The Car Guide

Unveiled in December 2025, the new Kia Seltos is heading to South Africa…and it will retain the South Korean automaker’s frugal 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine option. Image: Kia The second-generation Seltos was revealed with a selection of powertrain options: 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol producing 110 kW/179 N.m, 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol (T-GDI) available in 132 kW and 142 kW states of tune, and hybrid – the latter setup pairing a 1.6-litre atmospheric four-pot with either a single or dual electric motors for combined power outputs of 113 and 131 kW, respectively. At the time, there was no word on whether the frugal 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel unit that’s available with the outgoing model, which claimed top honours in the ‘Compact crossover’ category at CAR magazine’s Top 12 Best Buys awards, will be offered with the box-fresh Seltos. However, at the May 2026 launch of the Carens seven-seater in Johannesburg, Kia’s local arm tol...

Set to join the revised local Everest lineup in 2026, Ford South Africa has announced the adventure-focused Everest Tremor for our market. Image: Ford Forming part of Ford’s revised local Everest lineup, the Blue Oval brand’s SA arm is set to introduce a Tremor variant of its Ranger-based seven-seater SUV to our market. Billed as the “ultimate” family-focused adventure vehicle, the Everest Tremor employs its maker’s 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine, producing 184 kW and 600 N.m of torque – the latter delivered to all four corners via a 10-speed automatic transmission. To enhance its adventure-focused proviso, the Everest Tremor adopts “specially developed” suspension, which incorporates Bilstein position-sensitive dampers and new springs. The Tremor package further includes General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres. Thanks to the fitment of the former and latter, the Everest Tremor benefits from a 26 mm increase in ground clearance compared to the standard model. The Everest Tremor...

Billed as the Sant’Agata Bolognese brand’s most powerful open-top yet, Lamborghini has whipped the wraps off the Fenomeno Roadster. Image: Lamborghini In August 2025, Lamborghini unveiled the Fenomeno. Now, the Italian automaker has whipped the wraps – and roof! – off this special-edition Raging Bull. Limited to just 15 examples, meet the Fenomeno Roadster. Similar to the coupé, the open-top Fenomeno employs a hybrid powertrain comprising a 6.5-lite naturally aspirated V12 and three electric motors – two sited at the front and a single unit positioned above the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission – fed by a 7 kWh lithium-ion battery. The petrol-electric setup produces combined power and torque outputs of 794 kW and 1 075 N.m – good for a claimed 0-100 km/h sprint time of 2.4 seconds and top speed in excess of 340 km/h. Penned by Lamborghini Centro Stile, the official in-house design studio and creative hub of Automobili Lamborghini, the F...

Lexus has whipped the wraps off its first all-electric three-row SUV, the TZ. Here’s what you need to know about the new model… Image: Lexus Billed by Lexus as the “Driving Lounge”, the Japanese luxury automaker has unveiled the TZ, an all-electric three-row SUV positioned as the flagship model in the firm’s BEV portfolio. The TZ’s DIRECT4 all-wheel drivetrain features two eAxles, developing a combined 300 kW and 537 N.m of torque. Lexus claims the 2 630 kg TZ is capable of completing the 0-100 km/h dash in 5.4 seconds but has not specified a top speed. The TZ is equipped with a 95.82 kWh lithium-ion battery, which offers a claimed driving range of up to 530 km from a full charge. According to Lexus, the TZ is capable of recharging from 10-80% in approximately 35 minutes at a 150 kW DC fast-charging station. While an official energy consumption figure has not yet been disclosed, based on the claimed range, battery size, and taking into consideration a drag coefficient of ...

We’ve rounded up the top five best-selling Chinese car brands in South Africa in April 2026. See the list below… In April 2026, 47 979 new vehicles were sold in South Africa. Of the latter figure, the passenger-car and light commercial vehicle (LCV) segments accounted for 34 414 and 10 966 units sold, respectively. Now, we take a closer look at the five Chinese automakers that performed best in the fourth month of 2026. (It is worth noting that, for this list, we’ve listed the subsidiaries of each company individually. For example, GWM and Haval, and Chery and Omoda & Jaecoo.) 5. GWM – 719 Image: GWM Despite a 305-unit decline (compared to March 2026 ) in sales in April 2026, GWM retained its position as the fifth best-selling Chinese car brand in the fourth month of the new year. The P-Series, which claimed fourth spot among the best-selling bakkies in SA in April 2026 , was once again the best-selling GWM-branded product, with 588 units sold. Two new Steed bakkies,...

The new Toyota Hilux will officially launch in SA in June 2026. We detail the upcoming, ninth-generation model… Image: Toyota Introduced in 1968, over 58 years, the ‘Hilux’ nameplate has carved a place for itself in automotive history, both globally and in South Africa, where it’s been produced for over five decades and remains the best-selling vehicle. Following eight generations, the hour has now come for the Japanese automaker’s popular bakkie to write a new chapter in its long-standing legacy. While its profile remains familiar to its forebear’s, the ninth-generation Hilux sports decidedly sharper exterior styling, front and rear. A neat addition, the redesigned rear bumper incorporates side steps for easier access to the load bay. The new Hilux retains its forebear’s IMV (Innovative international Multi-purpose Vehicle) architecture, which has underpinned every generation of Hilux since the seventh iteration was introduced in 2004. However, a few revisions, including the f...