logo
Chery confirms Hilux rivaling Himla bakkie for SA

Chery confirms Hilux rivaling Himla bakkie for SA

The Citizen29-04-2025

Chery has confirmed a body-on-frame bakkie dubbed the Himla will be making its way to the South African market as both turbodiesel and turbodiesel hybrid. Information remains scarce, but here is what was announced at the Shanghai Auto Show.
Looking for a new or used Lexus? Find it here with CARmag!
Looking to follow the path of Chinese rival GWM (with its lineup of bakkies), Chery is now taking a stab at body-on-frame double cabs. If executed correctly, the entry into the extremely competitive segment will see the automaker reap rewards, however, it has proven to be an uphill battle for Chinese automakers to win share in the segment where buyers prioritise durability and reliability.
Related: Review: Lexus GX 550 Overtrail
Chery has had the model now known as the Himla in the pipeline for some time. It originally broke cover to the South African media as the KP11 concept in Wuhu last year, but the prototype shown in Shanghai can move under its own steam, which signals a fair chunk of development has been completed in the interim. The Chinese automaker settled on the Himla moniker which is an acronym for High performance, Innovation, Multifunctional, Longevity and All-terrain and is inspired by the Himalayas.
Related: Top 12 Best Buys 2025: New Energy Vehicle – LEXUS NX450h+ F Sport
Details are still scarce, but Chery has confirmed that it will come to South Africa, either late this year or early in 2026.
What has also been confirmed is that the bakkie will feature an all-new Chery-developed turbodiesel engine and an alternative which employs the services of a hybrid too. Power and performance figures are clandestine for now but on display at the Shanghai Auto Show was an example shod in 19-inch alloy wheels with some chunky tyres. Exceptedly, the interior is outfitted with a centrally mounted infotainment screen.
Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles with CARmag!
The post Chery Confirms Hilux Rivaling Himla Bakkie for SA appeared first on CAR Magazine.
Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.
Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

R257bn for Eskom to meet minimum requirements, aims for 40% emissions reduction by 2030
R257bn for Eskom to meet minimum requirements, aims for 40% emissions reduction by 2030

Daily Maverick

timean hour ago

  • Daily Maverick

R257bn for Eskom to meet minimum requirements, aims for 40% emissions reduction by 2030

The power utility said it planned to achieve a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 at the fleet level. Its preferred approach would cost R77bn in capital expenditure and R2.1bn in annual operational expenditure. Eskom CEO Dan Marokane says it will cost the South African taxpayer up to R257-billion for the utility to do the necessary upgrades for it to meet government-mandated minimum emission standards. Compliance, in this way, could translate into the equivalent of up to a 10% tariff increase. He and members of Eskom's executive were briefing Parliament's Select Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Mineral Resources on Tuesday, 10 June, in Cape Town. The briefing outlined the financial costs, the direct threat to the nation's power supply and the significant potential disruption to electricity supply that would come as a consequence of the legally mandated environmental regulations. Eskom's team put a figure of about R257-billion in capital expenditure (Capex) on what it would take to achieve full compliance with minimum emission standards across six of its major power stations, namely Medupi, Majuba, Matimba, Kendal, Lethabo and Tutuka. This would also incur R6.3-billion in annual operating costs (Opex). To date, Eskom has spent more than R3-billion on emission abatement projects, with an additional R15.6-billion allocated over the next five years. In March, Daily Maverick reported that Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dion George granted Eskom limited exemptions from minimum emission standards for eight of Eskom's coal-fired power stations. Two power stations, Duvha and Matla, were granted nine-year minimum emission standards exemptions until their planned decommissioning dates in 2034. Six other power stations were granted five-year minimum emission standards exemptions until 1 April 2030. These are Kendal, Lethabo, Majuba, Matimba, Medupi and Tutuka. Marokane said the implications of compliance with the emissions standards extended beyond the financial. Up to 22 gigawatts (GW) of the coal fleet's generating capacity is 'at risk' of being shut down if it cannot comply with the stringent post-2030 standards for sulphur dioxide (SO2)​ emissions, which, while beneficial from an environmental perspective, could imperil the progress Eskom has made in taming load shedding should that capacity not be replaced accordingly. This risk materialises after that 1 April 2030 deadline, when the exemptions granted for several stations expire. Given that retrofitting the necessary Flue Gas Desulphurisation technology takes 7-10 years, decisions are needed now to avert this cliff-edge scenario. Eskom, Marokane told members of the committee, was of the view that its preferred approach was not full compliance but instead, it would focus on SO2​ reduction at its newest plants, Kusile and Medupi, and complete particulate matter and nitrogen oxide upgrades at six stations. This path would cost R77-billion in Capex and R2.1-billion in annual Opex. However, as was noted by members of the committee, even this 'cheaper' option was severely underfunded, as mentioned above, with R15.6-billion allocated over the next five years. Moreover, Marokane explained, Eskom intends to expand its 'clean energy capacity' and 'optimise the existing coal fleet' to meet a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 at the 'fleet level'. This means that the coal station fleet in aggregate would see a 40% reduction in emissions, but this would be unevenly distributed from station to station because some of the newer stations may see their production ramp up to compensate for the shutdown of older stations. Health costs While Eskom's briefing touched on the socioeconomic consequences of plant shutdowns, such as the impact on 14,000 direct jobs, it did not provide an assessment of the direct health costs and mortality associated with its emissions. This gap was highlighted by a recent report titled Unmasking the Toll of Fine Particle Pollution in South Africa. That report by Greenpeace Africa and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found that in 2023 alone, 42,000 South Africans died from exposure to fine particle pollution (PM2.5), including more than 1,300 children under five. It combined PM2.5 concentrations (sourced from satellite data, ground monitoring and atmospheric models) with population and health data from the Global Burden of Disease database to calculate health impacts. PM2.5 refers to airborne particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres, mainly formed by burning coal and fuel. Daily Maverick wrote that the report estimates that PM2.5 pollution cost the country more than R960-billion in 2023 – equivalent to 14% of GDP – through premature deaths, illness, lost productivity and overburdened health systems. These particles, as CREA analyst Lauri Myllyvirta previously explained to Daily Maverick, are 'small enough to pass from lungs to the bloodstream and wreak havoc on all our internal organs'. Communities in the Highveld region and Gauteng and Mpumalanga, which are home to the country's largest coal-fired power plants and industrial zones, are hardest hit. Briefing the committee on Tuesday, Deidre Herbst, senior manager for environmental management in Eskom's Generation Division, confirmed particulate matter's deleterious impact. While sulphur dioxide was the 'biggest challenge', particulate matter caused the most harmful health impacts, she explained. DM DM

Built for export, boxed in at home — SA vehicle sector calls for decisive action
Built for export, boxed in at home — SA vehicle sector calls for decisive action

Daily Maverick

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Maverick

Built for export, boxed in at home — SA vehicle sector calls for decisive action

While May brought a surge in local car sales according to the National Automobile Dealers Association's latest reporting, a sharp contraction in exports and rising global tariff tensions have pushed South Africa's automotive industry to a crossroads. South Africa's automotive industry may have enjoyed a high-revving May in local markets, but the road ahead is looking increasingly precarious. Local vehicle sales surged 22% year-on-year, according to the latest Automotive Business Council (Naamsa) data, yet exports dropped 14.6% overall, with passenger vehicle exports plummeting by nearly 35%. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), a long-standing US trade programme that allows duty-free access for eligible African exports – including South African vehicles – faces renewed uncertainty under the Trump administration. With the White House pushing for reciprocal tariffs and stricter eligibility reviews, South Africa's preferential access could be one executive decision away from suspension. Speaking to Daily Maverick, Nada's vice-chairperson Thembinkosi Pantsi painted a picture of both resilience and distress. 'We're adapting, we're consolidating, and we're innovating to survive,' he said, referring to the shift toward multi-brand dealerships and used vehicle expansion. 'But make no mistake – we are nearing a cliff edge.'The automotive sector value chain in its entirety supports around 110,000 jobs, according to data from Naamsa, Stats SA and trade union data, with countless families relying on those employed in the sector to put food on the table. The industry – if you include both manufacturing and sales – contributed 5.3% to our GDP in 2023, and is the single largest manufacturing sector. Local sales surge, but export markets faltering While May saw strong domestic demand – driven partly by an influx of East Asian vehicle imports – it also underscored a growing contradiction: consumers want affordability, but the domestic industrial base relies on export volume to remain viable. 'We are seeing more Chinese brands enter the market with cost-effective models,' said Pantsi. 'This is good for consumer access, but doesn't help the thousands employed in export-geared manufacturing.' Volkswagen SA chairperson and managing director Martina Biene echoed the sentiment during her keynote address at Nada Connect in March of this year. 'Sometimes, as a local manufacturer, we don't feel as valued as we should be,' she said. 'There's a lot of investment here – jobs, skills, community development – but little relief from systemic pressures.' Biene disclosed that VW SA had spent more than R130-million on diesel generators to cope with load shedding. 'Every day I run them, it's R1.6-million in cost. That goes straight into the vehicle price,' she said. Add port congestion, road freight insecurity and policy drift, and 'you get a toxic mix,' she warned. What this means for you If global trade shocks persist and local manufacturing continues to contract, thousands of jobs across the auto value chain could be lost. Consumers may benefit from cheaper import options, but the broader consequences – shrinking local industry, fewer employment opportunities and weakened export competitiveness – pose a long-term economic risk. The off-and-on again Trumpian promise – tariffs Trump's revived steel and aluminium tariffs have reignited fears of a protectionist spiral. Pantsi warned that such moves could 'compound local challenges' and further disrupt trade patterns. 'Tariffs don't only raise costs. They erode investor and consumer confidence,' he said. 'We need urgent interventions – rebates, subsidies and export duty relief.' Biene concurred, calling for incentives over protectionism. 'We contribute massively to GDP and jobs. But sometimes it feels like the government is dazzled by short-term imports at the expense of long-term industrial strategy.' She said Agoa's uncertainty was more than symbolic. 'Agoa isn't a given,' Biene warned. 'If we lose that access, it's not just a dent in our balance sheets – it's a question of whether we keep local production viable.' Pricing inaction For every vehicle exported, dozens of suppliers – from tyre producers to seat manufacturers – depend on consistent output. A dip in export volumes, Pantsi noted, ripples across the entire automotive value chain. 'The automotive industry is the second-largest contributor to GDP after mining. If we allow it to shrink, the consequences will be systemic,' he said. Beyond the 110,000 people the sector employs directly, it supports hundreds of thousands more through components, logistics and retail. Both Pantsi and Biene urged the government to move past platitudes. 'We need a granular, not generic, state response,' said Pantsi. 'Targeted logistics reform. Decisive Agoa diplomacy. Training institutions revived. It's the details that matter now.' The sector at a T-junction Despite strong local sales buoyed by competitively priced imports, the export decline is a red flag. 'We have the infrastructure, the people, the expertise,' Pantsi said. 'What we lack is policy certainty and logistical coherence.' Biene was blunter: 'We're here for the long haul. But we can't keep pouring money into diesel and delays. The government needs to decide if it wants this sector to thrive – or merely survive.' DM.

Forget Sixty60, Springboks' Pick n Pay kit has fans cringeing
Forget Sixty60, Springboks' Pick n Pay kit has fans cringeing

The South African

time4 hours ago

  • The South African

Forget Sixty60, Springboks' Pick n Pay kit has fans cringeing

The Springboks squad has been spotted for the first time in the new kit sponsored by Pick n Pay. Instead of their usual green and gold, the South African national rugby team is donning brighter shades boldly emblazoned with the retailer's name. But like their 'Checkers Sixty60'-inspired aqua jerseys, which debuted during the 2023 World Cup, many fans are not impressed with the new look. The Boks are gearing up to play their first match this year against the Barbarians in Cape Town on 28 June. Over the past few weeks, Springbok players have gathered in preparation for the test match season, which kicks off later this month. The squad has begun intensive training, wearing their new training apparel. The new look design features a green jersey with bright yellow shorts. On social media, Springboks fans were not impressed… @iamkoshiek: 'Look at how they massacred our boys — out here looking like extras in Bollywood. Keep these bad jersey designs for the IPL.' @Capevoetsek: 'No amount of money can justify this @RizzleSimms : 'I take it back. The Checkers shirt isn't too bad'. @glewif2n: 'We're the world champions, and this is the best design on the table?!' Here's what others had to say.. Earlier this year, SA Rugby announced that Pick n Pay had signed a four-year contract as a Tier 1 sponsor. The sponsor's logo is featured on all Springboks match-day jerseys and on the front of all training apparel. The retailer replaces MTN, which previously sponsored the Boks from 2017 up until last year. The brand's name will feature on the back of the jersey in gold above the position number and player name. According to reports, the major move will cost the supermarket group around R70 million per year. In March, the Blitzboks sported the new kit for their game against Uruguay. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store