Today see's the start of SA's biggest motoring festival, the South African Festival of Motoring taking place at the home of motor racing, Kyalami International Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg. Today they hosted a media day, so the journo's could get up close and personal with what is on display for festival goers, unfortunately I couldn't attend myself but if you are planning or still deliberating on attending this weekend, this post is to give you a snapshot of what you can expect. There has been a host of new car reveals and that is essentially what we will be focusing on today.
Biggest news of the day, well morning was from Ford South Africa who lifted the covers of their all new Mustang GT. This one caught many by surprise as the car itself was only due later on in the year. Ford SA has already confirmed that we will also be getting the Dark Horse edition of the car. The Mustang boasts that iconic 5.0L naturally aspirated V8 motor which delivers 328kW and 540Nm of torque, with the Dark Horse squeezing out 372kW. The updated interior see's a lot of technology advancements with a huge curved display and a neat remote rev function which can start the car and rev it from the key. No official word on pricing has been given yet but it's definitely North of R1.2 million.
Next up, we move over to the Germans, Volkswagen SA showcased their updated T-Cross. While the general styling remains the same with revised bumpers for the front and back, the main changes come in the lights, with the headlights getting IQ Matrix LED's and the rear featuring Matrix LED lights. On the inside, there set up has been revised giving it a more mature look and feel. The infotainment has been upgraded to an 8-inch touch screen display and the instrument cluster now being fully digital. Wireless charging and App Connect is now standard throughout the range and VW has introduced a lot more soft touches on the dash and door inserts. Pricing starts at R462,200 for the Life 1.0 TSI 85kW model with 3 lower engine derivatives still making their way to the shores.
VW also has on display some other cool cars, like their long wheel base ID Buzz, the new Toureg and the soon to be launched new Tiguan! So lots to see from them.
Suzuki launched their latest edition of the the much loved Swift. Featuring modern styling and an all new 1.2 liter, 3-cylinder petrol engine that promises more efficiency but still delivering decent power at 60kW and 112Nm. There will be 3-trims to choose from, GL, GL+ and the range topping GLX which features CVT automatic gearbox, folding side mirrors, keyless entry, push button start, rear PDC's, 7-inch infotainment screen and reverse camera.
With the influx of Chinese brands to the market, it wouldn't be right not to feature at least one exciting model showcased and it had to be the Jaecoo J6. This attractive retro looking SUV stole the lime light from the rest with its out there design and robust statue, the J6 commanded attention when it was showcased today. With it being confirmed for SA shores, the J6 will be the brands fully electric offering, with the brand also planning to launched a plug-in hybrid version of the popular J7. Jaecoo seem bullish about the J6 and if pricing is decent, it could see them lead the EV race from the Chinese point of view in SA.
Speaking of Chinese EV's, that brand everyone knows off but hardly hears much of, BYD also displayed their latest model to the country, the Seal. A fully electric sedan, yes a sedan not an SUV, it almost seems like a breath of fresh air to say that. They have that on display for show goers. There are many other offerings for you to see at this years SAFOM, big names such as Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley also have displays and Volvo having a stellar line up too, with a mixture of their PHEV's and their EV's with the CX30 leading the showcase but also a special edition "Adventure Beast" version of the XC90 is on display at the off-roading exhibit. It seems like a bumper line up is in store at this years festival, and not forgetting the fun on the track so if you're a petrol head or just someone looking to do something fun this weekend, best set your Google maps to Kyalami. Tickets are available via the website and start from R275 for adults and R75 for kids aged 4-12.
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