The Car Guide

CAR Intern Cale Nuttall reports back from the Omoda & Jaecoo stand at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, which kicked off on 24 April 2026. We attended the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, which kicked off on 24 April, with Omoda & Jaecoo to get up close to this Chery sub-brand’s latest wares and find out what the automaker has in store for our market in the future. Here’s a summary of what stood out, as well as what’s been confirmed for South Africa. Omoda C4 Image: Supplied The series-production Omoda C4  made its official debut at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show. Confirmed for SA in 2026, the strikingly styled compact crossover will be available with the choice of atmospheric and turbocharged 1.5-litre, four-cylinder internal combustion engine (ICE) options. Omoda is currently mulling transmission options for our market – the latter including CVT, dual-clutch and, potentially, manual. Traditional hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and  battery-electric (BEV) variants are set to ...

CAR Editor Ian McLaren reports back from the GWM stand at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, which kicked off on 24 April 2026. Baoding-based Great Wall Motors (GWM) had a suitably impressive showing at the 2026 Beijing International Auto Show, including showcasing each of its sub-brands. Here’s a summary of what stood out, as well as what’s been confirmed for South Africa. Showstopper Image: GWM An undoubted showstopper on the GWM stand was the new Tank 700, which, together with a suitably standout body kit complete with massive alloy wheels, spoilers and a roof-mounted rear wing, features this brand’s new Hi4-Z powertrain. This pairs a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) setup for a combined power output of 635 kW. This allows the flagship Tank 700 to launch from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 5.6 seconds, while being able to travel in all-electric mode for up to 190 km. GWM South Africa says the Tank 700 will be under consideration for local introducti...

JAC South Africa has introduced a new entry-level derivative to its T8 double-cab bakkie portfolio. See pricing below… Image: JAC The newly introduced T8 double-cab employs a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine, which produces 104 kW and 320 N.m of torque – the former and latter available from 3 600 and a low 1 600 r/min, respectively. The four-cylinder unit is exclusively coupled with a six-speed manual transmission. Power is delivered to the road via the rear wheels. In the press material, JAC claims a fuel consumption of 6.5 L/100 km. Matching the firm’s claim translates to a range of over 1 000 km from a full, 76-litre tank of fuel. The T8 double-cab measures 5 325 mm in length and 1 880 mm in width – dimensions comparable to that of the Toyota Hilux . The T8’s wheelbase spans 3 090 mm. The ground clearance is rated at 210 mm. The T8’s load bed measures 1 520 mm long, 1 520 mm wide, and 470 mm deep. The T8 offers a payload capacity of 900 kg and a braked towing capacity of 2 ...

Geely has announced when its new-energy bakkie sub-brand, Riddara, will launch in SA. Image: Geely The Riddara RD6 measures 5 260 mm in length, 1 900 mm in width, and 1 880 mm in height. The wheelbase spans 3 120 mm. The Riddara’s load bed is 1 525 mm long, 1 450 mm wide, and 540 mm deep. The RD6 sports a 225 mm ground clearance. The local lineup will initially comprise two models, 4WD Air and 4WD Pro – both of which offering a braked towing capacity of 3 000 kg and payload capacity of 1 030 kg. The maximum water-fording depth is rated at 815 mm. The 4WD Air and 4WD Pro’s dual electric-motor powertrain produces combined system outputs of 315 kW and 595 N.m of torque. According to the firm, these figures allow the all-paw all-electric double-cab to complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.5 seconds, before topping out at 190 km/h. 4WD models feature seven driving modes: Comfort, Economy, Sport, Off-road, Mud, Snow, and Wading. Also read: 9 most powerful bakkies in SA in 2026 Ridda...

From new models to updated lineups, we highlight every bakkie that’s been confirmed to launch in South Africa in 2026. New Toyota Hilux Image: Toyota In February 2026, the ninth-generation Hilux was spotted in SA . However, despite being spotted on our shores, at the time, an official launch date for the new Hilux, which we detail in our Come the Hour: New Toyota Hilux feature, had yet to be announced. Well, fast forward to April 2026, and the local launch date for the ninth iteration of SA’s best-selling bakkie has been confirmed – June 2026. Based on an updated version of the Japanese automaker’s IMV (Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle) platform – the latter also underpinning the SA-bound new Land Cruiser FJ , which will cost less than the top-of-the-range Hilux – the box-fresh Hilux retains the outgoing, eighth-generation model’s trusted GD-6 powertrain, available in “standard” and 48 V mild-hybrid format. The 2.8-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine will be a...

We’ve unearthed pricing for the Ferrari Amalfi Spider. See pricing below… Image: Ferrari Replacing the Roma in Ferrari’s model lineup, in July 2025, the Italian marque whipped the wraps off the Amalfi . As we noted upon the reveal of the latter model, a Spider (convertible) version of this new Ferrari could follow in due course…and it did, with the Maranello manufacturer revealing the Amalfi Spider in March 2026. We can now confirm how much the Amalfi Spider costs in South Africa. As a reminder, the drop-top version of Ferrari’s “entry-level” offering employs a 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 470 kW and 760 N.m of torque – the latter available in a broad 3 000-5 750 r/min swathe of the rev band. Peak power output is available from 7 500 r/min. The front-mounted petrol unit delivers drive to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Despite weighing 86 kg more than its (1 470 kg, claimed) fixed-roof sibling, the Amalfi Spider dispatches the obli...