Chinese car warning for South Africa, new business hours for car thieves, and no more passports at airports

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

Chinese car warning for South Africa

The National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers has warned that automakers could dump their cars in other markets as they seek to negate the impact of new tariffs announced by the United States.

China has grown to be one of the world’s top automotive producers in recent years, with its crown jewel, BYD, being the biggest manufacturer of hybrid and electric cars on the planet.

Combined with a history of dumping products in South Africa, as well as the recent influx of Chinese brands into the country, the risk of Chinese cars being dumped here is not insignificant.

New business hours for car thieves in South Africa

Tracker’s latest Vehicle Crime Index shows that car thieves in South Africa have changed up their operating hours.

During the first half of 2024, thieves tended to attack between the hours 11h00 and 15h00. In the second half of the year, this changed to 16h00 and 20h00.

Meanwhile, the times at which hijackings were reported remained consistent throughout the year.

Say goodbye to passports and boarding passes at South African airports

The International Civil Aviation Organisation has proposed replacing physical boarding passes and passports with a so-called “digital travel credential” (DTC) at airports across the globe, including South Africa.

The DTC will be on travellers’ smartphones and employ facial recognition technology to verify their identities every step of the way.

This allows holders to go through airports around the world without stopping or even showing a travel document.

How many dealers Audi is closing in South Africa

While Audi has kept quiet with regards to the scale of its planned dealer closures, the Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) has been more forthcoming.

Misa this week revealed that it is aware of at least four Audi dealers that are on the chopping block, located in Durban, eMalahleni, Joburg’s East Rand, and Pietermaritzburg, respectively.

Audi noted that persistent spending pressures which saw the emergence of a buying-down trend in the car market, combined with little to no government support for new-energy vehicles, led to it making the tough choice of closing down outlets.

Warning for private car sales in South Africa

South Africans are advised to be wary of buying a car from a private seller unless the seller can provide definitive proof of the vehicle’s history.

An unsuspecting buyer recently purchased a vehicle from a private seller in Gauteng, and after only two months of ownership, he was accosted by hijackers who took his new car.

Adding insult to injury, upon attempting to claim from his insurer, he was informed that the vehicle was cloned and therefore not a legal asset.

His insurance claim was consequently denied, forcing the victim to elevate his case to the insurance Ombudsman in hopes of receiving a payout.