The Car Guide

When it comes to its 5 Series business saloon, BMW’s raison d’etre has always been “the ultimate driving machine”. However, another critical phenomenon that has contributed to its continued sales success over the years has been government, embassy and diplomatic sales. Handsome new LED head- and taillamp arrangements help differentiate the LCI. Interestingly, BMW South Africa has an entire sales division dedicated to this arm that includes 39 institutions like the World Bank, United Nations and more. It is understood from our research that the company vehicle allowance for senior government officials may not exceed 70% of their salary. New directives in recent years from the South African Government, however, have been put in place to curb excessive spending on luxury cars by ministers. This has seen lavish, top-of-the-range models fall off the wish list in favour of more sensible offerings. No surprises then that the seventh-generation 5 Series – recently updated with a lifec...

An electric or Hybridised SUV? The thought barely gets the senses tingling but if there is a brand that can create such a thing that is exciting and accessible it would be Alfa Romeo. Their new SUV has been earmarked for launch in February but the Italian brand has now teased viewers with a glimpse of the Tonale’s face, with some interior shots too in an artistic and brief video.  Say hello to the face of the Tonale. Well, barely. In Italian fashion, production of the new SUV was delayed , twice, which has afforded the world an opportunity to learn how to pronounce Tonale and not Toe-nail. Simply translating to tonal or to do with tone , the new SUV is set to be the the beginning of the brand’s “ La Metamorfosi ,” or the metamorphosis in English which signals the important leap into future mobility.  This is what the concept looks like. Hopefully production model too! Italian lessons now complete, Alfa Romeo recently confirmed that the launch will go ahead on F...

The Swedish glades sees the continue testing of Maserati’s exciting new ‘baby’ SUV, the Grecale,  where extreme conditions and very low grip surface have been exploited to test maximum power and grip capabilities of the new ‘Mazzer’. With weather conditions varying from a few degrees above zero to as low as -30°C in Lapland, the Grecale proved its mettle with their cold-starts and drivability in hospitable conditions being fine-tuned to ensure that in-car comfort is maintained at all times, not matter what prevails outside. Vehicle dynamics have also been tested on mixed surfaces of tarmac, snow and ice. Traction, understeer and oversteer in different drive modes has also been tested and fine-tuned, with varying sizes and types of wheels, too. This is on order to specifically characterise each of the driving modes on offer, regardless of specification. “The Grecale extols its exceptional soul on low grip handling tracks, completing high-performance laps on various circuits, fr...

The Countach refresh that was lingering on the lips of every auto enthusiast in August last year has broken from the sanctity of a Concourse show and ventured out onto the open road. This time the Aventador based and retro designed LPI 800-4 was accompanied by two of its seniors; a 1974 Countach LP400 and the 1988 Countach 25th Anniversary.  The first Countach to ever leave the production line leading the way over its juniors. The culmination of this gathering yielded a spectacular album of photos and a press video evoking passion and heritage. Despite this, original designer Gandini remains unimpressed by the new version of his original design. Raging bull aficionados still have the opportunity to drool over the new, all powerful hybrid Countach refresh which celebrates the models 50th birthday by sharing the spotlight with the first Countach LP 400 to roll off the production line and the last Countach 25th Anniversary model ever produced.  The new Countach is leadi...

Bentley has confirmed that their first electric car is to arrive in 2025 and will be built at the firm’s Crewe plant in the United Kingdom. This news cements the future of the iconic factory at which 4 000 skilled workers meticulously build the brand’s motorcars by hand, with £2,5 billion (R51,4 billion) set aside for R&D at Crewe with a sharp focus on sustainability. Since 1946, motor cars have been manufactured at Crewe. In an interview with Autocar in 2020, Bentley’s CEO Adrian Hallmark mentioned that Crewe had to earn the right to build Bentley EV’s ahead of it Volkswagen Group peers. “We started building in Crewe in 1936 and we’ve invested hundreds of millions in infrastructure and certification for electrification, so we have the capability to do it,” he said. “But the important thing to note is that we still have to be competitive, and fight to ensure the maximum possible content for our cars is made in Crewe. We are part of a group so we must prove we are the bes...

Many dismiss the creations from the French Lion as competent competitors on the track but Peugeot actually have a strong winning lineage in motorsport and seek to continue that legacy with their new hyper creation. The wingless Peugeot 9X8 Hybrid Hypercar is set to represent the country on home soil at the 24 Hour of Le Mans and in 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a contrasting photoshoot kicking the year off for the challenger. Stark contrasts between architecture and machine. Seductive yet brutalist photographs from renowned professional Agnieszka Doroszewicz are the latest documentation of the Hypercar. The metaphor of the shoot was to portray the fleeting light changes as the hours go by at the Circuit de la Sarthe through the contrast of the illuminated and harsh concrete in the background while the beautifully crafted Wingless Peugeot 9X8 Hybrid Hypercar is placed fore. It portrays the endurance challenger as an iconic object demonstrated as ultimate design, ...

The WRC Rallye Monte Carlo kicked off over the past weekend with events transpiring in an unexpected fashion after Sébastien Loeb snatched victory from a puncture ridden Sébastien Ogier. Whoever predicted it would have been a battle of the French Sébastiens would have been right as it was veteran Loeb who backflipped his way onto the podium.  A battle of the Sébastiens as Loeb reigns supreme over Ogier. The duel between the most successful drivers in the sport’s history proved a fitting start to the new hybrid-powered era in the championship’s 50th season. With cars capable of scary power figures and drivers hungry to prove who has the least fear, some of the fastest times were recorded. It was advantage Ogier and Toyota as he initially led after Thursday’s short opening night stage but the following day Loeb proved that despite his age he still had what it takes and managed to set four consecutive fastest times putting him ahead going into the weekend.  Saturday set...