The Case For South Africa’s Own People’s Car

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kingr
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The Case For South Africa’s Own People’s Car

Post by kingr »

With South Africa's long automotive history and motorsport credentials, it's hard not to beg the question, why don't we have our own locally developed and engineered, mass-produced car brand? It's difficult not to approach the subject with a certain amount of South African cynicism, and our past endeavours have always come disappointingly short. However, even a brief glimpse at South Africa's CV shows it ticking all the boxes of what should make it a player among car brands - at least on the African continent. So why haven't we and why have we come up short every time? Does the idea of our own 'iMoto Yesizwe', Volkswagen equivalent, peoples' car seem that far-fetched?

South Africa's Forgotten Automotive Innovation:

The GSM Dart:

For a brief moment during the late '50s and early '60s, a small Cape-Town based manufacturer was on the technological edge of automotive engineering. The Glass Sport Motors company produced the South African-made, all-fibreglass body, GSM Dart. Fibreglass and its potential were still relatively unknown at the time. The post-war automotive giants did experiment with glass fibre reinforced plastic panelling with the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette (C1) and its subsequent successors like the Sting Ray, but the feasibility of a complete fibreglass shell for mass-production was largely dismissed.

Despite the adolescent knowledge of this material and its archaic and expensive manufacturing process, three South Africans developed, designed and moulded the prototype on a farm out in Stellenbosch. Eventually, GSM went on to produce 115 Darts fitted with 100E and 105E Ford Anglia engines between 1958 and 1964 with some making their way to England and Canada. The GSM Dart ignited the racing scene briefly in 1959 when a few Alfa S.V. and Climax engines made their way under the bonnet, taking pole position at the Kyalami Nine Hours Race — notably beating a few Porsche 356 Speedsters and Alfa Romeo Giulietta's. GSM did add the retro Flamingo, initially powered by a 1.7l Ford Taunus engine and later a 1.5l Cortina engine, to its production line in 1962, but the company fades into obscurity after that.

Although the Dart doesn't hold the mantle of being South Africa's first sports car, that belongs to the GPR Protea, it does showcase South Africa's unique proclivity to punch well above its weight.

Perana Z-One:

The sixth addition to the Big 5; the predatory Perana Z-One. The joint effort of iconic Italian coachbuilder Zagato, that's produced works of art like the Alfa Romeo Zagato and 1960 Aston Martin DB4 Zagato, and the ultra-specialized low-volume South African motor company Hi-Tech Automotive. From the same team that rolled out the incredible Noble M400, comes South Africa's fastest mechanical land mammal.

A 6.2L V8 behemoth dressed in the elegant lines of Zagato design, the Z-One is jaw-droppingly beautiful and unimaginably quick. The 440 bhp engine is sourced from General Motors, which is odd considering the name Perana is an ode to the famous Basil Green Motors, who were known for their old Ford modded 'Perana's'. Capable of a sub-four-second sprint in a straight line, the Z-One is also surprisingly agile around the hairpins thanks to the lightweight aluminium engine, balanced weight distribution and clever limited-slip differential.

The fanfare that the Perana One-Z created at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show was the nod of approval for the 999 units that were to be manufactured in a limited production run. However, due to the global recession and unanticipated increased production costs, the Z-One stalled. Although the Z-One did find a viable partner in Superformance, the car was rebranded and the power clipped to curb production costs. Even though the Z-One is now the AC 378 Zagato G.T., the speed demon still retains its South African touch and was still manufactured in Port Elizabeth.

The OE Joule:

In 2005 a small South African company called Optimal Energy, that employed roughly 120 people at its peak took on the monumental challenge of bringing affordable electric cars to the average consumer. A challenge that still eluded (and in some ways, still has) the big names of automotive manufacturing in the early 2000s and in a time where the words' electric' and 'engine' put in a sentence was still deemed blasphemous. The first concept, the OE Joule, that stunned the 2008 Paris Motor Show was wholly a South African effort.

CEO of Optimal Energy, Kobus Meiring, was the project head of the updated Denel Rooivark attack helicopter that's seen service in various peacekeeping operations on the continent. The designer of the OE Joule is none other than Durban-born Keith Helfet, the artist behind the elegant lines of the Jaguar XJ220 and F-Type concept. The technology that powered the Joule was built in conjunction with the CSIR and with South African developed lithium-battery patents. The commercial-test fleet was created in partnership with Hi-Tech Automotive. The factory that assembled the Joule is located a stone's throw away from the same factories that roll out V.W. Polo's and Ford Rangers - Port Elizabeth.

The OE Joule was a distinctively large and spacious 5-seater (initially 6) lithium-battery powered, plug-in electric car. It looks like the Fiat Multipla's uglier cousin, but it has a lovable ugliness that you want with a family-sized SUV or dog. The https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/print ... 10-03specs of the Joule[/color] is the astonishing part of this South African creation. A governed top speed of 135 km/h and 0-100 in a purported sub-five second time! The official range of 150 km and recharge time of 10-12 hours, considering the technological level of E.V. cars at the time, was an extraordinary achievement.

However, just for some added perspective;

It took the industrial might of Nissan until 2010 to introduce the lithium-battery powered Leaf, which is the best-selling and most affordable highway-capable electric car to-date. The small 5-door hatchback is capable of attaining a top speed of 150 km/h and 0-100 km/h in 9.9 seconds. The 2019 62kWh model has an estimated 11.5 hour full recharge time and a driving range of 160km (although U.S. regulatory bodies have officially stated 117 km). Those headline figures contributed towards the Nissan Leaf attaining the highest accolades in the automotive industry; the 2010 Green Car Vision Award, 2011 European Car Of The Year, 2011 World Car Of The Year, the list goes on.

With the success of the Leaf, you can't help but imagine the possibilities of what the Joule could have achieved if Optimal Energy had not closed shop in 2010. What could've been the ultimate South African showdown between the turncoat Elon Musk's Tesla and the Joule - the modern age Botha Vs Tyson?

But the brief and promising story of Optimal Energy has the same sad ending. Although the Joule was primarily funded through the state-administered Industrial Development Corporation, support among the bureaucracy was strong with R150 million going towards the project. Among the most vocal of supporters was at cabinet level with then Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena. An industrial action policy was in the works which would prioritize the Joule as a project of national interest - an incredible boost to homegrown innovation. However, the political shake-up of the Zuma-tenure had removed a large chunk of campaigners within the Trade and Industry ministry. Minister Mangena had resigned following Thabo Mbeki's recall. The promised policy action had stalled for two-years and eventually forgotten. The final hurdle of commercialization was a step too far for government financiers, and without government backing, local venture capital and private interest dried up.

An Opportunity Wasted?

South Africa has always been the traditional leader in car manufacturing on the African continent and with its rapid urbanization, its still Africa's most sought after market for car sales. Up until 2012, South Africa was by far the largest car manufacturer on the continent and ranking amongst the giants in the northern hemisphere. Exporting 600,000 cars annually with ease and expecting to reach the significant 1 million production milestone by 2020.

With favourable market access across the SADC and the European Trading Bloc, low labour costs, world-class infrastructure and a history of automotive expertise, South Africa is a highly attractive location for the global marquees. The BMW Rosslyn plant (which was the first BMW factory outside of Europe) has been the home of the BMW 3-Series flagship for years. The Mercedes-Benz plant in East-London is the home of the C-Class. Nissan, Fiat, Chrysler, Honda, Ford, Toyota can all be found on South African soil. The sheer amount of automotive companies and component manufacturers downstream like Arvin Exhaust and Bloxwich is equally exhaustive. Despite all of this, our African peers are leaving us behind.

Morocco has begun to usurp the throne of being the largest car manufacturer in Africa, and recent multi-billion dollar deals with Renault have affirmed the country's future dominance. Also, the cherry on top, Morocco has developed and manufactured their own luxury saloon and hyper-performance cars, like the 1000 hp Laraki Epitome, offering a local alternative to the German brands. Across the African continent, countries are designing and building vehicles for their citizens, by their citizens. What initially started as a student group project, Uganda's very own Kiira EV cars have gone into full production since 2018. Nigeria's affordable Innoson cars, Ghana's Katanka Automotive Manufacturer and Mobius in Kenya.

The failure of homegrown projects like the Joule and the frustration around political shortsightedness has left us playing catch up. As https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/e ... 31580Kobus Meiring said[/color], "Hyundai and Kia were nowhere 20 years ago and are now one of the fastest-growing brands and in some countries one of the biggest marques. Nationally you have to have the will to make this happen,". Comparable developing economies like the South East Asian tiger countries who entered the motor manufacturing market have still retained and nurtured their own brand, shows it can be done.

Current economic conditions are bleak and are looking to remain pessimistic for the foreseeable future. The local motor manufacturing sector shares that picture. Unless there is some radical change in our fortunes, it seems South Africa will remain a source of cheap labour and manufacturing material of other countries ideas.
Kurt #3337

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