REFRESHED MAHINDRA XYLO NOW IN MZANSI

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Mahindra released a new XYLO 7-seat MPV. The vehicle, which competes with the likes of Toyota Innova, is one of the latest additions to the Mahindra Mzansi troupe. Steadily the company is getting under our skins, as evidenced by the Scorpio’s entry into the top 10 best-selling LCVs last month. Of course with such a large farming community, Mahindra should naturally be doing well here.

The XYLO has been refreshed using new headlights, a different front grille, bonnet and rear roof spoiler. A list of 6 exterior colours is available, including something called Fiery Black and Toreador Red. Mahindra is proudly talking about genuine Italian leather for the interior trim, as well as a two-tone dashboard with glossy wood panels. We aren’t sure yet if these are real or fake though.

The 2.2-litre dieselengine, dubbed mHawk by the marketing gurus of Mahindra, makes a good 88kWof power at 4000 rpm and 280Nm of torque between 2400rpm and 2800rpm. A 5-speedmanual gearbox is fitted.

For interior comforts, Mahindra included stuff like Bluetooth connectivity, music controls on the steering wheel, cruise controland climate control. There’s also a trip computer that shows how much fuel is being used.

XYLO Pricing

R219 900

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FERRARI LOOKS TO BREAK TRACK RECORD

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Ferrari North Europe now has over 1 000 cars registered for its plan to break the Guinness World Record for the largest parade of Ferrari cars at 18:00 on Saturday 15th September during Ferrari Racing Days event at Silverstone Circuit.

Ferrari North Europe previously set the record with 385 cars taking part on the Silverstone Circuit at the Ferrari Racing Days event in 2007, but this was later increased to 490 cars. Even though over 600 cars had registered in the first month when the attempt was announced, Ferrari North Europe has always had the ambition to set a Guinness World Record with 1 000 cars.

Registrations continue to remain open as the Italian carmaker anticipates the recently extended Silverstone Grand Prix circuit can now accommodate more than 1 000 cars on track.

This increased interest for next month's record bid is thanks to the support from the Ferrari Owners Club and Ferrari enthusiasts all over the UK and abroad and will create what promises to be an unrivalled spectacle – Silverstone turned Rosso Corsa. In addition, Ferrari will be donating £5 (about R64) for every car entered into the world record attempt to BEN, the automotive industry’s own charity.

Ferrari Racing Days, held at Silverstone Circuit 15-16 September, is the only motor racing event in the UK where Ferrari fans will be able to see FXX and 599XX development cars on track and a wide range of historic Ferrari F1 cars from the F1 Clienti department, together with a schedule of races from the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli and the Ferrari Club Challenge, the Pirelli Ferrari Open.

STORY BY FERRARI

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CITROEN C4 AIRCROSS LAUNCHED

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Citroen’s new C4 Aircross is based on the old Mitsubishi ASX. There, I’ve said it. This will become important when I put things into perspective later. Launched to a dazzled Mzansi motoring media fraternity in Mozambique, the C4 Aircross is the French company’s first forayinto SUV territory, although it’s had some wagons/ estates in the past.

While the car shares much of its underpinnings with said ASX, in terms of look and feel the two are different. For example, outside the 4.3 metre longC4 Aircross features an elegant facial expression, accentuated by a front end with big headlights, drooping LED daytime running lights and a wide front grille. The rear end is also quite stylish, with axe-shapedrear lights and a kind of seamless integration between the darkened C-pillar and the back window.

There’s basically four trim levels, two of which I managed to drive through the picturesque old Moz. Two-litre 2WD manual Attraction, Seduction, Seduction with a CVT transmission and an AWD CVT Exclusive. Possibly the weakest link in this chain is the engine itself. With Citroen being one of the leaders in new engine technology, it’s quite a setback for them to use an old 2.0-litre for this first entry into the highly-competitive mid-sized SUV market.

The 2.0-litre is of course naturally aspirated and only puts out 113kW and 198Nm of torque, which is about the same as a modern 1.8 or a 1.4-litre turbo. The company has an array of excellent turbos, including the 1.6-litre shared with Peugeot and BMW. Why not use that? So the 5-speed manual uses a long gearshift for its purposes and goes on well in everyday situations. Even on roads not meant for normal cars, it gives back some good vibrations, sends messages of comfort and keeps going smoothly. The CVT on the other hand, is as CVT as they get. Screamy on takeoff and not very fuel-friendly, it nevertheless is the right solution for places like Jozi where traffic jams can occur as frequently as the public exposure of a corrupt politician.

If you are looking for value in terms of price versus features, this is probably the SUV to check out first. Standard features include bits like ABS braking, a front centre armrest, electric mirrors, front fogs, an onboard trip computer and four electric windows. For the larney among us (aka buyers of Exclusive models), certain goodies are standard, such as Bluetoothconnectivity, Hill Start Assist, those LED daytime running lights, automatic rain sensors and rear parking sensors. The Bluetooth function is one of those cool ones that not only lets you hear calls through the car’s speakers, but it also plays music stored in your cell phonethrough the same speakers.

During our sojourn into the rural Moz side, we sampled different types of roads, including soft beach sand and some thick forest action where we got to change tyres as some of the hazards got the better of our road-biased tyres. And from the reaction of passers-by, this is a very good-looking motor car.

So while the C4 Aircross represents a breath of fresh air in its market, with good features, very good looks and some off-roadcapability in the AWD model, I just couldn’t shake off the “old” ASX feeling. And the engine didn’t add to its points tally either. It’s a car for people who probably choose looking good first over capability.

Citroen C4 Aircross Pricing

2.0 Attraction (R269 900)

2.0i Seduction (R294 900)

2.0i CVT Seduction (R309 900)

2.0i CVT 4x4 Exclusive (R369 900)

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BEST-SELLING MZANSI CARS FOR JULY

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The year 2012, seen in Myanmyth as the end of it all, may well be seen as the beginning of it all for the South African motor industry. The way things are going now, it appears the entire market could well surpass the 600 000 mark in vehicle sales. Although the record-breaking 2006 saw figures of over 600 000, the forces were much different back then.

With July 2012 passenger car sales at 37 844, an increase of 18.2%compared to July 2011 and 5.4% when seen side by side with June 2012, motor manufacturers have much to smile about. So do the banks that finance these deals.

The best-sellerlist for July looks like something out of the movie The Usual Suspects, and reflects just how steadfast South Africans are in supporting their beloved brands. Have a look and see for yourself.

Best-Selling Passenger Cars (July 2012)
Model                                      Units
1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo           (2 623)
2. Volkswagen Polo                  (2 210)
3. Toyota Etios                         (1 753)
4. Toyota Corolla                      (1 372)
5. Ford Figo                              (1 176)
6. BMW 3 Series                       (1 041) 
7. Toyota Fortuner                       (982)
8. Volkswagen Polo Vivo Sedan    (826)
9. Chevrolet Cruze                       (764)
10. Chevrolet Aveo                      (638)

Best-Selling Light Commercial Vehicles (July 2012)
Model                                          Units
1. Toyota Hilux                                     (2 781)
2. Chevrolet Utility                    (1 746)
3. Ford Ranger                         (1 559)
4. Nissan NP200                       (1 359)
5. Isuzu KB                               (1 352)
6. Toyota Quantum                   (1 201)
7. Nissan NP300 Hardbody          (954)   
8. Volkswagen Amarok                (477)
9. Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-up    (231)
10. Mahindra Scorpio Pick-up       (164)

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INTERVIEW WITH FERRARI TECHNICAL BOSS PAT FRY

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Scuderia Ferrari and the other F1 teams are now on the two week 'summer break'. It’s an appropriate time to take a breather after the first part of the season, which was run flat out on what was a rollercoaster ride. And once it restarts, there will be a packed schedule of events all the way to the end, which comes only on 25 November in Sao Paolo, Brazil. 

There’s palpable satisfaction at having sent Fernando Alonso off on holiday with a 40 point lead in the Drivers’ championship, but the overriding sentiment is that there’s still a lot of work to do to get Felipe and Fernando to reach the goals set at the start of the year, especially as they are up against a lot of strong opposition.
 
As the break gets underway Scuderia Ferrari has issued this Q&A interview with the team's Technical Director Pat Fry.

Eleven races completed, time to look back at the season so far. How do you evaluate the first part of the championship? 

“Obviously, at the start, after the winter tests, we were a bit behind. I think we learned a lot in this period and used that later on. We struggled in the early races: I remember that in Melbourne we were around a second and a half behind the best. We then put in a huge effort, in the wind tunnel, the production department and at the design stages. The entire workforce reacted to the challenge we faced. In my opinion, we have overtaken a large part of the other teams in terms of development over the season: we staged a good recovery, but there is still a long way to go.” 

In Budapest, Fernando spoke of a slight lack of development over the last few races. Can you explain more precisely what he meant by that? 

“It’s true we had a handful of parts that did not work the way we had expected: there’s always a chance that can happen in work like this. The positive aspect is that we understood the problem and everything is alright now: that way, we can use this experience to move forward rather than being left confused about it. In fact, we have a clear idea on the direction we need to take and we have already begun to work in this direction.” 

Does that mean these problems should be fixed in a short space of time? 

“Yes I think that when one tries to get to the limit, one definitely encounters new problems. Now we have a good understanding of the situation, therefore we only need to modify our development criteria and continue to push.” 

There are no F1 races in August. What will happen from today until the race at Spa?

“We were all here this week and we tried to do as much as possible. We have developed a few small parts for Spa in the wind tunnel, while also concentrating on other updates for Singapore. This has been a very tiring week, but now we have two weeks holiday and that will certainly see us come back revived. Then we will be back, giving it our all immediately after the break.” 

Personally, what will you be doing during the two week break, when you are not at work? 

“I will go home to England to spend some time with my family. It will be nice to have more than two days in a row to spend with my two children.” 

You won’t be able to do any actual work, but do you think you’ll manage to switch off, without thinking about Formula 1, or will work always be in the back of your mind? 

“I’ll try and do my best not to think about Formula 1 and concentrate on spending time with the family.” 

Do you reckon you will manage to recharge your batteries? 

“Yes definitely! The last four, five months have been very tough for all of us in the Scuderia. So I think it’s right that we have a break so everyone can recover and then we will have to come back pushing as hard as we have been doing all the way to the end of the season.” 

When we come back, we tackle the last two races in Europe, at Spa and Monza, which are very different to the previous ones. How do you see the situation in these two races? 

“We have a few interesting developments that we will introduce at Spa, a track which, from an aerodynamic downforce point of view, is quite special, as indeed is Monza. In fact, we will also have an aerodynamic and engine package specifically suited to the Italian track. Therefore a lot of work has been done, but there is still also a lot to do: we must continue to keep up the pressure to a high level.”

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