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What you missed at the 2022 Festival of Motoring

The 2022 Festival of Motoring took place this past weekend at the famous Kyalami circuit and it was paradise for enthusiasts wanting to see the latest developments in South Africa’s ever-growing car scene.

There were amazing new vehicles launched, awesome customised creations on display, awe-inspiring exhibition laps by three F1 cars, suspenseful drifting shows, and cars of all shapes, sizes, and propulsion methods racing around the track.

If you weren’t able to attend, we have good news. We were right there when it all happened, meaning you don’t have to miss out on anything.

2022 Festival of Motoring

Several manufacturers over this past weekend took to the Festival of Motoring to showcase their newest cars.

This includes Mercedes-Benz with its range of electric vehicles which are now on sale to the public, Suzuki with the all-new Grand Vitara which is reaching dealerships in Q1 2023, as well as Volvo with the one-off XC60 The Beast 2.0.

The Chinese automakers BAIC and Chery were also present, the former showing off its new B80 off-roader which is going on sale in October, while the latter displayed the Omoda 5 crossover which will be in domestic showrooms before the end of 2022.

Alongside the many vehicle debuts, manufacturers such as Abarth, Alfa Romeo, BAIC, Chery, Citroen, Jeep, Opel, Peugeot, Suzuki, and Volvo offered hot-laps in their newest models with professionals behind the wheel, racing around the main Kyalami circuit and trekking the 4×4 course.

Mercedes’ new battery-powered EQs were sent around the track non-stop from Thursday to Sunday with between two and four passengers on board each time, whereas Jeep’s new Gladiator double cab was doing duty showing excited visitors its off-road chops.

A short walk to the self-handling track, attendees were also able to take the newest cars on the market including the Honda Civic RS around a short, narrow circuit to test out their cornering skills.

The drifting section then saw those who were up for something more daring being whipped around in heavily-modified drifting cars including what was once a V8 Chevrolet Lumina SS and a Nissan 350Z.

Luckily, those who were not keen on being inside any vehicles on the move still had hours of entertainment to go around.

Many vantage points around the track offered unobstructed views of vintage racers, single-seaters, superbikes, everyday SUVs, electric vehicles, hot hatchbacks, sporty sedans, and Formula 1 cars burning rubber around the bends.

The main exhibition hall further featured stands with rare, exotic, and modified cars catering to everyone’s tastes, and another outside area had many exhibitors show off their interesting products and amazing builds to festival goers.

Cool car accessories and merchandise were also on sale, and competitions were held where anyone had a chance to win hampers, coupons, and more.

Motorbikes had their own sections, too, with Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, and E Tron putting their two-wheelers on show.

At the end of the three-day festival, 70 track events were held, 10,000 drives around Kyalami were finished, 28,911 visitors walked through the gates, and a grand total of 45,000km were put down.


2022 Festival of Motoring


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