Cheaper Renault Duster arrives in South Africa, and Cape Town’s hell run claims another life

One of the fastest-growing Chinese carmakers in South Africa, Jetour, has recorded a dip in its monthly sales for the first time since entering the local market.

This brings to an end a 17-month uninterrupted win streak, which saw the brand increase its monthly sales to over 2,000 units and cemented it as one of South Africa’s favourite car brands.

Brent crude oil prices rose overnight, albeit only by 0.1%, to $87 per barrel, while remaining on track for a weekly increase of around 4%.

This is a result of the US warning that it may maintain a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz to ramp up pressure on Iran as a result of stalled ceasefire talks.

The latest US threats aim to counter Tehran’s attempts to curb traffic through the Strait, which once carried around 20% of the world’s oil.

The ongoing conflict has driven fuel prices sharply and, according to reports, has put pressure on US President Donald Trump to end the war.

Good news at home is that the rand seems undeterred by the latest international developments and shrugged off the latest marginal oil price increase.

Overnight, the rand-to-US dollar exchange rate remained virtually unchanged. Yesterday, a dollar cost R16.15, while this morning it will set buyers back R16.20.

5 important things

New Renault Duster launched in South Africa: Renault has officially launched the new-gen Duster in South Africa, built on a modular platform designed for motorists looking for an affordable Adventure SUV experience. The French carmaker’s local division has confirmed the lineup for the new vehicle, comprising five derivatives priced from R339,999 [TopAuto].

Cape Town’s hell run claims another life: A councillor in the City of Cape Town has called for action after another death on the road known as the hell run. The stretch of the N2 highway between Cape Town International Airport and the city centre is dangerous for motorists [Newsday].

Nigeria’s EV ambitions run into the reality of weak electricity supply: Nigeria’s government is aiming to significantly ramp up electric vehicle uptake, even though it has one of the lowest electricity generation per capita rates in the world [Reuters].

Volvo launches app to coach safer driving habits: Volvo is introducing an app that analyses driving behaviour and provides motorists with personalised coaching to encourage safer driving and potentially lower insurance premiums [BusinessDay].

Jaguar Land Rover sales dented by supplier fire and Iran War: Jaguar Land Rover’s revenue tumbled almost 10% in the latest quarter after production at Britain’s largest carmaker was derailed again. It had to briefly pause manufacturing at its Solihull plant in the UK in late March, following a fire at a supplier in Norway, while the Middle East conflict also hit sales volumes [Bloomberg].