In this week's news you need to know: Lambobegrudgingly plans an EV future, BMW may messwith the proven 2 Series recipe and has pooledoptions from its parts bin to deliver theX3 Mzansi Edition, while the South Africangovernment is finally mullinga strategy to make the country ready to produceEVs.

Lamborghini must gofull EV… or suffer the fate of the T-rex

For a while, all weheard about wasOEMs announcing their plans to "go electric".One OEM has lurked in the shadows, but let's face it, it's now or never. Might it be too late for VW Groupvanity brandLamborghini?There has been speculation about the Italian marque's sustainability;I guess Stephan Winkelmann has to grabthe bull by the horns to getthe brand in shape for anEV future.

Read more:Lamborghini Joins Electric Party

The Sián hybrid (technically an Aventador SVJ with an electric motor strapped to the front) might have been the first attempt, but this timewe’re talking about abattery-electric Lamborghini, which is quite aquantum leap for a brand whose major drawcards have beenthe maniacal wails emittedby V10 or V12 engines. Will current Aventador and Huracan owners be trading in their carsin 5 years? I doubt it.

BMW 2 Series tease – Keeping the legacy going

Of late, the revered Bavarian brand has been toying with the emotions of its fans. Let me just remind you of the tall kidney-grille debate (you remember that, don’t you?)and transforming the 1 Series into a front-wheel-drive runabout. Purists were aghast! Now there are murmurs BMW will soon be at itagain. Altering DNA is usuallyconsidered sacrilege, but BMW seems to believe that it is quite necessary.

Read more:New BMW 2 Series Teased

If you consider the ways in which BMW's M cars have evolved, not everything about them has progressed… All the models now accelerate faster and cornerwith greater alacrity than before, but at what cost?The contemporary M5 is so crammed withtech, it's become less of a driver’s carand there are dissenting voices that say the same about the new M3 and M4; they're astonishingly fast, but what's happened to the rawdriver engagement that made the earlygenerations of the brand's iconic sportscars so visceral– if somewhat demanding or challenging –to driveat the limit (and beyond)?

In the meantime, the M2 and its derivatives were delights; they seemed infused with BMW's original driver's car DNA and were fun-to-drive, rear-wheel-drive machines that enhanced the connection between man, machine and terra firma. They made performance-caraficionados seea glimmer of hope in BMW’s future, which is why every available unit of the M2 CS was so eagerly snapped up.

BMW would be silly not to push “ctrl copy and ctrl paste” on that plan with the next2 Series Coupe. Please, BMW, don't overcook this one.

BMW X3 Mzansi Edition–Is local lekker?

BMW SA is renowned for producing one-off localised variants unique to the localmarket. Perhaps the firmpeaked with the E30 333i and 325iS30 years ago, because its recent attempts have fallen rather shy of those boxy ol' Bimmers.Extending the product lifecycle of a model(a pre-facelift X3) to squeezeout an extra bit of profit is quite different to offering consumers atruly unique derivative or variant.

Read more:BMW X3 Mzansi Edition (2021) Specs and Price

The recent 330is Edition was notmuch more thana generously specified G20-generation 330iand now the X3 Mzansi Edition has arrived, also at a premium price, of course. Instead of riding on the coattails of past success and exploiting South Africans' enduring love affair with the brand, why not review the reasonswhy the 333i and 325iS were so successful? Improvisation andgenuine exclusivity.

The Green Paper on EV transformation – Late to the party

As the name “Green Paper” suggests, South Africa is late to the EV party;our policies are still in the incubation phase, perhaps understandably,because wehave pressing social issues that requiremore of the government's attention. Expecting the government to facilitate the expansion of infrastructure to help our motor industry graduallytransformfrom one focused on ICEto electric vehicles is foolhardy ifour nation's leadership cannot even get the basic supply of electricity sorted out (using carbon-heavy electricity generation, no less). Heck, talk aboutputting the cart before the horse!

The government should rather focus on macro strategies to alleviate the costs of EVs through tax levers, such as relaxing excise duties, implementing rebates, but most importantly, letting the private sector drive the change. In America, for the first 250 000 EVssold by a manufacturer, American consumers get a $7 500 rebate on those units' purchase prices.They’re even increasing that to 400kunits.

That's madea huge difference in the uptake of EVs. They’ve also squeezed VW for "Dieselgate"with the Electrify America campaign toboostinfrastructure across the nation. China led the way with policy, through encouraging banks to lend to EV capital development as well as cities like Beijing only allowing ICE vehicles to operate at certain hours (guess it’s easier when policy is driven by communism).

Read more:SA Planning Local Electric Vehicle Production

Africa has to been known to fall foul of corruption (sadly, more so than in Europe, China and America), which will inevitably find its way into this equation and slowdown our progress. Luckily for us, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel– we can pick and choose the best mechanisms that 1st-world nations have successfully employedand drive those in SA to speed up EV transformation. Easier said than done, though.