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www.autoforum.co.za jan/february 2012 rsa r20.00 incl vat other countries us $12.00 informedandinnovative page 29 in partnership with australian bodyshop news technician age myth hybrid 2+2 sport coupe unveiled in n ovat i on s inside automotive port terminal expansion myfi debuts at ces toyota and transnet freight rail agreement spot welding for modern cars page 1

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autoforum jan/february 2012 motor electrodiesel sa ptyltd reen gg oin re g u e a e yo w ar the auto electrical solution the only auto electrical company to offer a page 2

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gunners circle epping 1 cape town south africa +2721 505-4000 info@medsouthafrica.co.za www.medsa.co.za minimum of 12 months warranty on all of its products bosch invented for life page 3

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jan/february 2012 contents 10 cover stories hybrid 2+2 sport coupe unveiled toyota and transnet freight rail agreement automotive port terminal expansion technician age myth spot welding for modern cars myfi debuts at ces 8 14 22 28 34 50 20 trade talk highlights of global and local industry news 05 cover photo thank you to lexus south africa news forum toyota and transnet freight rail conclude agreement retail motor industry ­ key employer hyundai targets sa passenger market leadership cdrive driver behaviour solution launches automotive port terminal expansion 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 editorial welcome to 2012 only a few weeks into the new year and already the motor sector is humming among others with the welcome news on the delay of the gauteng tolls and with the positive sentiment by the rmi regarding predicted new car sales and then there is a new freight rail deal with transnet that may just set a trend on vehicle and hopefully many more products cross nation transport never a dull moment in the sa motor trade happy new year to you 28 apollo tyres r45m fine tyre industry recycling debate continues auto training dispelling the myth about high average age of technicians dealer principal in the making 28 30 editor clare rutkiewicz contributors australian bodyshop news dave scott roy cokayne robert kaiser advertising grant west c 076 727 8161 t 011 466 3733 f 086 627 1135 production kaz nel email info@autoforum.co.za publisher swift publications olympic park trading suite 446 postnet x033 rivonia 2128 46 bodyshop news spot welding ­ modern cars collision hub launches the hub cpa training for sambra members taking training to the repairer 34 36 37 37 warwick robinson c 082 855 7750 52 autoforum has an abc circulation of 13485 abc jan june 2011

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www.autoforum.co.za informedandinnovative business forum is your signage your best advertisement 2011 ­ a year in summary misa woman of the year award announced at premier event in memoriam bruce coquelle us auto sector to remain resilient in 2012 40 44 46 47 48 advertisers guide aer-o-cure alfa international amr autocosmos/electrolog autozone bosch caelex first national battery gmsa highveld garage equipment hofmann megaplan integrated marketing ital machinery leatherworx macs med misa motor merchandise newclear parts incorporated midas group pos service holland partquip ram snap-on/john bean tenneco monroe trysome tuff floors turbo exchange wheelquip 38-39 obc 13 55 16 5 32-33 23 63 21 11 9 41 30 19 19 47 59 42-43 ifc-3 24 31 47 7 29 49 53 51 15 61 25 37 45 26-27 17 innovations myfi debuts at ces 50 commercial vehicles decibel trucking what trucking wellness new centre environmental `exhaust-ion trucking outlook for 2012 52 54 56 58 show time automechanika all set for 2012 and 2013 the essential event for those in the tyre sector asrw 2012 getting ready for october 60 60 61 after-marketplace directory directory listings 62 60 while reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the advice and information given to readers neither the editor nor the publishers can accept any responsibility for any damages injury or loss which arise there from the opinions expressed by contributors to this magazine are not necessarily shared by the editor or the publishers.

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trade talk autoforum jan/february 2012 autoforum jan/february 2012 www.autoforum.co.za merc and nissan in engine jv daimler and nissan recently announced that the two companies will produce mercedes-benz 4-cylinder petrol engines together at nissan s powertrain assembly plant in decherd tennessee in the us production will begin in 2014 with installed capacity of 250 000 units per year once full ramp-up is achieved and the facility will produce engines for both mercedes-benz and infiniti models as renault-nissan ceo carlos ghosn explains this is the newest milestone in our pragmatic collaboration and our most significant project outside of europe so far localised capacity reduces exposure to foreign exchange rates while rapidly enabling a good business development in north america ­ a win-win for the alliance and daimler it is the first time mercedes-benz engines will be produced in the north america free trade region and the tennessee plant s strategic location and logistics links are expected to ensure a direct supply of engines for the mercedes-benz cclass built at daimler s vehicle plant in alabama from 2014 global alliance for sewells sa the south african arm of sewells formerly known as ronald sewells and associates recently became part of the global sewells organisation the latter provides motor dealer development services to more than 4 000 automotive retailers across australia india new zealand thailand china and other countries in the asia pacific region as well as throughout southern africa this means that while the company will no longer continue its relationship with wesbank at the ownership level other strategic alliances will remain in place ­ including the company s sponsorship of the businessman of the year award fmcsa technicians celebrated in december fmcsa s technical training department took time to recognise the achievements of its gauteng-based technicians the master technicians award ceremony saw 40 technicians in the region acknowledged with certificates awarded on all three levels of the ford masters programme the event was also used to announce the fmcsa technician of the year zakhele dlamini of carson auto swaziland dlamini not only obtained the highest examination marks of all the ford technicians in southern africa he also qualified for his level 3 master technician certification as well as a regional gauteng winner s certificate and just in case that was not enough dlamini s name will be displayed in the fmcsa s technicians hall of fame and he received a model 427 fe shelby cobra engine as president and ceo of fmcsa jeff nemeth explains we believe that in order to ensure continued success it is imperative that we invest in our people by recognising the achievements of our technicians we are able to advance a culture of perseverance and continued achievement he continued at fmcsa we are striving to compete on the global stage and in order to do so we require a strong pool of talent and skills to draw from page 6

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offering the largest range of automotive parts in sub-saharan africa premium quality waterpumps to keep you cool ch379

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trade talk autoforum jan/february 2012 www.autoforum.co.za hybrid 2+2 sport coupe unveiled in california in early january lexus used the north american international auto show to showcase its new design concept for a hybrid 2+2 sport coupe designed by the company s calty design studio in newport beach california some of the highlights of the car include a glass roof with a lightweight cantilevered pillar and a glass-to-glass juncture this greenhouse design is described as enhancing driver visibility while adding to the sleek lines of the car other features include a remote touch-screen device that allows the driver to comfortably operate controls without shifting position or altering line-of-sight twin 12.3-inch lcd screens provide information and navigation display with inputs from a touch-screen control board used to control the audio system climate controls and navigation the interface features a pop-up touch-screen keyboard for more complex entries similar touch-screen surfaces on each door operate the windows mirrors seat adjustments and personal entertainment settings a racing style but lightweight design steering wheel contains integrated controls and start button while a front-engine rear-wheel drive lf-lc features advanced lexus hybrid drive delivering both driving performance and fuel efficiency page 8

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trade talk autoforum jan/february 2012 autoforum jan/february 2012 www.autoforum.co.za savrala welcomes delayed tolling just after savrala ­ the southern africa vehicle rental and leasing associations ­ released a statement to the media earlier this month that it was encouraged by the recent delay of the e-tolling plans for gauteng it seems gauteng motorists were in for another shock in mid-january a number of gauteng drivers reported via social network twitter of being harassed by sanral traffic officers at roadblocks according to the twitter feeds drivers were told by that they had to register for the tolling system or would face fines earlier this month however the south african national roads agency limited sanral board delayed the start of the road tolling in gauteng stating that it would apply its mind to the serious concerns raised by the great range of both local and national stakeholders who have opposed the current gfip etolling implementation plan which is now delayed despite this it seems some of its members on official instruction or not or indeed opportunistic elements felt it would be a great idea to scare up some support for the system it s telling that road users took to twitter to voice concerns ­ clearly there is little trust in official law enforcement as no reports of complaints at metro police stations have yet been reported in response to the roadblock accusations sanral released a statement to the media that it had launched an internal investigation into the complaints and confirmed that it had not authorised any roadblock activity it continued that as it was not `mandated to conduct roadblocks it believed that those responsible for the activities `were not employees of sanral or etc the toll operator company it encouraged drivers to report all such unlawful happenings to its fraud line 0800 204 558 or email to sanral@tip-offs.com the organisation announced on 10 january just three months after the start of e-toll registration that at that time 212 906 gauteng e-toll account units had been registered the question is what will happen to the details of those registered users and how can we be guaranteed that their accounts will not be unlawfully debited what is clear is that the system is heavily flawed and gauteng road users are to be vigilant in their reporting of any further illegal activities it really does feel like the wild west out there bmw announces three sa projects bmw sa managing director bodo donauer announced three major initiatives at the cop 17 meeting late last year the first being its intention to be the first manufacturer to bring e-mobility to south african roads we will give our customers the opportunity to experience the mini e at a series of countrywide road shows in the first half of 2012 he said continuing that these will allow the company to gain key insight into local customer s e-mobility requirements while highlighting infrastructural hurdles that need to be overcome the second was of a waste-to-energy project which falls inline with its commitment to resource conservation donauer explained we believe we can do more and have conducted a renewable energy project investigating the technical and economic feasibility of supplying plant rosslyn solely by means of renewable energy or in combination with the existing power supply i m proud to say that we will take further steps in this regard by partnering with the city of tshwane on a waste-to-energy project next year the project involves methane gas ­ converted from unusable organic waste at a landfill site in onderstepoort ­ piped approximately 8 km to bmw s rosslyn plant the gas will then be used either to produce electricity via gas generators or supplement the usage of natural gas in the production process a resource which contributes approximately 50 to the company s energy consumption the third project is a major corporate social responsibility engagement in kwazulu-natal this itself is two-pronged and involves implementing the bmw maths science and technology excellence project in two high schools and three primary schools in the nyavini district south of durban as well as constructing a hiv and aids clinic in the district the clinic modelled on a similar clinic built by the bmw group in soshanguve in 2005 will also provide basic health care to the community which is situated some 50 km from the nearest hospital page 10

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trade talk autoforum jan/february 2012 autoforum jan/february 2012 www.autoforum.co.za rmi says car sales will be up 11 in 2012 the rmi has predicted an improvement of 11 in new car sales for this year based on the 15 improvement in 2011 on 2010 sales in contrast naamsa has projected a more conservative growth of around 7.0 says rmi ceo jeff osborne there are many positive factors influencing our bullish prediction this year firstly interest rates are currently low and the possibility of further rate decreases is good in addition the banks have shown a tendency in recent times to be more willing to provide lending credit and we see this continuing in 2012 apart from this new vehicle prices have been well-contained for a significant period of time now in addition to these factors the organisation points to the trend of the extended period of loan agreements see also af october issue longer term financing ­ a trend to watch which is expected to result in a higher replacement demand and the biggest growth area is expected to be smaller cars ­ the rmi expects first-time buyers to contribute more meaningfully to the growth in demand especially with buying trends indicating a move to smaller more fuelefficient vehicles naamsa sales figures indicated that 2011 was a year of relatively solid growth the used vehicle market was estimated to have reached about 650 000 units in turn providing support to the automotive retail sector and distributive trade the aftermarket parts and servicing sector continued to see healthy trading activity thanks again in large part to car owners hanging on to their vehicle for longer longer ownership periods mean vehicles are serviced and repaired outside their manufacturer-backed warranty periods this trend is likely to continue in 2012 with the majority of franchised aftermarket parts suppliers reporting positive trading conditions last year concluded osborne the rmi cautioned however that all its members should remain pragmatic in their business operations in light of the continued tightening of operational margins in all sectors merc out of naamsa figures ­ for now earlier this month naamsa issued a notice to the press and users of its monthly sales figures that mercedes-benz sa would discontinue participation in the south african automotive industry s domestic new vehicle sales and export sales reporting for the time being this was explained as being as a result of a global directive by [parent company daimler ag with effect from mid-december 2011 the release continued that naamsa understood that the global directive by daimler ag is precautionary in nature and is related to the european union competition commission investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices by various european truck manufacturers naamsa said that it hoped the discontinuation was only a temporary situation and that it would work together with both the automaker and rgt smart toward resolving the situation as soon as possible and the parties will embark on a process aimed at re-establishing as soon as practically possible the participation by mercedes-benz sa pty ltd in the industry s sales reporting system sales figures for the 2011 period were therefore released in mid-january without mercedes-benz sales data the average car insurance premium for young males aged 17-22 is £2 977 more than three times the average premium of £907 for young females the average premium is almost twice as much as the average at £1 682 the figure for females was expected to rise further last december when new gender equality laws came into effect a survey commissioned for the committee found that 21 of young drivers had considered driving without insurance and nearly a third have considered altering the information they provide to insurance firms in order to secure a lower quote a recent iam survey of 2 000 novice young drivers found that only half reported positively on feeling fully prepared for driving on their own the organisation believes that there is a real need to ensure that young drivers are fully prepared for driving on their own with reasonable insurance premiums to discourage them from breaking the law by driving uninsured seventy-four percent of novice drivers in that country said that they would definitely take further training if it saved them money on their car insurance they also believed that the driving test needs to be reviewed and a system of post test training linked to cheaper insurance introduced uk call for lower young driver insurance costs the iam institute of advanced motorists in the uk is calling on the british government to work with insurers in order to offer discounts on premiums for young drivers who take further driver training the institution also wants to see a review of the driving test to ensure that it is fit for purpose with global insurance premiums on the rise and younger male drivers often the hardest hit the call could mean relief for youthful car owners as well as encourage further driving education for less experienced drivers page 12

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the remo revolution corghi has proudly launched what it sees as the future of wheel alignment the italian company invented the modern tyre changer and is well known for launching a number of firsts including the touchless and leverless artiglio master tyre changer and the bluelight touch less wheelbalancer which are concepts in use by almost all equipment manufacturers today the latest release however is the world s first automatic robotic wheel aligner ­ remo robotic equipment for measuring by optics it works by virtue of 2 small units which run along the side of the vehicle and using a laser optical measurement pick up the precise measurements needed the main feature is that there are no longer any rim clamps and operator error is virtually eliminated in the actual adjustment of the alignment the system allows for use on dirty damaged and even chromed rims commercial and offroad tyres low profile and performance wheels up to 30 it is apparently compatible with any existing lift or pit and corghi assert that this system effectively negates operator error altogether remo uses wireless technology and an artificial intelligence to recreate a 3 dimensional image which can be controlled via ipad from testimonials the unit speed and simplicity look to be a new benchmark in aligning equipment this brand is seen as the worldwide leader in a number of garage equipment categories and once again they have launched a new concept that will become a standard in the industry in the years to come says nic kruger of wheelquip corghi s southern african distributor and adds that due to the huge demand out of europe the first units should be available in sa in early 2013 see the website www.remorevolution.com for more information and some demonstration videos page 13

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autoforum jan/february 2012 the latest global news toyota and transnet freight rail conclude agreement roy cokayne a landmark agreement has been concluded between transnet freight rail tfr and toyota south africa motors tsam and will result in tfr s container and automotive business unit directly handling the transportation of certain locally manufactured and imported toyota vehicles the agreement is expected to dramatically reduce the number of vehicle carrier trucks on the country s roads siyabonga gama tfr ce said the signing of the agreement was a major breakthrough and confirmed it was in discussions with other vehicle oems gama was confident tfr would be able to announce an agreement with another vehicle manufacturer in the first quarter of this year he said it had invested r500 million in rail wagons for its automotive business unit but was unable to quantify the investment made in upgrading its isipingo car terminal kaalfontein facility and durban port and providing a bonded warehouse facility he stressed this infrastructure would not only be used by toyota but was currently also being used to transport other imported vehicle brands including land rover and jaguar gama said the agreement with tsam had created between 80 and 100 new jobs in durban and gauteng he explained the agreement with tsam would be implemented in three phases with the first entailing the transportation of domestic units from isipingo to kaalfontein having commenced in october gama said the second phase involved the transportation of imported units from the durban car terminal to kaalfontein and the third phase the transportation of toyota vehicles destined for export markets from isipingo to durban point harbour the second and third phases will be rolled out in the course of this year johan van zyl tsam president and ce said at the official signing that a vehicle carrier truck could transport between eight and 11 vehicles and that the number of vehicles transported by tfr from durban to kaalfontein in johannesburg had increased from 100 to 500 vehicles a week taking about 60 trucks off the n3 a week we believe the new arrangement will lighten our reliance and impact on the road transport network and allow for significant cost page 14 roy cokayne is a senior financial reporter for business report.

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savings in the longer term as such we also believe that we will set an example as the leading vehicle retailer and exporter in sa to other manufacturers in sa to make use of the significant rail infrastructure that is available as a green company it is also a contribution to the reduction of tsam s carbon footprint tfr is currently operating one 45-wagon train between isipingo and kaalfontein each day of the week but aims to increase the number of wagons to 50 each wagon can accommodate three vehicles van zyl said tsam s prospecton plant was the hub from which it moved its locally manufactured corolla hilux and fortuner vehicles and the rest of the more than 30 product ranges representing its toyota lexus and hino offerings to more than 220 dealers in the region to further emphasise the size and scope of our logistic operations to effectively distribute vehicles to our dealer network and customers one should keep in mind that this year toyota sa will manufacture close to 155 000 vehicles and retail in excess of 100 000 units in the local market each of these vehicles has to be distributed on time and without damage to each customer either here or in our export markets armed to the teeth goodyear timing belts never let go tried and tested under extreme conditions and manufactured to oem speci cations and standards dimensionally stable goodyear timing belts deliver precise timing with long service life · specialised compounds for modern engine needs · durable and smooth running · precision-moulded teeth made from tough shear-resistant rubber van zyl was unable to quantify the cost-saving that would result from the agreement and also stressed tsam would still be using road transport to move some of its vehicles our approach is a long-term one if it delivers in terms of the objectives we have set it is something for the long-term you don t change transport modes every week this is quite a strategic directional shift where we are saying let s move away from road to rail you can t get out of road 100 it s impossible but we need to find a better balance between rail and road transport here van zyl said of the vehicles tsam exported it would like to move 100 from its plant to the port by rail which could be up to 80 000 to 100 000 vehicles a year he added the percentage of toyota vehicles transported by rail was dependent on the success of phase one of the agreement the availability of rolling stock and the capacity created by transnet · precise tolerances on pitch and length · reduced pulley friction · exceptional heat abrasion and ozone resistance www.ramauto.co.za · +27 11 248 9400 · sa.rammail@veyance.co.za

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