5 important things that happened in South Africa’s car industry this week

These were the five biggest stories in South Africa’s transport industry this week.

New mafia threatening South African road users

South African motorists are being threatened by taxi operators engaging in mafia-like extortion and intimidation tactics.

Over the past few months, a new trend has emerged where taxi drivers are targeting private citizens, schools, and businesses for carrying passengers in their cars.

The taxi operators have justified their actions by claiming that they are entitled to all passenger transport in South Africa.

What to expect from petrol prices in South Africa in March

The Central Energy Fund has announced the expected petrol price changes for March.

Unfortunately, both diesel and petrol are set to go up by at least 8c per litre, marking the fifth consecutive month of hikes.

The increases are based on the fluctuating international price of crude oil, though an improvement in the rand/US dollar exchange rate somewhat mitigated the size of the hikes.

2 new 1,100km hybrids for South Africa – Details

Omoda and Jaecoo are set to launch two new plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) in South Africa.

The models in question are the PHEV versions of the Jaecoo J7 and Omoda C9, which will arrive in the second quarter of 2025.

The manufacturer claims that the PHEVs have a range of well over 1,000km thanks to an efficient 1.5-litre petrol engine with an additional electric motor and battery.

Chery cuts price of most affordable SUV in South Africa

Chery has lowered the price of its cheapest SUV in South Africa by R10,000.

The Tiggo 4 Pro now retails for R269,900, making it the cheapest Chinese SUV in the country.

The model lineup has also been changed, as the Tiggo 4 is now limited to six derivatives instead of the previous 10.

Good news for BMW, Toyota, and VW buyers in South Africa

South Africa’s original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are imploring government to allow them to convert billions of rands in unused import duty credits into cash.

This would allow automakers to slash production costs, which in turn would lower car prices for consumers.

If this plan is approved, car prices could be lowered for all seven of South Africa’s legacy OEMs including BMW, Ford, Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and VW.