Is there room for really expensive track machines in South Africa? Apparently so, otherwise KTM would not have launched the X-Bow here. Episode 85 also covers the new Chev Spark Heavy, Ford Figo and face-lifted BMW 3-series, in both coupe and convertible form. Also on the cards is the very frugal Fiat 500 TwinAir, and the not so frugal Ford Focus RS – both of which will be coming to our shores.

pic courtesy of Wikipedia

Episode 85 hi-fi download (32MB)
Episode 85 lo-fi download (16MB)

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Show notes and links after the jump.

KTM, the motorcycle manufacturer, will be flogging is X-Bow track day special for just under a million bucks. Will it sell? At least one has, already.

A new hypercar from Mercedes-Benz in the form of the SLS (to replace its SLR) lights up Kyalami, in what must have been a very exclusive launch for every man and his dog except ZA Car Show. Boo, we say.

This thing really flies. Apparently.

Ford re-enters the cheap and cheerful entry-level car space, after the demise of the Ka, with the Figo, a Polo Vivo / Fiat Punto / Renault Sandero competitor.

Chevrolet’s refreshed Spark Lite gets the urban offroader treatment a-la Rover Streetwise and VW Crosspolo, while the new Spark looks certain to throw the gauntlet to the Fiat Punto and Hyundai i20, after its awesome launch in Cape Town.

BMW’s face-lifted 3-series coupe/convertible; need we say more, apart from spot the difference?

Good news for us, bad news for Fiat (since it can’t seem to sell a glass of water to a dehydrated man in the desert): Fiat’s 500 TwinAir  will be in SA in 2011

Clever little two cylinder

Pic courtesy of AutoExpress – click to read more about the car.

Something that wont have a problem shifting the fifty units destined for SA: Ford’s 224kW/440Nm Focus RS. We want one in white.

Another spot the difference: Toyota’s New Corolla.

Things have not been going Italy’s way recently. While the Azzuri in South Africa were out drowning their sorrows after dropping out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Italians had at least one thing to celebrate: Alfa Romeo’s Centenary.

With one soldier down – Trevor Tuck couldn’t join us, thanks to the football loss and Alfa celebration – Christo, Patrick and Trevor (van de Ven) discuss a special edition Ford Focus RS, a European sell-out success and a couple of local models.

The team also debates the cars that made the difference to the motoring world in 1981.

Very pretty Fords. You can do it yourself for much less though.

Episode 81 hi-fi download (28MB)
Episode 81 lo-fi download (16MB)

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Join the ZA Car Show fan page on Facebook, here.

Show notes and links after the jump.

On 24 June 2010, Alfa Romeo celebrated its 100th birthday. Trevor Tuck celebrated so much, he could not make it to ZACS for this recording. The loss of the Italian team in the FIFA World Cup 2010 might have something to do with his absence, too.

Audi cannot keep up with demand in Europe. We hope the Audi A1 comes to SA soon, so we can see what all the hype is about.

To pay homage to a Le Mans racer you can do two things. Develop a road going version of the race car – which a lot of manufacturers have done in the past – or, like Ford did most recently, put together a sticker pack for the Focus RS, and call it a limited edition. [via: Insideline]

Engine of the Year awards – every good engine is in here. Best Engines in various capacities: A few BMWs. Best New Engine: an Alfa. Best Performance Engine: an AMG.

Opel’s Corsa 1.4 variants excluding the Essentia, get a new engine and some suspension tweaks to improve, consumption and emissions while raising the power ever so slightly.

Suzuki’s Swift Sport is to Suzuki what the RenaultSport Twingo is Renault. Small, compact and huge amounts of fun in the spirit of the traditional hot-hatch. After nearly two years of promises, South Africa finally gets it.  [via: Suzuki]

Not quite a fizzled out electric storm, GM has refreshed the Spark lineup and brought forth the Spark Lite – a revision of the current Spark. It has done this in anticipation of the new Spark which South Africans will get soon. Another car to hot up the entry-level segment. [via Chevrolet]

The New Spark

In one of the slowest, emptiest news weeks of the year, a cut-down ZA Car Show crew breezes through a few short snippets before breezing on through to the Isuzu 72-hour Endurance challenge at Gerotek. The result is a pretty short – but fun – show, weighing in at just over 30-minutes.

ZACS is part of Isuzu's attempt to break a 72-hour record...

Episode 72 hi-fi download (18MB)
Episode 72 lo-fi download (9MB)

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Join the ZA Car Show fan group on Facebook, here.

Show notes and links after the jump.

General Motors is just all over the news, this past week:

• First it organises a huge 72-hour endurance run for its Isuzu KB300, KB250 and Corsa Utility vehicles, at Gerotek. Tuck and Christo were there, driving the cars, and will report back in episode 73.

• Then it rebrands the Opel Corsa Utility, adding a bow tie to the front grille and calling it a Chevrolet.

• And to make up for that, it says it will bring the new Opel Astra to South Africa, early next year. Engines will range from 1.4 and 1.4-turbo, to 1.6 and 1.6-turbo. Oh, and some diesels, too. Hopefully they’ll be competitively priced, and kickstart the brand’s sales, after a long hiatus for this model.

The team also talks about a report from ITWeb, which finds that more than 60% of South African motorists are uninsured. A shocking, but sobering number indeed. Are you paying for somebody else’s car crashes?

Also in the news – and a friend of the insurers – are the tracking companies. Netstar, Tracker and Matrix, who collectively represent 90% of the industry, are being investigated for anti-competitive practices, including price collusion.

Finally, our regular ZA Car Show cars of the episode’s year sees us picking the best cars from 1972. This episode’s historic trio comprises two Italians and a German: start placing your bets.

A bit late – thanks to a few technical glitches – ZA Car Show brings you the latest in motoring news from around the world, the Geneva Motor Show and South Africa.

Trevor Tuck’s excitement is piqued with the announcement that the Mercedes Benz AMG SLS will do its duty as the official pace car for the F1 season.

A very green, green Ferrari

We also give a brief  round up of the noteworthy cars from the Geneva (Auto Salon) Motor Show. A local launch in the form of VW’s Citi successor, the Polo Vivo is followed by a review of the new Polo 1.4 Comfortline. Could this just be the car that VW should have in its lineup to secure world domination?

Episode 68 hi-fi download (34MB)
Episode 68 lo-fi download (16.5MB)

Remember, we WANT your feedback. Send us your questions, requests, complaints and spy photos to info [at] zacarshow [dot] co [dot] za.
Or follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacarshow, where we break news, post updates and share info.

Links to news, show notes and more after the jump

Mercedes Benz AMG SLS will do its duty at the hands of Bernd Maylander (click for Wiki Page)as the  F1 Safety Car [via: Wheels24]

Nice change from the C63

Geneva Auto Salon Wrap Up

• For the official website of the show click here
• For UK Car Magazine’s wrap up click here [via: Gavin Green's Blog]
• For our awesome wrap up with Tuck salivating over a green Ferrari and Patrick Gearing going gaga over hybrids listen to the show
• South Africa disappoints SA with the Joule at the show. Not enough electricity to power SA so why the big deal to develop an electric car

Lexus Luxury LX570 off road crusher launched in SA [via: Carblog]

Like a giant LS460 that can climb mountains and carry militants

Volkswagen’s Citi replacement, the funky new Polo Vivo.

A slight facelift for what we know as the old Polo!

ZA Car Show Driven: 2010 Volkswagen Polo Comfortline

• Click here for the official VW minisite
• Click here for prices and options

The team has nothing but love for VW's best Polo ever.

ZA Car Show Driven: 2009 Chevrolet Captiva 3.2 LTZ

• Specs and pricing when you click here

Our intrepid Tuck was very Captiva(ted) by this car.

ZA Car Show’s cars that changed the world from 1968

This week’s also been busy, with news from abroad that Porsche - fresh with new ideas like a hybrid track car – that it will launch the new Cayenne in two wheel drive form. While the local market gets introduced to the new Volvo S60, available in 2011, some new Mercedes diesels, a Fiat Sed… Suzuki SX4 four-wheel drive and a new Renault Clio. Listen to the whole show for the ZA Car Show head-to-head of what the team believes to be two of the most influential cars in a compact sedan segment.

Episode 66 direct download (25MB) – or subscribe via iTunes here.

As an experiment, we’re going to offer a low-quality version of the show for a few episodes. A few listeners have expressed disdain at having such “large” files, so we’re offering a very compressed version of the show, at roughly half the file size of a regular show.
So, click here to download the low-quality version of ZA Car Show, episode 66 (13MB)

Again, we encourage feedback from you, our faithful listeners! Please e-mail us with your comments or queries, and we’ll respond via mail or on the show. Our e-mail address is info [at] zacar [dot] co [dot] za. Alternatively, we can be reached (or read) on the Twitter microblogging service (where we post all our breaking news in between shows) – simply go to http://twitter.com/zacarshow.

For news, show notes and pictures click ‘more’ New Porsche Cayenne accidentally leaked on its car configurator site? [via: MotorCrave via Motor Authority]

Silly configurators, last week it was the BMW F10 pricing in SA, this week it's an entirely new model

Porsche plans to make a run at a 23 percent cut in efficiency for its petrol engine range. Toward that end, Porsche will equip the new Cayenne with three engine options: a 300 hp 3.6-liter V6,  a naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V8 worth 400 hp for the Cayenne S and a twin-turbo 4.8-liter V8 churning out 500 hp for the Cayenne Turbo. A 240 hp 3.9-liter V6 turbodiesel and a Cayenne S Hybrid packing a 330 hp 3.0-liter V6 with a 47 hp electric motor will join the pack later on.

South African Volvo S60 lineup [via Wheels24]

Three engine derivatives will be on offer: T6, 2.0T and D5. The flagship 3.0-litre inline six T6 produces has an output of 224 kW and 440 Nm while a turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0-litre will be the initial entry point into the range with 149 kW and 300 Nm on tap. The 2.4-litre D5 engine kicks off the model’s diesel assault with power of 151 kW and 420 Nm of torque.

Famous Renault Clio S model designation to make a comeback in South Africa (we never really had the original in the first place I guess, but it’s good to bring back the heritage) [via: Renault.com and World Car Fans]

Renault's bid to market cars that deliver sporty appeal at affordable prices has led to the return of a version of Renault Clio that proved highly popular in the 1990s, namely Renault Clio 'S'. Like its predecessor, today's Renault Clio 'S' features an overtly sporty feel thanks to a competitively-priced package of exclusive and distinctive design details.

Merc’s 4 cylinder, twin-turbo diesel engines

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel-fueled engine, the manufacturer releases a brand new twin-turbo diesel engine for its C- and E-Class models. In its most powerful variant, the new four-cylinder twin-turbo unit for the E250 CDI BlueEfficiency musters up 150 kW, while torque is up by 25% from 400 to 500 Nm.

2010 Suzuki SX4 Four-Wheel Drive [via: Suzuki]

Fuel Levies increased in SA while government imposes 120g/km emissions tax. Craziness since there are few new cars which will comply.

Driven: Kia Cerato 2.0

Driven: Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 LT

- a happy place to be

Forget about Polo Sedans and Corollas, this is where the future lies.

This show kicks off with a brief summary of the North American International Auto Show which jump starts the motoring calendar each year in Detroit. The flavour was electrifying, which is interesting since South Africa might be pushed along that route sooner than we might think with Government’s proposal impose emissions taxes on new imported vehicles.

Another pretty VW in the same mould as the Passat CC

The handsome concept...

Direct file download (18MB)

Click ‘more’ for news links and stories…

• Click here for a photo tour of the Detroit Auto Show – NAIAS
• Autoblog’s summary of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show
• Volkswagen Coupe Concept unveiled – a Jetta Coupé. Pretty. [via AutoBlog]
• South Africa proposes a ‘green tax’ on imported cars. [via Fin24]
• The TT-RS arrives locally [via Audi]

Bugatti Galibier: Eight exhausts for your supersaloon.

And lots of shiny chrome bits, too!

Click “more”, and get more pics, plus a wrap-up of other news in this episode.

Direct file download (28MB)

Frankfurt roundup:

Bugatti Galibier

Aston Martin Rapide

Audi R8 V10 Spyder

Bentley Continental GT Series 51

BMW X1

BMW EfficientDynamics Concept

BMW 5-series Gran Turismo

Ferrari 458 Italia

Forza 3

Ford CMAX

Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

Volkswagen Golf R

Mini Coupé

Mini Roadster

… and a few others.

More of Bugatti's new grand tourer...

Audi's electric R8 concept, the E-Tron

So hot. Obviously, because the sun is beating down on you.

The Continental GT Series 51. Looks sorta plain, doesn't it?

The Rapide, from the outside...

... and a less-boring interior than you'd expect.

The maddest car in the whole wide world.

A Mini with a bigger boot.

BMW's answer to Audi's A5 Sportback.

A baby off-roader. Will no doubt be bested by a Jimny.

The hottest hatch of all? Who knows?

A game... about cars.

Local launch:

Chevrolet Cruze

The new Cruze, from Chevrolet. A bold choice for people in the Corolla segment.

It has a sexy interior to match the striking exterior.

Reviewed:

BMW 323i

The facelifted E90 3-series. This time, in 323 guise.

Lexus GS450h

Lexus' full-hybrid luxury saloon.

An intimidating view

International news dominates with many new vehicles breaking cover ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show. If you are in the market for a new car for around R400 000 (BMW 325 money) then you have to listen to review of the Chevy Lumina SS.

For more images, links to news stories and other show notes, please click on the tiny ‘more’ below

Direct file download (25MB)

MINI Coupe [via CNet Car Tech]

Looks like Chip Foose got a hold if a MINI

Maserati GranCabrio [via Maserati]

Probably one of the sexiest drop-tops

Hyundai IX35 [via Autoblog]

Volkswagen Gol-based bakkie – Saveiro [via Carscoop and Carblog]

Sadly not headed to SA, but would make a worthy replacement for the Caddy

Chevrolet reveals its pricing for the upcoming Cruz

Like the Lumina, another good looking Chevrolet

A very modern interior a-la-Ford Fiesta

Facelift for the Ford Ranger

The Ranger has lost it's "butchness"; looks more like the Mazda BT-50 again

The business end

Not much has changed in here

New Kia Cerato spotted in SA

Chevrolet Lumina SS

This is a 7-series sized car for 3-series money

This week the ZACS team tackle the European Car of the Year, have a look at the vehicles eligible for South African of the year and discuss GM’s fate – the American auto-builder is looking for a bailout from the US government.

In this episiode:

• Chrysler South Africa offers Flex-Fuel vehicles with the 2009 Dodge Journey 2.7 V6.
• European Car of the Year 2009, these are the nominees: Alfa Romeo MiTo, Citroën C5, Ford Fiesta, Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Renault Mégane, Škoda Superb, Volkswagen Golf.
• And the cars that didn’t make it: Audi A4, Audi Q5, BMW X6, BMW 7 Series, Chevrolet HHR, Chrysler Grand Voyager, Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner, Citroen Nemo/Fiat Fiorino/Peugeot Bipper, Dacia Sandero, Dodge Journey, Ford Kuga, Honda Accord, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i10, Hyundai i800, Jaguar XF, Jeep Cherokee, Lancia Delta, Mazda6, Mercedes-Benz GLK, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Murano, Opel Agila/Suzuki Splash, Renault Kangoo, Renault Koleos, Seat Ibiza, Subaru Forester, Toyota Land Cruiser 200, Volkswagen Scirocco, Volvo XC60
• South African Car of the Year speculation: ZACS guesss which might be the picks from local manufacturers, hedges bets and will check when the announcement is made 28 November 2008.
• General Motors Deathwatch – with a request to the US Government for a financial bail-out, what will happen to porfitable regions like that in which South Africa finds itself.

And more…

Direct file download (23MB) ]]> http://www.zacar.co.za/za-car-show-episode-14/feed 2 http://www.zacar.co.za/za-car-show-jims-special-day-2 http://www.zacar.co.za/za-car-show-jims-special-day-2#comments Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:30:27 +0000 christo http://www.zacar.co.za/?p=88 The ZACS team report back on all the happenings, unveilings and news on the second day of the Johannesburg International Motor Show.

Stands were visited, and here’s what they saw:

• Cadillac Provoque
• Chevrolet Beat
• Chevrolet Trax
• Chevrolet Orlando
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Chevrolet Corvette Z06
• Honda Civic Type-R
• Honda Jazz
• Honda Accord Tourer
• Fiat Linea
• Land Rover Defender SVX
• Range Rover Autobiography
• Ford Fiesta
• Ford Focus
• Ford Ranger
• Mazda 2
• Mazda 6
• GWM Peri
• GWM Hover Limo
• Toyota Yaris TS
• Subaru 
• Hyundai i10
• Hyundai i20
• Kia Soul
• Kia pro_cee’d
• Tata Indica Vista
• Proton Satria Neo turbo
• Bentley Speed
• Maserati
• Lotus
• Ferrari