshould be at the extremities, given that a boxerengine’s cylinder heads are stuck out in the windstreamon either side of the low-slung engine.Toyota brought its experience <strong>with</strong> direct petrolinjection to this particular party, and it is indeeda happy occasion. The motor revs so freelyand seamlessly that one is hard-pressed to recognisethat it’s a horizontally-opposed motor. PerhapsLooks a bit like an early Hino badge, butwhat it says is 86, flanked by opposingpistons.it’s due to the particular intake and exhaust configurationof the 86, but there is an almost completeabsence of the off-beat warble that characterises“pure” Subaru offerings. It simply takes on a slightlyharder edge as it revs way past its power peak of6 600 rpm, to an electronically controlled red-linecut-out at 7 400.Toyota engineers worked extremelylong hours to arrive at this particularengine sound by playing around<strong>with</strong> the intake and exhaust timingon the variable camshaft sprockets.Toyota engineers worked extremely long hoursto arrive at this particular engine sound by playingaround <strong>with</strong> the intake and exhaust timing on thevariable camshaft sprockets. They were in fact sopleased <strong>with</strong> the engine sound they achieved, thatthey channelled some of this sound into the cabin,via a rubber duct. This was done so that outside thenoise from exhaust and induction is still well <strong>with</strong>inthe ever-stricter noise pollution limits that are beingimposed on manufacturers in the more sophisticatedregions of our planet.The idea reminds us of the days when teenagedhot-rodders fitted side-draught Webers to theirMinis, and as their was no space left over for the intaketrumpets, they removed the speedo, so you hadthe engine drawing fresh air directly from the spotwhere the speedo once resided!The amount of expertise that has gone into the86’s air-and-fuel induction is quite mind-boggling.The D-4S injection system uses two injector systemsper cylinder, and employs both direct injection intothe cylinder as well as port-injection into the intakeports. The port injection system comes into play atlower engine revs, and apparently there is simultaneousport and direct injection at high rpm, above5 000 rpm.The pistons have been specially designed tomake best use of the direct injection system, <strong>with</strong>a “flared dome” shape that swirls the direct injectionfuel spray towards the spark plug area. There isno doubt as to the engine’s dynamic efficiency, as ituses a high 12,5:1 compression ratio.Apparently Chief Engineer Tesuya Tada consideredtwo types of engines for this car, these beinga rotary design and a boxer, saying that these small,low configurations were under consideration becausesuch a low-slung engine was needed in a lowsports car to comply <strong>with</strong> ever-stringent pedestriansafety laws.While the car has sporty overtones in its enginenote, it has sporting characteristics in much moreimportant areas. The fact that the Boxer engine hasa low centre of gravity obviously helped the Toyotaengineers in arriving at a very dynamic handlingpackage. It uses MacPherson struts up front anddouble wishbones at the rear, and, as already mentioned,a rear – wheel-drive layout, something wehave seen more recently in Lexus cars <strong>with</strong> theirBoxer four-cylinder is a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru.continued on next page

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 14continued from previous pageToytoa parentage, but not in Toyota passenger carssince the days of the old rwd Corollas, and the 1980sCressida in its passenger line-up.Thinking back, it should be no surprise that theToyota 86 has one of the crisper steering responseswe’ve experienced in a long time. Because the LexusiS200 had just such a crisp turn-in, and in fact hadimpeccable handling manners too.There is nothing harsh about the way the 86soaks up bumps and ruts, but it is decidedly “reactive”to every input on the wheel, and initially itcould be thought to be a little nervy.That concern soon dissipates as you realise thatit handles in the way classic rear-wheel-drive sportsToyota’s 86 in its natural habitat.car should behave. The handling sharpness was infact honed over many laps at the Nurburgring, underthe watchful eye of the 86’s project chief TetsuyaTada. The car is fitted <strong>with</strong> a VSC traction controlsystem that is able to be switched off in stages, frommoderate tail-out mode to full let it all hang-out, nosafety-net mode.The steering uses an electric power assist, andproves that these systems can provide the requireddriver feedback for a sporty, in-touch driving experience,if calibrated correctly. Part of the 86’s charmis that it uses comparatively modest rubber, the carrunning 215/45 rubber on 17-inch rims. This meansthat grip is not enormous, and this was part ofTada’s dictum for the car, that it should not be overtyred,as he believes many modern sports cars are.The cabin is snug and well-trimmed, but notover-stuffed <strong>with</strong> gizmos. It has a muted no-nonsenseflavour, and very supportive seats, coveredin leather on the high-trim variant (which all automaticmodels are), but coming <strong>with</strong> cloth seat trimfor the base model.Toyota are proud that they haveachieved a shift response timeof less than 0,2 seconds for itssix-speed automatic gearbox.Toyota are proud that they have achieved a shift responsetime of less than 0,2 seconds for its six-speedautomatic gearbox. Sadly, I didn’t like the automatic‘box at all. I found it far too over-reactive and proneto dropping down two ratios instead of one at theprod of the accelerator. Sure, there will be buyerswho like an automatic ‘box in a car that looks likethis, but for me that is missing the whole point.The car weighs in at just over 1 200 kg, which isnot too bad in this modern day and age of cars laden<strong>with</strong> so much safety and infotainment and comfortequipment. I love the fact that Toyota have donethis car, and I hope it’s a spirit that will rub off onits “cooking” models sooner, rather than later. Weall know that Toyota is well capable of producingcars that are not only trouble-free, but feel rewardingin a dynamic sense. Yes, what it has done <strong>with</strong>the Prius is very commendable, but we need its basicmodels to feel more durable in areas of cosmetictrim, as they were in decades past and look easieron the eye.The 86, and the FJ launched early this year isproof that Toyotas can be visually exciting too. Andas for price, the 86 proves that sports cars don’thave to be over-priced. The base model comes in atR298 500 and the High-line Auto at R346 500. ■simplifyingCOMMUNICATIONSWilken Communication Management wasestablished in 1997 <strong>with</strong> the major focus ofitÕs operations being the South Africanmotor industry.Over the years it has developed into a onestopcommunication and marketing serviceprovider specialising in this industry.It is staffed by some of the mostexperienced people in the marketing andcommunications environment of the SouthAfrican motor industry.WCM can provide services from strategicplanning, to product launches, media brieÞngs,event management, ßeet vehicle management,and ongoing public relations campaigns. It alsohas a publishing arm which can producenewsletters, magazines and coffee tablebooks.For more information contact: Jacques Wilken- jwilken@mweb.co.za237 Rigel Avenue Waterkloof Ridge, Pretoria, 0181 Tel (012) 460 4448 Fax (012) 460 4514 www.wilkencomm.co.za

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 16Look After Your Tow-balls, Says ThuleMark Gutridge, MD of Thule TowingSystems in SA.Thule’s Swedish-designed tow bar.Thule Towing Systems SA has warned off-roadersthat they could be stressing both the towbar andtow vehicle beyond their design limits by undertakingextreme off-road manoeuvres <strong>with</strong> a trailerattached, and in certain instances forcing the vehicleand trailer to interact in a way which they werenever designed to do.“The engineering specification for towballsstates that they must be capable of handling a 15degree rotation above or below a horizontal lineHectic off-road use can mean troubloe for tow bars.relative to the trailer, though depending on the couplingdesign you could theoretically achieve morein certain situations. Generally though, if you gobeyond that – especially when the trailer is hangingdown such as when the vehicle traverses a crest– then the hinging effect is lost and the two units effectivelylock together – transferring forces directlyinto the chassis of the car and/or the frame of thetrailer,” explains Thule‘s managing director, MarkGutridge.This can have a dire effect on not only the rig,but the towbar and the tow ball. Depending on howstrong the various components that make up thechain are, it may be the towbar which breaks, or itsmountings points may rip out of the chassis, or itmay actually fracture the ball by exceeding its shearstrength – usually at the narrowest part of the neckjust below the ball itself.“In a worst case scenario, such as when the rigis exiting a donga <strong>with</strong> very steep sizes, you couldhave a situation where a trailer literally hangs on theball, to the point where the trailer wheels are off theground,” says Gutridge. “A similar situation couldoccur when negotiating ‘axle-twisters’ and a lateraltwist of no more than 25 degrees from the vertical iswhat the ball is designed for.”Unfortunately, 4x4ing often involves venturinginto the unknown but drivers should be aware thatthere are limitations in each link of the chain, evenif you’re pulling a proper off-road trailer <strong>with</strong> bigwheels and the appropriate tyres. While extremeobstacles are seldom attempted while towing, ifyou encounter a serious obstacle do the right thingand walk it first. If in doubt whether it will twistor bend the coupling between the tow vehicle andtrailer beyond the angles mentioned here, rather tryanother route.“Damage caused by this kind of overloadingdoesn’t always manifest itself immediately, but theonly certainty if that something is being put underextreme stress, and a catastrophic failure can happenmuch later, <strong>with</strong> disastrous consequences,”concluded Gutridge. ■

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 17Continental Tyre Keeps NorthernLights School Fleet Safely on the RoadContinental Tyre South Africa (CTSA) has sponsored tyres worth more than R40 000 to the seven minibuses usedby the Northern Lights School in Port Elizabeth to transport children <strong>with</strong> physical and learning disabilities.The special needs school, located in Cotswold, accommodates167 learners from Grade R to Grade12, and caters for children <strong>with</strong> a wide variety oflearning and physical disabilities, including cerebralpalsy, spina bifida and muscular dystrophy.Gishma Johnson, Corporate CommunicationsManager at CTSA, says that the safety of thelearners is priority. “We understand the needs ofthe school and reacted urgently to their request aswe know the risk involved in driving <strong>with</strong> worntyres. The sponsorship will ensure the ongoingmobility of the school’s essential transport system,while providing crucial driving safety onthe roads.”Louise Jacobs, senior administrator at theNorthern Lights School explains that these childrencome from the poorest of the poor areas right acrossthe Nelson Mandela Bay region and most of thelearners’ families simply cannot afford school feesor any form of specialised care or tuition.“Transport is one of the biggest costs for theschool, as the children are collected and dropped offdaily. Due to their disabilities, most of them have tobe fetched directly from their homes,” says Jacobs.According to Jacobs the bulk of the school’sfunds go towards transport, as it costs aroundR15 000 a week to transport the children to andfrom school. “Only a small portion of this is coveredby our government subsidy,” Jacobs says. “This,along <strong>with</strong> the specialised resources we require interms of learning equipment, wheelchairs and otherbasic amenities puts a huge strain on our budget.”“Continental’s sponsorship of tyres for our fleetof seven minibuses is immensely appreciated, asit alleviates the burden of replacement costs. Thisallows us to direct that money into other muchneededareas such as learning materials, mobilityequipment and assisted learning devices, as well asthe ongoing maintenance and repairs to our ageingfleet of vehicles.”Despite the challenges faced by the school, accordingto Jacobs it ranks amongst the top four inthe Eastern Cape for Grade 12 pass rates. NorthernLights encourages participation in a variety ofsports amongst the learners, one of whom is a memberof South Africa’s wheelchair tennis squad.As it embraces the full spectrum of educationand care, the school features a full range of supportstaff, including an occupational therapist, physiotherapistand house mothers to assist the teachers.This is not the first time Continental TyreSA has supported the school. In 2010, as partof its sponsorship of the Soccer World Cup inSouth Africa, Continental donated R100 000towards the school’s transport system. This enabledNorthern Lights to acquire much-needed additionalminibus.During the World Cup, CTSA also took thelearners to one of the soccer matches in PortElizabeth. “It was a dream come true for the entireschool, and especially our terminally ill children,”Jacobs says.About Continental CorporationWith sales of €30.5 billion in 2011, Continental isamong the leading automotive suppliers worldwide.As a supplier of brake systems, systems andcomponents for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation,infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics,tires and technical elastomers, Continentalcontributes to enhanced driving safety and globalclimate protection. Continental is also an expertpartner in networked automobile communication.Continental currently has approximately 169,000employees in 46 countries. ■Northern Lights School head boy Andisiwe Nyangasya is one of many the learnersthat relies on the school’s essential transport system. Although diagnosed <strong>with</strong> spasticquadriplegia at the age of six months, Andisiwe is working towards attending NelsonMandela Metropolitan University next year.

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 18Working WheelsChinese showof strengthBy an amazing coincidence two of the big playersin the Chinese truck industry chose the sameday – September 6. Oddly enough it was also theday that Mercedes-Benz SA officially opened theirTruckStore. It was also a day of very inclementweather, cold and rainy.The events did not clash directly though, asDong Feng was in the morning <strong>with</strong> its event in thesouth of Johannesburg, TruckStore was at lunchtime in Centurion and FAW’s glamour event was atSoccer City in the early evening.New T-Lift model launchedDong Feng Africa Commercial Vehicles, whichtraded previously as DFM Warrior, is becomingmuch more aggressive in the South African marketplace judging by the launch function stagedin Johannesburg recently to launch its T-Lift extra-heavytruck, which joins the current range ofKinland truck-tractors and freighters and Kingrunmedium trucks.What one noticed was the number of visitingdignitaries from Dong Feng in China, including themanaging director Huang Gang. This was a suresign that the Chinese giant – largest of that country’struck makers – wants to get more serious aboutdoing business in Africa.The T-Lift 6x4 chassis-cab is powered by aCummins L375 20 Euro 2. 6-cylinder engine <strong>with</strong>a displacement of 8,9 litres and developing 275kW(375 hp) at 2 200r/min of power and 1 480N.m oftorque between 1 300 – 1 500r/min. It is well suitedto concrete mixer, tipper, compactor, logger andskip loader, according the Dong Feng executives.The T-Lift has a payload rating of up to 15tons on-road and 22 tons off-road in the tipperconfiguration.The Dong Feng trucks are assembled locally ata facility in Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg, andfitted <strong>with</strong> locally-made bodies.Priced at a very competitive R649 000 for thechassis/cab and the local Dong Feng Africa team isFAW’s management team at Soccer City last week.very bullish about the potential of this new modelin the SA market.The visiting Dong Feng executives were at painsto stress how large and successful the company isin the Chinese domestic market and in terms of itsglobal ranking, where it is second behind Daimler.FAW launches J6 truck-tractorThe FAW brand, <strong>with</strong> its eagle emblem, is preparingto soar even higher in South Africa as it fired anew salvo in its aim to become a major player in theSouth African and African truck markets, <strong>with</strong> thelaunch of its J6 extra-heavy truck-tractor at SoccerCity recently.“I was a trailblazer in bringing Chinese trucksto South Africa when I obtained the local franchisefor FAW and we opened for business in July 1993,”explained the managing director FAW VehicleManufacturers SA’s Richard Leiter.“This means we have had almost 20 years’ involvementin the marketing, sales and servicingof these trucks in Southern Africa and during thistime we have built up an FAW truck parc of almost10 000 vehicles. Since 2000 FAW of China has hadequity in the South African company.“We have also shown our commitment toSouth Africa <strong>with</strong> the erection of a manufacturingfacility in the Coega Industrial Development Zonenear Port Elizabeth. The plant will have an initialannual output of 5 000 trucks a year. This investmentalone amounts to more than R600-million,”said the local senior executive.The high profile launch at Soccer City was attendednot only by a large contingent of senior executivesfrom First Auto Works (FAW) in China,headed up by vice president Chunbo Dong, but alsoby local dignitaries including the Gauteng MEC foreconomic development, Nkosiphendule Kolisile,and the executive manager of the Coega IDZ,Christopher Mashigo.The FAW J6, which is targeting long-haul operations,is offered <strong>with</strong> a choice of a semi-sleepercontinued on next pageTo advertise incontactAngelina Michael on 083 228 6866 or email her at angelinamichael53@gmail.com

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 19Working Wheelscontinued from previous pagelow roof cab <strong>with</strong> a single bunk or as a two bunkfull sleeper <strong>with</strong> a high roof cab. Permissible GVMis 56 000kg.The J6 is powered by FAW’s self-designed engine,an in-line six-cylinder <strong>with</strong> common railand Bosch injection, a displacement of 12 530cm 3, turbocharger and intercooler . It develops 450hp(338kW) at 1 900r/min <strong>with</strong> 2 100N.m of torque at1 400r/min.FAW is one of the powerhouses of theChinese motor industry. Besides producing itsown vehicles it also has joint ventures <strong>with</strong> Ford,Audi, Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota, Volkswagen andGeneral Motors to produce vehicles for these majorglobal players.The FAW Group’s total sales in 2011 were over2,6 million passenger and commercial vehicles andranked 165 th in the Forbes Fortune 500. The groupnow employs more than 130 000 people. ■TruckStore OpensSouth Africa is the first country outside Europe toopen a Mercedes-Benz TruckStore to retail usedcommercial vehicles. It opened last week alongsidethe Daimler truck dealership campus in Centurion.The company believes it is set to become one of thelargest used commercial vehicles dealers in SA, sellingused trucks, <strong>van</strong>s, buses and trailers.“TruckStore is a Daimler initiative whichbegan operations in Europe 10 years ago. Thisvery strong model concept has been adapted tosuit the Southern African market,” says MartinZimmermann, President and CEO of MBSA.Zimmermann adds that TruckStore Centurionwill be operated by MBSA’s own retail arm andheaded up by an experienced TruckStore man,Oliver Marte.Construction work on the R20-million officebuilding, which houses offices and display facilities,started in February following the official sod turningceremony.Mercedes-Benz opens Truck Store inCenturion.TruckStore will have a dedicated reconditioningcentre based at Zandfontein and will also acceptcommercial vehicles of any vehicle type or brand inpart exchange (trade-ins). The condition of everyvehicle will be thoroughly checked and assessedon the basis of uniform standards. Vehicles will besubdivided into the “product categories gold, silverand bronze”. ■And Now, a Truck Economy Run!Meanwhile, as all this product and service-centrelaunching was unfolding, a convoy of five truck andtrailer combinations had rolled into the MAN Truckand Bus SA dealership in Centurion on August 31 tocomplete the 4 200km MAN Consistently EfficientTour 2012.Following the Tour send-off in Centurionon August 15 th , the Tour travelled throughBloemfontein, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Pinetownand Nelspruit, hosting gala events in each cityto showcase the financial and environmental benefitsof the new MAN TGS EfficientLine range oflong-haul trucks.According to Bruce Dickson, Deputy CEO,MAN Truck & Bus SA, “The Tour was essentially a‘truck economy run’ <strong>with</strong> a clear objective to matchor surpass the three-litre fuel saving achieved byMAN during its European Tour last year. We alsoaimed to demonstrate to the transport industry andthe general public that for every litre of diesel saved,a corresponding 2.63kg saving in CO2 emissionsis achieved.”The South African MAN Tour fielded threenew TGS EfficientLine derivatives, a standard TGSreference truck and a Euro 5 TGS EfficientLine exhibitiontruck. Apart from the exhibition truck, allvehicles were loaded to their maximum legal permissiblemass and were run on standard 500ppmdiesel supplied by Engen.Joined throughout by local transport efficiencyexpert, Fritz Hellberg, who acted as independentauditor of the fuel consumption figures, theTour’s primary mission was to compare the fuelconsumption performance of the new 6x4 TGS26.440 EfficientLine against that of the standard6x4 TGS 26.440, to prove that truck-trailer combinationsequipped <strong>with</strong> cost-effective streamliningaccessories reduce both fuel consumption andCO2 emissions.Addressing a crowd of over 100 people at thehomecoming event, Dickson stated that, “the finalfigures for the test-versus-control TGS 26.440trucks are better than expected. When comparingthe TGS 26.440 EfficientLine test truck <strong>with</strong>the standard TGS 26.440 reference vehicle, thetotal fuel saved on the 4 200km round-trip was198-litres, which equates to 4.7 L/100km or, a 7.8percent improvement. Importantly, this meanstoo, that 521kg of CO2 were prevented from beingreleased into the atmosphere by the testtruck alone.”Hellberg reported that the TGS 26.440 referencevehicle achieved an overall fuel consumptionfigure of 60.8L/100km while the TGS 26.440 and26.480 EfficientLine vehicles achieved 56.1 L/100kmand 58.3 L/100km respectively.The MAN Economy Runner.“Impressively, even <strong>with</strong> its higher power output,the TGS 26.480 EfficientLine achieved a 2.5L/100km diesel saving over the 26.440 referencevehicle,” added Dickson.Stressing the cost benefits of the new MANTGS EfficientLine, Dickson stated that, “at currentfuel prices, a long-haul fleet operator averaging 200000km per annum, would save approximately R96500 per year, per vehicle, <strong>with</strong> such figures. In context,this would mean that for every 15 new TGS26.440 EfficientLine vehicles bought, a customercould effectively get another truck free every year.”“The MAN TGS is already a proven winner inthe long-haul sector and the EfficientLine is basedon the same optimised driveline, which includes theMAN TipMatic transmission <strong>with</strong> cruise controland the ZF intarder,” continued Dickson.Driving time <strong>with</strong> the vehicles in motionamounted to approximately 66 hours, <strong>with</strong> averagespeeds around the 63km/h mark. ■

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 20New Vehicle Sales Continue to RiseNew vehicle sales maintained the steady growthtrend of the first seven months of 2012 <strong>with</strong> salesin the major segments registering relatively decentgains in August compared to the correspondingmonth last year. Aggregate domestic sales for themonth improved by 9.4% to 56 253 vehicles from 51409 units in August last year.Total domestic sales for the eight months ofcalendar 2012 remained 11.3% ahead of the correspondingeight months in 2011. August, 2012 exportsales at 25 024 vehicles registered a marginal improvementrising by 188 units or 0.8%, according tosales statistics released by NAAMSA’s independentstatistical service provider, Messrs RGT SMART.Overall, out of the total detailed (disaggregated)reported Industry sales of 53 725 vehicles(excluding MBSA, which does not report detailedfigures), 81.1% or 43 546 units represented dealersales, 11.5% represented sales to the vehicle rentalIndustry, 3.9% Industry corporate fleet sales and3.5% to government.Despite prospects of a lower economic growthenvironment, the automotive sector in SA continuesto perform remarkably well.Factors that continue to support domestic salesinclude historically low interest rates, ongoing improvementin vehicle affordability in real terms,improving demand for credit by households andbusinesses. The recent 0.5% reduction in interestrates should also support sales of consumer durableproducts, particularly new motor vehicles. Thehighly competitive trading environment, attractiveincentives and new model introductions would alsoboost demand.In terms of domestic sales, the industry remainedon track during 2012 for growth of around10%. Looking ahead to 2013, increasing inflationarypressures on the back of expected higher fuel andfood prices and the impact of Rand weakness onnew vehicle pricing were likely to result in a moredifficult trading environment and more subduedgrowth in vehicle sales. ■South African Vehicle Sales Figures at the End of August 2012Disclaimer:* For the time being, as a result of a global directive by Daimler AG (Germany), Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd will only report aggregated Passenger andCommercial sales data.Please note the disaggregated MBSA volumes are estimates based on historical trends and forecasting techniques.Source: NAAMSA www.naamsa.co.za.RGT SMART is the independent provider of the new vehicle sales information to NAAMSA and AutoLive. For more information on the RGT SMARTproduct line view www.rgtsmart.co.za.TOTAL MARKETYTD 2012 411 804YTD 2011 370 041Increase of 11,3% between YTD 2012 and YTD 2011AUGUST 2012 56 253JULY 2012 51 409AUGUST 2011 54 076Increase of 9,4% between sales in August 2012 and August 2011PASSENGER CAR MARKETYTD 2012 289 164YTD 2011 256 990Increase of 12,5% between YTD 2012 and YTD 2011AUGUST 2012 40 345JULY 2012 37 844AUGUST 2011 36 192Increase of 11,5% between sales in August 2012 and August 2011LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MARKETYTD 2012 104 074YTD 2011 95 352Increase of 9,1% between YTD 2012 and YTD 2011AUGUST 2012 13 637JULY 2012 13 802AUGUST 2011 12 906Increase of 5,7% between sales in August 2012 and August 2011OVERALL TRUCK AND BUS MARKETYTD 2012 18 566YTD 2011 17 699Increase of 4,9% YTD 2012 and YTD 2011AUGUST 2012 2 271JULY 2012 2 430AUGUST 2011 2 311Decrease of 1,7% between sales in August 2012 and August 2011TOTAL VEHICLE EXPORTSYTD 2012 178 067YTD 2011 182 147Decrease of 2,2% between YTD 2012 and YTD 2011AUGUST 2012 25 024JULY 2012 27 601continued on next page

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 22Market Totals by Manufacturer for August 2012PassengerLightCV16 500kgBus>8 500kgRSA EXP RSA EXP RSA EXP RSA EXP RSA EXP RSA EXPTOYOTA 7 325 1 054 4 622 5 793 163 0 72 0 38 0 0 0VOLKSWAGEN GROUP SA 9 135 5 374 763 0 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0GMSA 3 123 0 2 786 0 147 0 67 0 44 0 2 0NISSAN 1 804 5 2 558 1 199 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0FMC 2 336 0 1 418 3 128 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0BMW GROUP 2 520 3 931 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0RENAULT 1 007 0 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0CHRYSLER SA 928 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0HONDA 896 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0JAGUAR LANDROVER 541 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0TATA 256 0 128 0 64 0 41 0 20 0 6 0PCSA 406 0 25 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0FIAT GROUP 366 3 49 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0SUZUKI AUTO 402 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MITSUBISHI MOTORS SA 292 0 46 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MAHINDRA 116 0 204 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PORSCHE 261 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0UD TRUCKS 0 0 0 0 65 4 96 39 96 0 0 0VOLVO CARS 246 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 3 116 4 28 2SCANIA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 122 4 14 6VOLVO TRUCKS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106 4 2 0IVECO 0 0 0 0 56 0 11 0 21 0 0 0SUBARU 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0POWERSTAR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 56 7 0 0NAVISTAR INTERNATIONAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 41 0 0 0RENAULT TRUCKS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 2 0 0MASERATI 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0BABCOCK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0SUB TOTAL 32 027 10 426 12 685 10 120 569 4 295 42 682 21 52 8AMH & AAD 6 452 0 910 0 53 0 0 0 0 0 0 0MBSA 1 866 4 403 42 0 193 0 58 0 358 0 11 0INDUSTRY TOTAL 40 345 14 829 13 637 10 120 815 4 353 42 1 040 21 63 8

Subscribe for free @www.autolive.co.za Page 23Cool RidesThis is Karen, one of the organisers at Wheels at the Vaal and hercustom DKW 3 equals 6.Amazing foot-ups action at the AMiD Bike Show at Nasrec onAugust 25.Unbelievable home-built Figoni-bodied Talbot Lago, spottedat the Wheels at the Vaal on September 1. The car was built byVereeniging’s Koos Swanepoel.Hairy ride! Beetle <strong>with</strong> a front-engined V8 mill equals non-stopaction. The car was parked in a display organised by Vaal Piet ofwide rimmed wheels fame at Wheels on the Vaal.Neat original Can Am at Piston Ring meet in late August, one ofjust 99 road-going Little Chevs built in 1972-73.Spotted near Pretoria in our travels was this Chev Corvair Monza,a rare turbo model, possibly the only one in SA.