In this week’s automotive news you need to know: Toyota clearly has excess GR Sport badges in stock, BMW plans to bring a ‘proper electric car’ to South Africa, Haval creates more interest with its new family SUV and Audi makes friends withvegans – again.

Toyota Fortuner GR Sport – King of the road gets his crown

It seems there is a GR Sport derivative of every Toyota model these days (recently, the Land Cruiser 300 got one). Yes, I have been applauding Toyota for liberallysprinklingits sportscars or hatchbacks with Gazoo Racing (GR) fairy dust, plusGR Sport is essentially a styling kit andmust not be confused with a pukka GR model. However,the danger of badge saturation is ever-present when branding is applied purely to maximiseprofits through product life-cycle extension and upselling. Rareness and desirability factors determine carvalues, so if everything has “GR badging”…uniqueness goes out the window.

Read more:Toyota Fortuner GR Sport Coming to SA?

Toyota has, however, held the “King of the Road”title with the award-winning Fortuner in South Africa; the Prospecton-based firm has sold around 1 000 units per month since the model’s introduction in 2006. I’ll do the math for you. That’s roughly 180 000 Fortuners that have graced South Africanroads, many of them filled with kiddies and towingtrailers to holiday destinations. Do you see the merit in the business case?! Even if Toyota is waryof possiblebadge saturation, money talks and thefirm won’t missout on this golden opportunity to cash in on a “hotter-looking”variant of its golden child.Ka-ching!

BMW iX3 – Green shoots

Considering that the local automotive industry is a major contributor to the South African manufacturing sector, the BMW iX3’s arrival onour shores early in 2022 could be game-changingin manyways. Firstly, with all due respect to the pioneering roles of the i3, the discontinuedi8and even the Mini Cooper SE (and however many petrol-electric derivatives BMW SA has sold so far), the iX3 will be the first battery-electric family vehiclethat the Bavarian marque introduces in Mzansi. Given Audi,Mercedes-Benz and other brands have also pledged to add a number of EVs to the local new-vehicle market soon, something tells me EVs are going to become notably more viable next year, hopefully through cooperation between the OEMs, help from the private sectorand (let’s hope) concessions from Government.

Read more:2022 BMW iX3 Confirmed for SA in 2022

After Covid-19’scrippling effects on the global economy, moments like these are pivotal forour motor industry. Secondly,seeing asthe current combustion variant of the X3 executive SUV is produced at BMW Group Plant Rosslyn, the real opportunity with the iX3 would be to produceit in South Africa. This could be the type of transition of ICE-to-EV production that could set a trend for our local producers and be the green shoot we need, causing other manufacturers to follow suit. Sure, there’s a lot that needs to happen between that moment and now, but these types of blips on the radar are what we need.

Haval Shenshou – The Midas touch

The Chinese invasion (or takeover, if you’reaffiliated with a struggling vehicle importerin South Africa)marches on. Despite marketing material for the “Mythical Beast” (which iswhatShenshoumeans) statingthe newcomer is for China only, when there’s something we can’t have… we want it even more. It’s only a matter of time before this– essentially the H6’s bigger brother (or perhapsa successor to the H9) is made available locally, undercuts anything the competition has to offer and out-specs premium cars. It’sfurther validation thatHaval has global aspirations. We’ve watched this movie before!

Read more:Haval reveals Shenshou – the H6’s bigger brother

I’m all for a bit of extra competition in the new-vehicle market, especially if it obligateswell-established manufacturers and importers to improve their value offerings. Rising priceshavedealt affordability a body blow in a country in which household incomes cannot keep track with inflation. A weakexchange rate, rising input costs, troubled labour relations etc… you’ve heard all the reasons before, but a little shakeup is welcomeif it benefits consumers. With Chery introducing intriguing new offerings in the next month, the great Chinese, um, takeover is one to watch. Best youbrush up on that Mandarin, folks.

Audi Skysphere – Greta gets a new ride

One can’t help but smile at how excitablethe automotiveindustry is at present. Manufacturers are scrambling to appease the minorities… while trying to cater for everyone!If there’s something I’ve learnt in life and that is you can’t please them all. Audi’s latest concept, the Skysphere, is a perfect example of that. It’s kind of Greta Thunberg meets retro throwback meets the future, including (sigh) vegan leather.

Read more:Skysphere could be the future of the Audi R8

Manufacturers love virtue-signalling through their latest concept vehicles (I mean, there’s no point in whispering or humbly suggesting when you mount your proverbial soapbox, is there?). Mercifully, these fanciful 4-wheeled design studies seldom make it onto our roads, they merely foreshadow what the future holds. Be warned, however: You’re not going to please everyone and, at some point, you’ll have to pick a lane and stick to it. Sooner or later, someone will complain about the way the sun reflects off the paintwork and claim rogue beams could cause forest fires if they hit dry undergrowth at just the wrong angle.

“How dare you?”. How indeed, Greta… how indeed.