By Miles Downard * The 24 Hours of Le Mans ended yesterday, being Sunday 15 June, and if you only happened to see the result you might think it was much the same as last year; Audi one-two and all. However delving into the details shows that things weren’t quite so easy in 2014. Toyota … Read more
By Miles Downard * Great Wall Motors (GWM) has launched a number of cars in the last year or so; the C20R cross-over, an H6 SUV, the M4 hatchback, a small sedan in the C30 and the Steed 6 bakkie. All of these point to the company’s intent of shifting to upper segments of the … Read more
First Avenue’s Matthew Warren is a Sanlam fan. Even more so after today’s R1,25bn acquisition of a controlling stake in a Malaysian life assurer, the group’s second investment in the South East Asian country in the past year. In our interview today on CNBC Africa’s Power Lunch, Warren explained why he is holding tight onto … Read more
For all that we talk about small business in South Africa, we often overlook one of the most prominent small business sectors in the country – the informal taxi industry. Although minibus taxis are a familiar sight on South Africa’s roads, the inner workings of the business are not generally well-known. In this interview, Transaction … Read more
Once bitten, twice shy they say, and Metair is living proof. After last years’ brutal nine-week strike, the auto industry is focusing on building good relationships with staff, creating a positive working environment, and hopefully avoiding another paralysing multi-week strike in the bargain. One of the things that struck me in this interview was the … Read more
From the Associated Press: Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 13 000 FJ Cruiser sport-utility vehicles, mostly in the Middle East, for fuel tubes that may overheat, melt and set off a gas leak. The automaker says five fires were reported related to the defect. There have been no reports of injuries or deaths. The recall … Read more
From DPA: LAS VEGAS: Toyota will start selling fuel cell vehicles in the US in 2015, the company announced Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show. Toyota pioneered and leads the hybrid vehicle sector with its popular Prius models. It said advances in fuel cell technology bode well for vehicles powered with it in the future. “We … Read more
Africa is the ideal breeding ground for the world’s next wave of super entrepreneurs. The continent is set to grow, on average, by more than 5% for decades into the future as sensible economic policies unlock massive natural advantages. Coming off a low base also helps. In this week’s Rational Alternative column for the Financial … Read more
Mining entrepreneur Robert Friedland is, well, interesting. Listed by Forbes magazine as a billionaire with $1.15bn net worth, Ivanhoe Mining’s founder attracts controversy like horses do flies. A brief Google search uncovers a two year jail sentence for drug dealing; an early US project still ranked the country’s worst contaminator; and, more recently, news of … Read more