Letter from Editor – December 2024

With the festive season and prospective travel plans looming, CAR Magazine Editor Ian McLaren shares some insights to what the automotive sector may hold for 2025…

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Can it really be time for another December issue of CAR? After a whirlwind year for the South African automotive sector, here’s hoping for a more stable, predictable and, indeed, prosperous marketplace in 2025. While a forecast lowering in the prime lending rate in the coming months will certainly encourage new vehicle sales, an altogether more concerted effort from the government is likely required before we establish a balance between what’s best for both the consumer and an industry that, despite challenges largest beyond its control, continues to be a key pillar of South Africa’s economy.

Speaking at the 2024 SA Auto Week in Cape Town, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment towards the incentive-driven promotion of both the local production of new energy vehicles (NEVs) as well as the broader accessibility of imported products in this “green” category is a step in the right direction, especially if it means we remain a viable global producer of these kinds of vehicles. A revisit of the ad valorem duties placed on the import of NEVs will also encourage local sales.

Related: Ford Mustang Dark Horse in SA: 2024 Allocation Already Spoken For

Further announcements made at this annual event included a commitment to ensuring the availability of fuel meeting the quality required to greenlight any number of modern combustion powertrain options for our market; a subject we covered in our November issue.

Related: Fuel for Thought – SA’s Poor Fuel Quality the Reason Behind Delayed Golf GTI?

It remains to be seen whether the South African government has any appetite to follow Europe and the US’s example of implementing duties in a bid to slow the influx of vehicles from China and ease the strain being felt by legacy brands that can’t currently compete on pricing. With all four of the cover cars from our Cars for 2024 finally making landfall as predicted, which of the vehicles listed in this year’s forecast are you most looking forward to seeing locally?

On the subject of looking forward, are you aware that up to 70% of cars currently marketed in South Africa feature some level of advanced driver assistance technology, including lane-keeping assistance, and that these fine-tuned systems do, from time to time, require collaboration?

Be safe on the roads and, as ever, we look forward to guiding you into a much-needed end-of-year break with yet another barn-storming January Performance Issue.

Find the full feature in the December issue of CAR Magazine.

Browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag!

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