PRETORIA, South Africa - The Range Rover Sport has gained a suite of upgrades to,the automaker says, ''enhance its appeal as the ultimate luxury performance SUV''.A new generation of Land Rover’s six-cylinder Ingenium diesel engines has been confirmed for the introduction on the Range Rover Sport* to bring 48V mild-hybrid electric vehicle/diesel-fuelled tech to the… Continue reading Range Rover Sport gains ingenious Ingenium engines for 2021
FRANKFURT, Germany - Kia Motors has announced ''a significant upgrade'' to the fourth-generation Kia Rio with a range of enhancements intended, the automaker says, ''to re-invigorate the Rio’s position in the highly competitive B-segment''.The cars will in due course appear in South Africa.The cars' exteriors have been updated and the cabins given ''big car'' crash… Continue reading 2020 Kia Rio: Even better tech, new engines, fresh colours
PLANO, Texas- Twenty years ago (really, THAT long ago! - Editor) technology took a leap as a small and unassuming family vehicle very quietly rolled into US Toyota showrooms. The car will be launched on May 18 2020. The 2001 Toyota Prius, the world’s first production hybrid car, had arrived and would go on to… Continue reading Two decades on, Toyota US brings anniversary Prius hybrid
LONDON, England - Suzuki Britain is to add three 48-volt self-charging hybrid derivatives to its range in early 2020 along with a K14D Boosterjet petrol engine. The automaker says its new Hybrid Powertrain is in line with plans to further reduce CO2 emissions across its entire model range. The changes will involve Swift Sport, Vitara,… Continue reading Suzuki planning more hybrids for launch early 2020
PRETORIA, South Africa - Drivers of all battery and plug-in hybrid vehicles in South Africa can now plan their journeys to fit in with public battery-charging stations nationwide. A new live map displays the entire network of Jaguar Powerway and GridCars-supported public charging stations and indicates their current status - including whether any are online,… Continue reading Jaguar and GridCars launch live EV charge stations map
JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng - The fifth-generation Toyota RAV4, on the market for barely a year, is being overtaken by the arrival in South Africa of the first RAV4 TRD Off-Road model as announced at the 2019 Los Angeles auto show. It will, Toyota says, be a premium, fun-to-drive, RAV4 performance model with an estimated 225kW, advanced… Continue reading Who’da thought? A RAV4 that’ll outdrag sport cars
LONDON, England - Volvo Cars has introduced the XC40 Recharge, the automaker's first fully-electric car and the first model in the new Recharge concept. The Recharge is based on an XC40, a small SUV and the first of a family of fully electric Volvos. It's also said to be a milestone for Volvo Cars as… Continue reading All-electric Volvo: There’ll be one in every model range
PARIS, France - The success story of the Peugeot 3008 sport ute, the automaker says, with more than 700 000 sold since launch in 2016 has gone into another dimension with a Hybrid 4 model - a unit with more power than any other assembled by the brand. The Hybrid4, in Europe at least, is… Continue reading Peugeot goes high-tech with three-motor AWD SUV
Mighty wagon magic on way from Mercedes World’s first 48-volt active suspension, too Starter/generator a double-edged feature NEW YORK - Mercedes-Benz will expand its GLE range in the US with the introduction of a V8 GLE 580 4Matic that comes with''a host'' of innovations that ''establish industry benchmarks''. ''For example,'' the automaker says, ''the GLE… Continue reading V8 GLE 580: Mighty hybrid ready for launch in US market
PRETORIA, South Africa - Ford has revealed its Transit Smart Energy Concept - a one-of-a-kind 10-seater minibus to explore maximising the energy efficiency and driving range of battery vehicles. One survey showed 40% of people in Europe believed their next vehicle would probably be electric but were worried about range if cabin heating had to… Continue reading Transit in transition: Ford going all-electric with minibuses
Carman's Corner 