VW team for Cycle Challenge
Six novice cyclists will represent Volkswagen and be among the thousands participating in the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge on 19 November.
Siyaphambili Team (meaning moving forward) consisting of Thobani Mhlongo, Kwanele Shabala, Mashesha Miya, Nonkuthalo Mgomezulu, Thembeka Mdakane and Samkelo Makhaza will be the Volkswagen-sponsored team competing in the world’s second-largest timed cycle race.
The six school children started cycling after Volkswagen, in partnership with Qhubeka Bicycle Education Empowerment Programme (BEEP), donated Blue Bikes to their school in Bergville in rural Kwa Zulu Natal last year.
After receiving their Blue Bikes, the six school children went on to compete in the Bergville Cycle race as well as the Ladysmith race.
As a reward for their achievement and a celebration of their talent, the children were treated to a two-day trip to Durban to be spectators at the Tour D’Urban cycle race and that is where the dream to participate in the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge was born.
Team Siyaphambili will be joined by over 20 VWSA employees who will also be participating in the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge. The VWSA employees have raised R10 000 among themselves, with the proceeds going to Qhubeka.
VW tops in pre-owned awards
Volkswagen scooped the most wins at the inaugural Gumtree Pre-Owned Awards. The top passenger car manufacturer in South Africa took home three first-place wins, two second places and two People’s choice awards.
The VW performers included Polo Vivo GP 1.4 Conceptline; the 2015 Golf 7 1.4 TSI Trendline, the 2015 Polo GP 1.2 TSI Highline. the 2015 Amarok 2.0 BITDI HIGHLINE and the 2015 Golf 7 2.0 TSI R (DSG) which claimed the ‘Performance Hatch’ category.
The online advertising site Gumtree collated the best value performing cars per category by looking at the percentage of retail value retained from a vehicle’s first year of registration and the value depreciation percentage in the previous year.
The finalists were then judged by a panel of motoring media and other motoring experts based on road tests and criteria including; Overall Value for Money, Look and Feel, Standard Equipment, Safety Features, Engine Performance, Drivetrain, Brakes, Ride Quality, Warranty and Maintenance Plans, Out of Maintenance Risk, Parts package for the vehicle, Mechanical Reliability, History and Perception, Desirability, Affordability and Vehicle Verification Report.
The new Audi S4
The new Audi S4 incorporates a newly developed engine, intelligent lightweight design and a package of innovative technologies from the full-size sedan. Audi has experienced great success with its sporty S models over a period of 20 years.
The 3.0 TFSI from Audi is a newly conceptualised engine and has been redeveloped from the ground up. It combines sports car performance with new levels of efficiency. The direct petrol injection engine with turbocharging has an output of 260 kW and produces a hefty torque of 500 Nm from 1,370 to 4,500 rpm. The turbo V6 engine accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, and up to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h. In the NEDC cycle, the S4 Sedan only consumes 7.3 litres of fuel per 100 km, which equates to less than 166 grams CO2 per kilometre.
Launched in November, the Audi S4 is now available at all Audi dealers in South Africa.
Continental maintains strong growth
Continental continued its dynamic growth in the third quarter of 2017. The technology company presented its business figures for the first nine months on Thursday, confirming its annual targets: “We are steadily continuing our successful path. After nine months, we increased our sales by 9 percent to 32.7 billion Euros. Our adjusted EBIT margin is 10.6 percent. We are therefore completely on track and will comfortably achieve our annual targets,” said Continental’s Executive Board chairman Dr. Elmar Degenhart.
“In the third quarter, we generated an adjusted operating margin of 10.4 percent of sales. This is very decent, as we achieved this despite the negative effects that have already impacted us this year from rising raw material costs,” said CFO Wolfgang Schäfer on Continental’s earnings development.
Celebs on wheels
Shashi Naidoo and Zoe Brown feel right at home in front of the cameras and under the bright lights, but will they feel as comfortable when they get behind the wheel and the lights go out on Speed Stars? This week the two celebrities have been racing around the track during Speed Stars 3, on your TV screens until 8 December on Ignition, DSTV 189.
Naidoo (model, actor, presenter, Emcee and businesswoman), is now letting her driving do the talking on Speed Stars against Zoe Brown (who has a radio show on KFM and a TV show, Espresso on SABC 3).
Catch them today (Friday 17 November) at 3pm. Viewers can win with Speed Stars by entering the weekly Predict the Winner Competition at www.speedstars.co.za and predict who you think will win.
The leaderboard as it currently stands after five episodes:
Rob Forbes (1:25.30), Kwagga Smith (1:25.62), Ryan Kankowski (1:26.02), Joey Rasdien (1:27.25), Richelieu Beaunoir (1:29.54), Jason Goliath (1:30.33), Justin Geduld (1:30.46), Dane’ van Niekerk (1:32.40), Elma Smit (1:32.95), Julia Stuart (1:34.19).
Goodyear, Land Rover tour ends
After almost a month of exploring a wide variety of Peruvian roads, the Land Rover Experience Tour 2017 ended on 9 November. Goodyear’s Wrangler DuraTrac tyres were used to equip the 19 participating vehicles. The tyres proved to be the perfect off-road partner, withstanding even the harshest conditions, and allowed participants to get the most out of the experience.
With large sand dunes, narrow mountain roads and rocky riverbeds, Peru presented the participants with a seemingly endless variety of driving conditions. As the official tyre partner, Goodyear fitted the vehicles with a tyre specifically designed to handle this variety: the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac.
Despite more than 3,500 kilometers in extreme conditions, and altitude changes from sea-level to 4,800 meters, none of the drivers experienced major challenges with any of their Wrangler tyres.
New Audi Sport models
In July 2016, Audi South Africa launched the Audi Sport sub-brand into the market along with the new Audi R8. Audi Sport is reserved for the range of high performance vehicles, motorsport activations as well as the dedicated retail experience within the Audi Dealer network. It is characterised by a distinctive red rhombus and the RS badge.
Audi South Africa is excited to announce new models to the dynamic and exclusive Audi Sport range. This includes the new Audi RS 5 Coupé, Audi TT RS Coupé and Audi RS 3 Sportback. The Audi Sport line up now boasts nine models in total.
The Audi RS 5 Coupé
Audi Sport is presenting its first model to feature the current RS design idiom with the introduction of the second generation Audi RS 5 Coupé. The new Audi RS 5 Coupé is the gran turismo among the RS models from Audi Sport and unites athletic power with harmonious aesthetics and practical everyday usability. Its newly developed 2.9 TFSI bi-turbo engine produces 331 kW and delivers 600 Nm of torque.
The 2.9 TFSI V6 bi-turbo engine delivers 331 kW and its peak torque of 600 Nm – 170 Nm more than the previous model – is available across a broad engine speed range from 1,900 to 5,000 rpm. The top model in the A5 family sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, and reaches a top speed of 250 km/h – however customers can choose to increase this to reach 280 km/h as an option.
The new Audi TT RS Coupé
Audi Sport presents the most powerful TT of all time, featuring a muscular body, newly developed five-cylinder engine and accompanied by its unmistakable sound. The new Matrix OLED rear lights also underscore the compact sports car’s position as a technology leader in the segment.
A jury of international motor journalists has voted the 2.5 TFSI “Engine of the Year” seven times in a row. Now Audi has upped the ante and has further developed the five-cylinder engine in all areas – with lightweight aluminium construction measures, reduced internal friction and increased power delivery. As a result, the turbo engine gains a good 17 percent increase in performance at an unchanged capacity of 2,480 cc. At 294 kW, it is more powerful than ever before. The engine’s maximum torque of 480 Nm is available between 1,700 and 5,850 rpm. The TT RS Coupé accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds. Audi can govern the top speed to 250 km/h or will raise the top speed to 280 km/h upon request. Despite increased performance, the fuel consumption of the TT RS Coupé is just 8.2 litres per 100 kilometres. At less than 50 centimetres in length, the 2.5 TFSI engine is extremely compact and is 26 kg lighter than the previous model.
The new BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo.
BMW is presenting an extensively updated successor to one of the most creative vehicle concepts of recent years. The new BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo blends the long-distance comfort of a luxury sedan with alluring coupe style.
The new BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo made its public debut at Frankfurt’s International Motor Show (IAA) in September 2017. The market launch is currently underway (November 2017) with a choice of one petrol engine (640i xDrive) and one diesel engine (630d) from the BMW Group’s latest generation of power units. The BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system is also available for two model variants from local launch.
Generating an output of 250 kW and maximum torque of 450 Nm, the 3.0-litre six-cylinder in-line petrol engine enables the new BMW 640i xDrive Gran Turismo to accelerate to 100 km/h from rest in 5.3 seconds.
