BMW to up electric cars
The BMW Group announced on Wednesday that several new electric vehicles would be added to the company’s model lineup by 2020. This comes in the wake of the German automaker introducing an all-electric variant to the Mini Cooper range, on top of existing petrol, diesel and hybrid power-trains. The technology itself will be derived from the current i3 and i8 models, with the group having invested over 100 million Euros in its electro-mobility division. BMW expects its electrified vehicles to account for 15-25% of its overall sales by 2025.
Of Mazda’s new CX-8 SUV
The Mazda Motor Corporation recently released press images revealing to the exterior of the company’s new SUV, the CX-8. A first for the Japanese automaker in this segment, the CX-8 has been designed according to Mazda’s current motif, labelled the KODO-Soul of Motion. While the CX-8 is expected to become available in Japan this year, no details have been given out yet in regards to a global roll-out.
Fiat in juicy scrap trade-in
Fiat South Africa has unveiled a new campaign in which owners of old or scrapped vehicles can be eligible for a trade-in and subsequent discount on new it used Fiats. Customers who can provide a Scrapping or De-registration of Vehicle Certificate may be offered up to R40 000 for the traded or scrapped vehicle. The campaign follows the award success of Fiat’s TwinAir 900 cm two-cylinder petrol engine, currently found in the Fiat 500 and the soon-to-be-released all-new Fiat Panda.
Renault’s Duster goes auto
Renault South Africa has added an automatic derivative to the lineup of its B-segment SUV, the Duster. The Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) Model, sporting a 6-speed automatic transmission, is levelled at the Dynamique derivative of the model, which is powered by a 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine, which produces 80 kW of power. The new 1.5 dCi Dynamique EDC is priced at R299 900, and includes standard equipment such as touchscreen navigation, rear parking camera, and optional leather. The Duster remains available with a manual transmission.
