April vehicle sales affected by public holidays

In amplification of the new vehicle sales statistics for the month of April, 2015 – released today for public consumption on the website of the Department of Trade & Industry – the Association commented that domestic new vehicle sales, particularly all categories of commercial vehicle sales, had been affected by the multiplicity and configuration of public holidays during the month. Supported by incentive packages, new car sales had held up relatively well. Continued strong growth in new vehicle exports had continued during the month.

In the event, April 2015 aggregate new vehicle sales at 44 503 units were slightly down from the 46 016 vehicles sold in April last year. Overall, out of the total reported Industry sales of 44 503 vehicles, an estimated 38 780 units or 87.2% represented dealer sales, 6.3% constituted sales to government, 4.2% to industry corporate fleets and 2.3% represented sales to the vehicle rental industry.

The April, 2015 new car market at 30 184 units reflected a decline of 594 units or a fall of 1.9% compared to the 30 778 new cars sold in April last year. Intense competition in a challenging, difficult tradingenvironment had resulted in incentive packages to promote new vehicle sales. Furthermore, a modestrecovery in the used vehicle market had also been noticed.

Domestic sales of new light commercial vehicles, bakkies and mini buses during April, 2015 at 12 077 units reflected a decline of 774 units or a fall of 6.0% compared to the 12 851 light commercial vehiclessold during the corresponding month last year.

Sales of vehicles in the investment-driven medium and heavy truck segments of the Industry had registered declines. Medium commercial vehicle sales at 777 units and heavy commercial vehicle sales at1 465 units, reflected a fall of 38 units or 4.7% in the case of medium commercials, and a decline of 107 vehicles or a fall of 6.8% in the case of heavy trucks and buses – compared to the corresponding month last year.

Vehicle exports had continued to contribute positively to South Africa’s current account of the balance of payments. Industry new vehicle exports at 23 615 units during April, 2015 had again registered exceptionally strong growth compared to the corresponding month last year rising by 6 813 vehicles or 40.5% relative to the 16 802 export sales in April, 2014.

Vehicle exports for 2015 were on target to improve by around 25% in volume terms to a record export number of about 325 000 for the year.

At this stage, NAAMSA continued to project marginal volume growth in domestic sales based on an assumption of a slight improvement in South Africa’s economic growth rate, relative stability in automotive industry industrial relations, stable interest rates and unchanged credit ratings.

New vehicle industry production would continue to benefit from projected higher export numbers.

[Media from NAAMSA]

Also view:

Vehicle Finance, Car Insurance and Road Safety

Buying and Selling a Vehicle – Informed decisions and the Vehicle Retailer

April vehicle sales affected by public holidays

The automobile modifications that pump up your premium

Your automobile may possibly be your pride and joy, but tinkering with it to make it even greater could expense you dear.

Insurers don’t look kindly on modifications, so any alterations could see your premiums DOUBLE.

Worse nevertheless, if you do not let your insurance coverage organization know in advance about any adjustments, your policy could be invalidated altogether – which indicates no spend-out if you’re are involved in an at-fault claim.

And that could be financially ruinous if you are deemed liable for a person else’s injury or death.

Common deviation

Insurers adopt this approach due to the fact, they argue, altering your auto signifies changing its original specification from the regular factory model – which signifies the basis of the insurance proposition is diverse.

And the insurer can not be certain of the good quality of the function that’s been carried out, so it can not be 25% confident the vehicle’s roadworthiness has not been compromised.

This means your insurer requirements to know about any changes you make, preferably ahead of they are produced. It may well imply a greater premium, but the option is to risk voiding your cover, which would leave you uninsured.

That would mean breaking the law and, of course, not obtaining any prospect of a spend-out if you had to make a claim.

Sticky situation

Do not fall into the trap of considering minor or cosmetic modifications are not substantial.

Earlier this year a vicar was told by her insurer that it wouldn’t have covered her had it known she had religious stickers proclaiming ‘Christ have to be Saviour’ on her car.

When she submitted a claim to her insurance business right after a portion was stolen from her car, enclosing photographs, they gave her 10 days to clarify why she hadn’t notified them about the stickers.

Rack and ruin

It’s not just stickers which could write off your cover. Your policy could even be invalidated if you match a roof rack to your vehicle.

If you want to be on safe side, constantly let your insurer know about any additions you make, even if they appear harmless.

Charger charges

MoneySuperMarket has crunched the numbers to learn which modifications are likely to lead to the most harm to your wallet, with turbochargers coming out on top.

The typical annual expense to insure your motor is £423, but add a turbocharger and you can also add a whopping 93% or £393 to the price of your cover.

Modifying your gear box can also prove expensive, raising the price of your premiums by almost 48%, although changing wheel arches or adding ‘bonnet bulges’ can add 42% on typical.

Re-tuning your engine can mean 23% greater insurance bills, and even a seemingly minor modify such as a new steering wheel can improve fees by 18% on average.

Guys are much more probably to introduce adjustments which bump up the cost of cover, and are most probably to modify the brakes, add a turbocharger and install air filters.

Typical sensors

Not all modifications will boost the price of your motor cover.

MoneySuperMarket’s research discovered it is ladies who come out of best when it comes to producing insurance coverage-friendly modifications to their automobiles.

They are most likely to add parking sensors, a sunroof and air-conditioning, all of which can bring down the expense of insurance coverage.

Parking sensors can cut vehicle insurance expenses by a tenth, even though adding a secure tow bar will reduce premiums by 6%.

The automobile modifications that pump up your premium

April vehicle sales affected by public holidays

In amplification of the new vehicle sales statistics for the month of April, 2015 – released today for public consumption on the website of the Department of Trade & Industry – the Association commented that domestic new vehicle sales, particularly all categories of commercial vehicle sales, had been affected by the multiplicity and configuration of public holidays during the month. Supported by incentive packages, new car sales had held up relatively well. Continued strong growth in new vehicle exports had continued during the month.

In the event, April 2015 aggregate new vehicle sales at 44 503 units were slightly down from the 46 016 vehicles sold in April last year. Overall, out of the total reported Industry sales of 44 503 vehicles, an estimated 38 780 units or 87.2% represented dealer sales, 6.3% constituted sales to government, 4.2% to industry corporate fleets and 2.3% represented sales to the vehicle rental industry.

The April, 2015 new car market at 30 184 units reflected a decline of 594 units or a fall of 1.9% compared to the 30 778 new cars sold in April last year. Intense competition in a challenging, difficult tradingenvironment had resulted in incentive packages to promote new vehicle sales. Furthermore, a modestrecovery in the used vehicle market had also been noticed.

Domestic sales of new light commercial vehicles, bakkies and mini buses during April, 2015 at 12 077 units reflected a decline of 774 units or a fall of 6.0% compared to the 12 851 light commercial vehiclessold during the corresponding month last year.

Sales of vehicles in the investment-driven medium and heavy truck segments of the Industry had registered declines. Medium commercial vehicle sales at 777 units and heavy commercial vehicle sales at1 465 units, reflected a fall of 38 units or 4.7% in the case of medium commercials, and a decline of 107 vehicles or a fall of 6.8% in the case of heavy trucks and buses – compared to the corresponding month last year.

Vehicle exports had continued to contribute positively to South Africa’s current account of the balance of payments. Industry new vehicle exports at 23 615 units during April, 2015 had again registered exceptionally strong growth compared to the corresponding month last year rising by 6 813 vehicles or 40.5% relative to the 16 802 export sales in April, 2014.

Vehicle exports for 2015 were on target to improve by around 25% in volume terms to a record export number of about 325 000 for the year.

At this stage, NAAMSA continued to project marginal volume growth in domestic sales based on an assumption of a slight improvement in South Africa’s economic growth rate, relative stability in automotive industry industrial relations, stable interest rates and unchanged credit ratings.

New vehicle industry production would continue to benefit from projected higher export numbers.

[Media from NAAMSA]

Also view:

Vehicle Finance, Car Insurance and Road Safety

Buying and Selling a Vehicle – Informed decisions and the Vehicle Retailer

April vehicle sales affected by public holidays

Lightning Seed? Subsequent-Generation Ford F-150 Functionality Pickup Rendered!

In the course of the sport-truck mania of the 1990s and early aughts, Ford’s SVT unit graced us with 2 versions of the Lightning. Out of production because 2004, that hole in Ford’s lineup ostensibly has been filled by the flatbill-ready, improbably lovable Raptor. And even though FoMoCo wasted no time displaying a second-gen Raptor primarily based on the new, aluminum-intensive F-150, SVT’s successor unit, Ford Overall performance, has but to supply any official word on a Lightning replacement. But that does not mean 1 is not on the way.

Ford says it has 12 new Overall performance cars in the pipe for delivery by 2020, but we’ve only noticed the Focus RS, Mustang GT350 and GT350R, the subsequent Raptor, and of course, the quite spendy, quite limited GT supercar. We’d anticipate to see a Mustang GT500 added to the mix, which brings us to 6. And it is hardly inconceivable that Ford would want to additional butter its share of the F-150’s pie. Although the current F-150 Tremor had the brief-cab, brief-box silhouette of a classic sport truck, it wasn’t specifically packing in the muscle division. Its 6.-second -to-60 time was handily bested by the Lightning we tested in 2001, which made the very same run in 5.2.

2001 Ford SVT F-150 Lightning

The 2017 Raptor dispenses with V-8 energy in favor of EcoBoost V-6 motivation, and we’d count on a Lightning successor to continue to emphasize outright muscle. No matter whether that indicates a 6- or 8 cylinder engine or twin-turbo or—like the second-generation Lightning and ’00s Harley-Davidson trucks—supercharged forced induction is unknown at this point, but we’re betting on a couple of snails offered Ford’s major EcoBoost push of late. What ever happens, Ford lately applied for a trademark on “EcoBeast”, and that name would sound pretty rad applied to a streetgoing Raptor analogue.

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Our artist’s rendering suggests what such a machine could look like, replete with a Felicia Fun–grade combination of yellow paint and tailgate spoiler. The blacked-out maw of a grille echoes other zoot-oriented Ford automobiles like the Concentrate ST and Mustang. Because you want a hood scoop, it is got a hood scoop. Simply because you will want front-fender air extractors, it’s got those, as well. Larger brakes and stiffer suspension naturally would be on the menu, since when you are hustling your truck by way of the Southern Cascades and Northern Sierra Nevada, say on a run from Bieber, California, down to Butt Lake, Momma ain’t got no time to wallow.

Predictably, Ford has refused to comment on any future item, but appears to us that with Ford Functionality on such a tear, a hot-rodded, road-oriented pickup can’t not be on the future-machines docket.

Lightning Seed? Subsequent-Generation Ford F-150 Functionality Pickup Rendered!

Why does driving make us so angry?

Ever had to deal with an irate motorist?

Exactly where I reside, the query need to most likely be: “Ever come across a motorist who is not mouthing obscenities, flashing their lights, leaning on their horn and creating hand gestures that defy explanation to your kids sitting in the back?”

Or possibly that says far more about my driving than something else.

Be that as it could, it appears road rage is endemic. A staggering 81% of drivers have been victims of road rage, according to a recent survey by Carwow.co.uk.

It is your shout…

Shouting would appear to be the most typical expression of anger. But aggressive or hazardous driving and verbal abuse are also normal occurrences.

And a single in 5 drivers has been threatened in a road rage incident.

But if road rage is so common, how come 51% of us claim we in no way give in to our aggression? Is it genuinely the case that only 30% of us permit anger to get the greater of us when or twice a month, as the survey suggests – or are we also ashamed to ’fess up and admit we do our fair share of yelling and gesticulating?

Authority figures

The authorities have attempted to crack down on road rage by introducing £100 penalties for poor driving habits, such as tailgating and lane hogging.

Quite whether or not this will have the preferred effect remains to be seen. Soon after all, if you’re prone to tantrums that make your veins stand out on your temples, are you actually going to be capable to modify your behaviour at will?

The root of the dilemma is surely woven into how vehicles and driving have an effect on our psychology.

Most of us behave differently when we’re driving. We drop our inhibitions simply because we feel anonymous and immune.

In other words, we make rude gestures at other motorists behind the wheel that we would in no way dream of producing face to face.

Fighting the fury

So while it is tempting to blame road rage on a specific group of issue drivers, we ought to all acknowledge our prospective to drop our rags and feel about how we can avoid confrontation, stress and accidents.

Here’s a couple of ideas:

• enable a lot of time for your journey. If you are late, you are significantly more probably to be aggressive


• do not get behind the wheel if you are upset, angry or unwell (or hungover – a disastrous notion for all manner of causes, not least the truth that you are probably still over the limit)


• don’t permit oneself to be distracted by music, phones, maps or passengers


• do your very best not to antagonize other drivers. So, no lane hogging, inappropriate use of the horn, flashing your headlights, tailgating or cutting-up


• wave an apology if you make a error as the acknowledgement can defuse a potentially explosive situation


• do not competing with other drivers. It is a public highway, not a racetrack


• if somebody else is driving aggressively, don’t make eye contact, shout or gesticulate.

What if you are the victim?

It’s most likely occurred to all of us. You suddenly find your self on the getting finish of a barrage of abuse and aggressive behaviour.

So what’s the greatest approach?

Tailgaters can be specifically intimidating, but you ought to never compromise your own safety. So, do not speed up or brake all of a sudden.

As an alternative, try and discover a safe way to let the tailgater pass. For instance, you might drive twice round a roundabout.

If a driver is persistently aggressive, you may well want to head to a secure, public place and contact the police. Never ever allow an angry driver to comply with you house.

And if the motorist gets out of the car to approach you, lock the doors and don’t open the window. It can also help to make a note of the registration quantity and a description of the driver and the vehicle.

Temper your temper

It’s not constantly easy to remain calm on the roads, specially if you are stuck in heavy visitors or reduce up by an inconsiderate motorist. But losing your temper is not going to assist.

In reality, it is more probably to make items worse.

So next time you really feel the anger rising, take a deep breath, smile and count to 8.

Why does driving make us so angry?

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