Toyota welcomes Comrades winner Gerda Steyn as official ambassador
The qualified quantity surveyor is a four-time Comrades marathon champion and one of the most accomplished ultra-marathon athletes in the world, holding records for the Two Oceans (six times) and Comrades Marathon down run and up run.
Steyn's running career kick-started at the Comrades Marathon in 2015 where she finished in the 56th position. As part of her ambassadorship Steyn will be paired with the Toyota Fortuner SUV.
'Toyota SA Motors is proud to support athletes who embody determination, resilience and a global sporting spirit. To this effect, Toyota's partnership with Gerda is the beginning of new and exciting adventures,' said Tasneem Lorgat, GM marketing communications at Toyota SA.
The company said Steyn's appointment reaffirmed Toyota's commitment to supporting sports as a tool for nation-building and social cohesion — values linked to its historic 21-year support of the Comrades Marathon.
Commenting on her appointment, Steyn said: 'To represent Toyota — pioneers and leaders in the motoring industry — is a huge honour. I look forward to this long-term partnership with a name that stands head and shoulders above the rest.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
Ford Ranger bakkie dominates model rankings as South Africa's used car sales soar
Toyota retained its first-place ranking of the most popular used car brands in July. Image: Supplied While a lot of attention is focused on monthly new car sales, which have been showing a steady monthly upward trend, so too has the used vehicle market been showing year-on-year (YoY) and month-on-month growth (MoM), reflecting the continued trend of renewed consumer confidence. Minor shifts The top five best-selling used vehicles remain unchanged, but the bottom half of the top 10 has shown several minor shifts, indicating a change in the mindset of South African used car buyers. Based on the latest sales data from AutoTrader, 33,919 used vehicles were sold in July 2025, representing YoY and MoM increases of 7% and 9.4%, respectively. This makes last month the strongest sales period for 2025 so far, with a consistent rise over the past few months. In June, 31,008 sales were recorded, compared to 31,741 in May. Toyota leads As expected, Toyota retained its first-place ranking of the most popular used car brands in July, with 5,878 used cars sold last month. The Japanese automaker also recorded the biggest MoM increase of 13%, while YoY sales rose by 7%. Volkswagen followed in second place with 4,638 sales, posting smaller but steady gains of 7% MoM and 5% YoY. Ford secured third position with 3,604 sales, showing a MoM increase of 12% and a modest 3% YoY rise. Hyundai delivered the strongest growth overall, with a YoY surge of 49% and 2,416 sales in July. Suzuki also performed well, recording a 41% YoY increase. However, premium marques BMW and Mercedes-Benz saw declines of 2% and 12% YoY, respectively, while Nissan, Renault and Kia also posted YoY decreases. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Ford tops the charts on a model level, with 2,025 Rangers sold last month. Image: Supplied Ranger stays tops Ford tops the charts on a model level, with 2,025 Rangers sold last month, a YoY increase of 6.4%. The Ranger not only accounts for 56% of all Ford sales, but also outsold its closest rival, the Toyota Hilux, by 389 units. The Hilux recorded 1,636 sales, followed by the Polo (1,400), Polo Vivo (1,322) and Toyota Fortuner (815). Once-regular entries like the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class are absent, replaced by smaller, more affordable crossovers and hatchbacks. The Suzuki Swift recorded a 34.5% YoY increase, while the Hyundai Grand i10 experienced the strongest growth of all, with sales surging by 116.7% YoY. Other popular models include the Toyota Starlet and Corolla Cross, reflecting a growing preference for practical, fuel-efficient hatchbacks and crossovers. It is worth noting that seven of the top 10 most-sold models are manufactured in South Africa. Best-selling variant The title of the best-selling variant belongs to the Polo Vivo 1.4. 1,037 examples were sold in July, making up 78.4% of all Polo Vivo sales. It is followed by the Polo 1.0 TSI (879), the Hilux 2.8 GD-6 (723), the Ranger XL (664), and the Hilux 2.4 GD-6 (555). Key figures The cumulative value of used cars reached R14.10 billion, representing an MoM increase of 8.67% from June 2025 (R12.98 billion). The average price of a used vehicle was R415,983, down from R418,770 in July 2025, but higher than the average of R409,238 in July 2024. The average mileage has fallen from 75,227 km in July 2024 to 73,579 km in July 2025.


The Citizen
4 days ago
- The Citizen
Toyota Fortuner GR-Sport made to stand out from the crowd
More power and Gazoo Racing branding ensure that this is no garden variety SUV. It might not be the most modern, or most high-tech, SUV on the road. In fact, the platform under the Toyota Fortuner has been around for decades. And you, and I, know this, and Toyota know this too, but one thing that is unshakeable is the Fortuner is South Africa's favourite medium-sized SUV by far. With a market share of over 40%, on average, around 800 new Fortuner models find themselves a home every month around the country. And one of those homes just happens to be The Citizen Motoring as a Toyota Fortuner GR-Sport has joined out long-term fleet. Maybe before we get to what the GR-Sport badge means on a Fortuner, it might be worth having a look at how Toyota's Gazoo Racing hierarchy stacks up for you as a customer. Gazoo Racing badging for dummies GR Parts: At the base of the pyramid, GR Parts allow customers to enhance their standard models with GR-inspired accessories. At the base of the pyramid, GR Parts allow customers to enhance their standard models with GR-inspired accessories. GR-Sport (GR-S): The next level introduces cosmetic upgrades and dynamic handling improvements. These include models like the Corolla Cross, Hilux, and Land Cruiser 300. The next level introduces cosmetic upgrades and dynamic handling improvements. These include models like the Corolla Cross, Hilux, and Land Cruiser 300. GR Performance Models : Moving up the ladder, fully engineered performance models such as the GR86, GR Yaris, GR Corolla, and GR Supra deliver a more intense driving experience. : Moving up the ladder, fully engineered performance models such as the GR86, GR Yaris, GR Corolla, and GR Supra deliver a more intense driving experience. GRMN (Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring): Sitting at the very top, GRMN represents the pinnacle of Toyota's motorsport expertise. It features extreme performance tuning for track-focused driving. ALSO READ: Toyota Fortuner GR-Sport: a perfect send-off for SA's popular SUV Toyota Fortuner GR-S looks the part With the Gazoo Racing lesson out the way, what is the Toyota Fortuner GR-S all about? First up is styling. A new front bumper, with a reworked lower grille, black front spoiler, new fog lamp bezels, rear diffuser, and 18-inch GR alloy wheels separates this model from the non-GR-S Fortuner. Further adding to the exclusivity of owning a Fortuner GR-S, they only come in two colours, Attitude Black and Platinum Pearl White. White is the one for me. It just works with the black GR-S trim like on our tester. The Fortuner GR-S rides on black 18-inch alloys. Picture: Mark Jones Greeting you when you jump inside this spacious, seven-seater, will be the very familiar Toyota Fortuner/Hilux-based interior. It's not all huge digital screens and instrument clusters like found on a Ford Ranger or Everest. Analogue mixed with basic digital is as good as it will get for now. Being a GR-S model means that you get exclusive GR sports seats, upholstered in perforated leather and suede with red stitching. There is also GR branded headrests, a GR-badged steering wheel, a GR-start button and aluminium sport pedals. All this leaves you in no doubt you are not driving a garden variety Fortuner. Power bump What also leaves you in no doubt is the 165kW of power and 550Nm of torque on offer by the tweaked 2.8 GD-6 diesel engine. In garden variety trim so to speak, the mill offers 150kW and 500Nm, which is more than okay. ALSO READ: Muscled-up Toyota Fortuner GR Sport lands a powerful knock-out A silky smooth 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel would be an absolute winner, but Toyota are sticking with their trusty 2.8 GD-6 for the foreseeable future. But having the extra urge offered by the Fortuner GR-S still makes for a pleasant time behind the wheel. The dynamics of the Fortuner GR-S have also been enhanced with a monotube shock absorber system. The ride quality is not bad considering that no generation or model of Fortuner has ever been considered the class leader in dynamics. Red contrast stitching is used in the cabin. Picture: Supplied Toyota Fortuner excels off-road But where the Toyota Fortuner GR-S excels is off the road in the hectic, made for a Toyota, stuff. Built on a rugged ladder-on-frame chassis, this SUV is designed to withstand the harshest conditions. It provides unmatched durability and resilience when the road gets rough. Up till now, our Fortuner GR-S has been a city slicker. But next month, Charl Bosch, our digital motoring scribe will be taking a family trip out into the country. He will also be keeping a close eye on the fuel gauge like he always does. The Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4×4 GR Sport is competitively priced at R999 000 and easily outguns its closest rival here, the Ford Everest. It also comes standard with nine-services/90 000km service plan and a three-year/100 000km warranty.


The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
Pretoria's Elbert 'Pikachu' Steyn gears up to make MMA history at first PFL Africa event in Gauteng
Pretoria's Elbert 'Pikachu' Steyn gears up to make MMA history at first PFL Africa event in Gauteng He is a former amateur wrestling champion and, by his own admission, he is easily underestimated by opponents because of his physique. But Elbert Steyn, one of Pretoria's rising MMA stars, usually has the last laugh. 'Once they've dealt with my power, they quickly realize with surprise what they're dealing with,' Steyn said earlier this week on the eve of his Professional Fighters League (PFL) featherweight bout against an opponent from Morocco. As the world's fastest growing MMA tournament lands in Gauteng, Steyn, a very talented fighter and one of the true characters in MMA ranks, is ready to make history in front of a sold-out home crowd on Saturday. He is known as 'Pikachu' in the ring because of his physical appearance. When asked about his nickname, Steyn replied that at one point in his career he took a long break from martial arts during which he was not very active. Then he returned to the sport with a slight belly. The guys in the gym started jokingly calling him 'Pikachu' after the Pokémon character. 'But they soon realized that my appearance wasn't the last thing they remembered about me after sparring with me. I still beat them up,' he said with a smile. On Saturday 9 August, PFL Africa will host its second ever event in Gauteng, following a sold-out debut in Cape Town in July. This event will see Steyn step into the PFL SmartCage for a first-round featherweight bout against Morocco's Abderrahman Errachidy in the Big Top Arena at Carnival City, Brakpan. The 25-year-old Steyn is the only South African fighter on the card, which features 20 of the best featherweights and welterweights on the continent. Steyn will be looking to extend his unbeaten professional record (3-0) against Errachidy and secure his place in the PFL Africa semi-finals in the process. Speaking at the official PFL Africa: Johannesburg Media Event hosted at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, Steyn highlighted the importance the crowd will play in his fight. 'PFL Africa is definitely a history making event and everyone there on Saturday is going to be part of history. I am super excited to be there and I know the crowd is going to absolutely bring it. I have also got a lot of supporters, and I am going to carry them on my back. That pressure helps shape and motivate me, so I love to have that support and deal with the pressure it brings,' he commented. Nigeria's Patrick Ocheme, who will take on Mohamed Camara from Guinea in the main event, emphasised the importance of PFL Africa in providing a platform to local fighters. 'There are a lot of guys who are constantly training, just waiting for the opportunity to show the world what they can actually do. PFL Africa provides that opportunity to showcase our talents on a global stage,' Steyn remarked. Steyn described taking part in an event of the magnitude of the PFL in South Africa as a dream come true. 'I never thought I would do PFL in South Africa. I always knew I'd make it to the big stage eventually, but I didn't think that would be locally, so that's a shocker for me,' he said. In total, 32 fighters representing 15 African nations will compete across the four PFL Africa divisions in 2025, as the league embarks on a continent wide journey to crown the first-ever PFL Africa Champions. For more details, visit the Professional Fighters League (PFL) website at or follow them on social media. Fight fans can catch the action live on Saturday night. Tickets can be purchased from TicketPro. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram