TOP GEAR HEADED FOR KHAYALAMI IN MARCH

Top Gear Festival powered by BP Ultimate, is making its debut at the Khayalami Grand Prix Circuit from 17th – 20th March 2011 with an incredible line-up of cars and driving talent.  Hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, featuring the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team and South Africa’s very own Formula 1 Champion, Jody

Scheckter, as well as a host of other guest drivers, presenters and celebrities, the March event promises to be the largest motoring festival South Africa has ever seen.  Jeremy Clarkson said of the new Festival; ‘It should be…..just brilliant!

The 2011 event offers a more interactive experience for the visitor, expanding it from a ‘theatre show’ to a motoring festival and resulting in its move to Khayalami which provides the necessary infrastructure required to host this impressive event. As well as The Top Gear Stunt Show, featuring all three presenters, visitors will also enjoy a huge variety of other exciting outdoor features situated around the Khayalami track. Drag racing, power testing and time trials will take place at ‘The Strip’ whilst drifting, rallying and off-roading will be key activities taking place at ‘The Bowl’. Throughout the day there will be a full timetable of special appearances by the talent as they participate and commentate on a number of special Top Gear challenges. Further features will include the BP Stunt School, Freestyle Motocross bikes, Kart Track and Motoring Pavilion.

The Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team will be accompanied by former F1 driver, David Coulthard, who will be driving one of the teams Formula One cars throughout the weekend crowning the incredible track content already scheduled. All resulting in a fitting celebration for the renowned Khayalami Grand Prix Circuit, which celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year.

David Coulthard said of his involvement ‘I’m really looking forward to going to Johannesburg for the Top Gear Festival , tens of thousands of spectators will get the chance to see an F1 car on the race track and witness what it can do.  I don’t think a current F1 car has been to South Africa for a while so I plan to give everyone a true Red Bull experience with plenty of noise and burning rubber!  I hope to see you all there.”

Honouring South Africa’s own Formula 1 Champion, Jody Scheckter, who took the title of 1979 Formula 1 World Driver’s Champion, is also another way of celebrating the 50 years of Khayalami Grand Prix Circuit’s existence.  Jody will be bringing his collection of iconic F1 cars in addition to being honoured at a special tribute dinner on Friday 18th March.

The real challenge of announcing the impressive list of guest drivers, celebrities and presenters at Top Gear Festival 2011 is trying to decide in which order to place them as each is as important as the other, their status within the motoring world making this a must-see motoring extravaganza.  Top Gear’s tame racing driver, The Stig will be taking to the Khayalami Grand Prix Circuit, as will legendary driver Sir Stirling Moss, whose success in a variety of categories of racing placed him among the world’s elite and ensure he is often called, “the greatest driver never to win the World Championship”.

The list continues with the likes of Derek Bell, five-time winner at Le Mans, Eddie Jordan, the BBC’s F1 pundit and owner of Eddie Jordan Racing, and Nick Mason, best known as Pink Floyd’s drummer, but a renowned car collector and participant in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.   Another motoring expert, former Top Gear presenter and current co-presenter of Fifth Gear on Britain’s Channel Five network Tiff Needell will also be taking part in South Africa’s Top Gear Festival. And last but not least Sabine Schmitz, the female motor racing driver and TV personality who has also appeared in the BBC’s Top Gear television series, joins in with the fun.  In addition a select number of private owners will also be given the opportunity to join the list lining-up and driving their cars on the prestigious track.

This year’s Top Gear Festival powered by BP Ultimate is expected to attract tens of thousands of petrol-heads keen to see the world famous presenters, guest drivers, presenters and celebrities in action and take part in this true celebration of all things motoring. Visitors are encouraged to book early so as not to miss the most exciting event on this year’s entertainment and motoring calendar.  

The event offers an exciting, full day out for visitors – young and old.  Khayalami is ideally located for easy access from all around Gauteng and offers a convenient park and ride facility nearby for festival-goers.

Tickets are priced from R365 and include parking.  For more information and bookings, visit www.topgearfestival.co.za or www.computicket.com.

NISSAN QASHQAI MORE RELIABLE THAN 3 SERIES, SLK

More reliable than a BMW, more popular than a Mercedes… the Nissan Qashqai has become one of Germany’s favourite cars.

A comprehensive study by the German Automobile Association (ADAC) has led to the Nissan Qashqai joining the Porsche 911 and the Audi A5 on the popularity podium at the same time as becoming the country’s preferred imported car.

As well as studying the statistics of more than two million breakdowns, the ADAC’s annual ‘Gelber Engel’ (Yellow Angel) Award asks owners to rate how satisfied they are with both their car and the level of service received from dealers.

The results saw Nissan Qashqai finishing higher in the rankings than cars like the BMW 3 Series, Porsche Boxster and Mercedes-Benz SLK. It received outstanding scores in both the reliability and the customer satisfaction elements of the survey to secure third place overall. It was the only non-German car in the top eight.

Nissan Qashqai was designed and engineered largely in Europe by teams at Nissan Design Europe (NDE) and Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE). It is built in the UK by Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK (NMUK). 

“This important award shows why Qashqai has become such a sales success across Europe,” says Simon Thomas, Senior Vice President, Nissan Europe. “It recognises the brilliance of the design and acknowledges the exceptional build quality that is engineered into all cars built at our plant in Sunderland, UK.

“The Gelber Engel award is the quality benchmark for new and nearly new cars and we are delighted Qashqai has been recognised in this way.”

The ADAC survey is restricted to vehicles aged three years old or younger to exclude breakdowns caused by poor maintenance rather than inherent faults and embraces only vehicles with significant sales to ensure a realistic picture is achieved. For the 2011 award, some 150 models were investigated. 

The results are published in the Association’s magazine ADAC Motorwelt, which has a readership of more than 19 million. ADAC is the second largest automobile club in the world with 17.5 million members.

Nissan Qashqai was launched in 2007 as an innovative and attractive alternative to the mainstream hatchbacks that dominated the European C segment. The combination of SUV features and the qualities of a compact family car created a crossover which has appealed to buyers all over Europe. More than 740,000 units have been sold in Europe to date with 270,000 units rolling off the production line at Nissan’s Sunderland plant during 2010 alone. A major facelift in the spring of last year further enhanced the vehicle’s quality and refinement. 

ADAC Gelber Engel 2011
1: Porsche 911
2: Audi A5
3: Nissan Qashqai
4: Porsche Boxster
5: BMW 1 Series
6: BMW 3 Series
7: Audi TT
8 Mercedes-Benz SLK

STORY BY NISSAN

NORWEGIAN BIATHLON STAR LINKS UP WITH BMW

The involvement of BMW in the IBU World Cup Biathlon and FIS Cross-Country World Cup will now enjoy illustrious support in the shape of Ole Einar Björndalen; the Norwegian superstar has been named as an official BMW biathlon and cross-country skiing ambassador.

“We’re delighted that such an exceptionally talented athlete as Ole Einar Björndalen will be representing the BMW brand,” says Johannes Seibert, Head of Marketing BMW Germany. “Through his sporting achievements over many years he has embodied outstanding precision, endurance and success – attributes shared by the BMW brand. This makes him the perfect choice for BMW biathlon and cross-country skiing ambassador.”

The superlative driving pleasure laid on by the BMW X6 Active Hybrid and sure-footed winter performance of the BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system will allow Björndalen to fulfil his new role as BMW winter sports ambassador with a smile on his face. “BMW and biathlon are an excellent match,” Björndalen agrees. “It’s fantastic to be lining up for events as an ambassador for BMW.”

With 92 World Cup wins under his belt, Björndalen is the most successful biathlete in the history of the sport. The 36-year-old celebrated his greatest success to date at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City (USA), where he won all three individual disciplines and the relay. At last year’s Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver (CAN) he added an individual silver medal and relay gold to his collection. In total he has won six Olympic gold medals, four silvers and one bronze, plus no fewer than 14 World Championship titles.

Björndalen is currently lying third in the IBU World Cup Biathlon behind his compatriots Tarjei Bo and Emil Hegle Svendsen, and will be lining up in Ruhpolding as Germany hosts its second World Cup event of the season. The BMW logo can be seen on barriers and the athletes’ bibs – among other places – in the IBU World Cup Biathlon events in Europe and North America, and in the 2011 Biathlon World Championships in Russia. Added to which, BMW is the official car partner of the IBU and its promoter Infront Austria.

STORY BY BMW

2011 FIESTA RS WORLD RALLY CAR SET FOR FINNISH DEBUT

Ford's all-new Fiesta RS World Rally Car will make its debut in Finland's Arctic Lapland Rally (28 - 29 January) next week.

Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will drive a leg each in the two-day snow and ice rally based in Rovaniemi, as the final part of the squad's pre-season testing schedule.  

Hirvonen will drive the Fiesta RS WRC on the opening leg of the rally before Latvala takes the wheel for the second day.

The Arctic Rally will conclude the Fiesta RS WRC's comprehensive test and development programme ahead of its FIA World Rally Championship debut at Rally Sweden (10 - 13 February) next month. It will be an extension of the team's four-day test in Sweden, which begins on Friday, and the Fiesta RS WRC will be seen in its usual white test livery.

The rally is the opening round of the Finnish Rally Championship. Friday's opening leg contains five special stages covering 98.47km, while Saturday's action comprises a further five speed tests covering 132.99km.

Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson emphasised that the car had been entered purely for testing purposes.  "The Fiesta RS WRC has covered thousands of kilometres in testing over the last four or five months.  However, a traditional test cannot truly replicate genuine competition for learning about a car.  We believe that going to the Arctic Rally will provide ideal preparation for both the team and the drivers ahead of Rally Sweden."  

Hirvonen competed in the Arctic Rally in 2001 and 2002 and the 30-year-old Finn said: "The rally has a fantastic Arctic atmosphere, which is difficult to explain until you have witnessed it.  It has great winter conditions for driving and the stages are fast, but sometimes quite technical.  It's an ideal location to test the new car in a competitive way ahead of Sweden, and I'm excited that the team is coming to my home country again."  

Latvala, too, is looking forward to testing the Fiesta RS WRC in a rally environment.  "At a normal test a driver covers the same section of road continuously and quickly learns how to drive it.  Almost all the roads in the Arctic Rally are used only once, so it gives the team the opportunity to see how the car performs in competitive surroundings.  The stages will be a similar length to a WRC round so it really will be a perfect test opportunity," he said. 

STORY BY FORD

R363 MILLION EKURHULENI INVESTMENT FOR TOYOTA SA

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) today (17 January 2011) announced a R363 million investment into a new Parts Distribution Warehouse in the Ekurhuleni municipality. The warehouse is being developed in two phases and will serve TSAM’s local and export markets.

The new warehouse represents the largest single investment by TSAM in the Gauteng Province and it follows a five year R8 billion investment programme into its manufacturing facilities in Prospecton, Durban. Upon completion the new facility will cover 80 000 m2 and it will be the largest of its kind in Africa.

“The development of a distribution warehouse of this size and scale is one of the clearest signs that we are committed to South Africa and intent on remaining South Africa’s most popular vehicle manufacturer,” says Dr. Johan van Zyl, president and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors and Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation.

According to Van Zyl the new Parts Distribution Warehouse will allow the company to further improve the availability of service and replacement parts on all of its vehicles, while the efficiencies gained from its world class management systems will serve to contain the cost of these parts.

The new Parts Distribution Warehouse will boast state-of-the-art management and workflow systems that will ensure optimal man and machine separation. By utilising these technologies the new facility will become one of the most modern facilities in the global TMC network.

The first phase of the new Parts Distribution Warehouse will open in May 2012 with the first round of daily deliveries to the more than 220 Toyota, Lexus and Hino dealerships in Southern Africa. This phase will feature 39 000 m2 of warehouse space and 3 000 m2 of office space. More than 800 of TSAM’s staff compliment of 7 793 employees will be based here. The second phase will include a further 38 000 m2 of warehouse space and is scheduled for completion by or before 2015.

“Toyota South Africa will remain an integral member of Toyota Motor Corporation and will continue to produce vehicles in South Africa. In making this a reality we believe that the government, through the actions of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP) has created a stable and predictable environment in which we as manufacturers can make investments such as the one that we are announcing today” says Van Zyl.

STORY BY TOYOTA

ROLLS-ROYCE CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF ECSTACY

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is celebrating the centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy in 2011 with an exclusive Collection of bespoke Phantom models. Called the Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection, one hundred cars will be delivered to customers bearing a suite of features inspired by the legendary flying lady, complemented by a range of exclusive exterior colours, wood veneers and leather options.

“These beautiful models follow the finest traditions of Rolls-Royce in their luxury, craftsmanship and attention to detail,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “They encapsulate the essence of the Spirit of Ecstasy legend, presenting owners with a range of exclusive bespoke options available only in this centenary year.”

Collection cars start with the famous icon herself. Cast in silver, each Spirit of Ecstasy will feature a base complete with black-gold plated bezel bearing the commemorative inscription Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary – 2011, a legend repeated on the cover plate when the mascot is lowered. The design is finished with a set of six hallmarks, two of which have been designed specifically for Rolls-Royce.

A new badge has been developed to authenticate the Collection and establish its place in Rolls-Royce history. Located beneath the Spirit of Ecstasy, on the trunk lid as well as on front side panels, the badge reverses conventional design, with white enamel RR detail set on a black chrome background.

A trademark Rolls-Royce twin coachline is accentuated on Collection cars, thanks to a delicate hand-painted Spirit of Ecstasy insignia, the detail of which has been taken from an original line-drawing by Charles Sykes, the mascot’s creator. A further tribute comes in the glove box lid, which carries an original Sykes quotation embossed into the colour-matched leather lining:

“A graceful little goddess, the Spirit of Ecstasy, who has selected road travel as her supreme delight and alighted on the prow of a Rolls-Royce motor car to revel in the freshness of the air and the musical sound of her fluttering draperies.” – Charles Sykes, 1911

Inside the cars, fine detailing abounds. Collection cars come with an analogue clock fitted in the fascia panel, the outer bezel of which is crafted from Britannia Silver, incorporating the unique set of six hallmarks. The backlit face presents an inner ring of silver incorporating the centenary inscription.

Instrument dials complement the clock design, carrying further fine detailing. Satin spun metal dials, centered with polished RR monograms are further enriched with polished chaplets and black numerals. All are meticulously hand-crafted, examples of the attention to detail for which all Rolls-Royce hand-built models are renowned.

Further affirmation of the Collection’s place in history comes from the lid of the centre console. This reveals a discreet, solid Britannia Silver commemorative plaque engraved with the inscription Spirit of Ecstasy - One of One Hundred.

Four exterior colour options are offered, all exclusive to Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection cars. These start with Rhapsody Black, a black metallic incorporating a delicate gold sparkle and Maiden Blue a deep blue metallic highlighted with a silver sparkle. Ethereal White Pearl comes with a special pearlescent finish while Wildflower completes the bespoke paint offering, presenting a rich blend of red and brown colour with a fine sparkle. 

Each exterior colour can be ordered with a selection of sumptuous leather and interior contrast schemes while hand crafted banding of Britannia Silver will be delicately inset into the customer’s chosen veneer.

Owners will also receive a desk ornament with their cars, a polished steel Spirit of Ecstasy mounted on a piano black base. These will be presented with individual certificates of authenticity signed by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.

STORY BY BMW

SUZUKI KEEPS IMPRESSIVE RESALE VALUES

Suzuki Auto South Africa’s range of passenger cars and SUVs continue to perform impressively when it comes to value retention at resale.

According to an analysis of data published in the TransUnion Auto Information Solutions’ authoritative Auto Dealers Guide, Suzuki passenger cars and SUVs achieve among the highest resale values, relative to their original retail prices, in their segments.
 

The resale data reflects actual trade values as a percentage of new vehicle list prices over the past 12 months. The values are determined by dealer returns sent to TransUnion on a monthly basis.

The latest data, calculated up to December 2010, underscores how well Suzuki vehicles are performing in their relevant segments as far as resale value is concerned.

For instance, the marque’s trio of Grand Vitara models – the Grand Vitara 2.4, Grand Vitara 2.4 AT and the Grand Vitara 3.2 V6 AT – outpaced all their major rivals in average resale value terms.

 At the end of December 2010, the average resale value of a Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.4 stood at 77.2% of the original retail price, with the automatic transmission version achieving the same, identical average. The Grand Vitara 3.2 V6 AT model achieved an average resale value of 76.8%.

The values place the three Grand Vitara variants at the top of their segment, ahead of Honda CR-V 2.4 i-VTEC RVi (76.7%), the Toyota Fortuner 4.0 V6 4x4 (75.6%) and the Toyota RAV4  2.0 GX (74.3%).

The giant-killing Suzuki Jimny mini-SUV continued its impressive ability to retain value, with an average resale value of 77.8% – well ahead of the Daihatsu Terios 4x4 on 71.2%, and the two-wheel drive version of the Terios at 70.9%.

The SX4 lifestyle hatchback was another of Suzuki’s star performers in value retention terms. The automatic-transmission SX4 2.0 AT achieved an average resale value of 74.85%, placing it at the top of its segment.

Its manual-transmission stablemate’s average resale value of 72.51% was good enough for third place, with Toyota’s Auris 180 RS taking second place with 74.17%.

However, the two Suzukis trounced several other key segment players in value retention terms, including the Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Visia (72.19%), the Toyota Auris 180 RX (72.03%) and the Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC EXi (72.0%).

Suzuki’s most affordable car, the budget-beating Alto, is also proving its mettle in value retention terms. The Alto 1.0 GL and its more luxurious 1.0 GLS sibling recorded resale values of 74.2 and 74.1% respectively, placing them second and third in their sector.

While the Hyundai i10 1.1 GLS was the best performer in resale value terms, its average resale value of 74.5% means it only just pipped the two Suzukis to the post.

However, the Alto duo finished well ahead of its nearest rivals: the Kia Picanto 1.1 posted a value of 71.9%, followed by the Citroën C1 1.0i Play (70.1%) and the Chevrolet Spark LS and LT hatchbacks on 69.6 and 69.2% respectively.

The Swift subcompact continued to perform well in average resale values, despite the fact that the trendy hatchback is due to be replaced with an all-new model this year, which impacted negatively on its resale value.

The three Swift derivatives – 1.5 GL, 1.5 GL Auto and 1.5 GLS – still managed resale values of 75.5%, 73.6% and 73.1% respectively, earning them fourth, sixth and seventh places in their segment.

Heading up the segment in resale value terms was Honda’s Jazz 1.4i LX and LX AT hatchbacks, with identical scores of 79.0%, followed by the Ford Fiesta 1.4i Trend 5-Door on 77.5%.

“When we analysed the value retention of our vehicles six months ago, we were pleasantly surprised that many of our models were segment leaders in resale value terms,” says Kazuyuki Yamashita, managing director of Suzuki Auto SA.

“That trend continues to be reflected in the latest average resale values, and underscores the underlying strength and attraction of the Suzuki brand in SA,” he concluded.

STORY BY SUZUKI