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

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

New Ford Territory – South African starting price and specifications revealed

Ford has announced the trim levels, equipment, and indicative starting price for the new Territory in South Africa.

The SUV will be sold in three specifications – Ambiente, Trend, and Titanium – with prices starting at R610,000, said the automaker.

All three versions will use the same 1.8-litre engine in combination with a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

When the new Kia Picanto is going on sale in South Africa

Kia has revealed that the new Picanto will go on sale in South Africa before the end of June this year.

However, the carmaker confirmed to TopAuto that this date is still subject to change owing to external factors like shipping delays.

As such, the new hatchback’s line-up and pricing will be revealed closer to its launch window.

New Mazda flagship and racing sub-brand announced

Mazda had big news this week with two announcements regarding very different cars.

In South Africa, the automaker revealed the pricing and launch date of its new flagship – the CX-60 Takumi.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, Mazda declared that it is launching a new sport sub-division called Spirit Racing, while showing off two prototypes in the form of a hot Mazda 3 and MX-5.

New Isuzu D-Max X-Rider – South African pricing and launch date

Pricing for the highly-anticipated X-Rider, a special nameplate of the popular Isuzu D-Max, has finally been uncovered.

Come February, the new bakkie will be available in three specifications with prices ranging from R640,500 to R740,700.

This includes both 4×2 and 4×4 units, with all models sharing the same 1.9-litre, turbo-diesel engine.

New VW Tayron revealed

The first images of VW’s latest car have surfaced online, revealing it to be the new Tayron SUV.

The Tayron is built on the same platform as the next-gen Tiguan and is set to replace the seven-seater Tiguan Allspace when it eventually goes on sale.

The Tayron nameplate is already in use in China, but on an entirely different model, meaning the badge will be repurposed for this new seven-seater in the global market while the Chinese car will be renamed the Tiguan L Pro.