BYD launches low-cost ‘Dolphin Surf' EV in Europe
The car will sell at three price points, from €22,990 (R46, 129) for a 322km range to €24,990 (R506,508) for a 507km range.
Until the end of June, the three versions will be available at a discounted price of €19,990 to €24,990 (R405,196 to R506,546), sales chief Patrick Schulz announced on Wednesday.
The car piles pressure on Europe's carmakers to offer more affordable electric alternatives, with cost a major barrier to wider adoption of electric cars.
While only a handful of models, such as the Dacia Spring or Leapmotor's T03, exist in Europe for under €20,000 (R405,399), 11 new models priced under €25,000 (R506,749) will go on sale on the continent this year, including Volkswagen's ID.2, the Renault R5, the Fiat Grand Panda and the Hyundai Inster.
"The compact segment is the next frontier for electrification in Europe," Maria Grazia Davino, regional managing director for markets including Germany, said in Berlin.
"We think this market has huge potential."
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The Citizen
15 hours ago
- The Citizen
East London wreaks havoc with National Extreme Festival
Early morning wet weather resulted in changeable conditions that saw a series of accidents involving multiple red flags in the various categories. Julian van der Watt took his works Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI to victory in Saturday's opening South African Touring Car race. Photograph: Brandsponential. Adverse weather conditions played havoc with round five of the National Extreme Festival Presented By Coca-Cola at the East London Grand Prix circuit on Saturday. Programme rescheduled Rain overnight and into the early morning left the circuit sodden, with little rivers running over some of the fastest parts. Following no less than two massive accidents in early morning qualifying that requires tyre barriers to be rebuilt, racing only commenced in the early afternoon, forcing the organisers to cut the programme drastically. ALSO READ: National Extreme Festival gives the Zwartkops faithful their wish At the centre of this was the complete cancellation of both SunBet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters races, a reduction in lap count to eight for all the other classes, and a single 'long' race over 12 laps for the Toyota GR Cup. Eventually, with the weather cleared and the track repaired, the event got underway, producing some excellent racing. Touring Cars Premier billing went to the South African Touring Car category, with the day's opening race providing a one-two finish for the works Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI entries of Julian van der Watt and Jagger Robertson. Nathi Msimanga took the final podium place in a rather battered Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla after a crash in practice, leading home Andrew Schofield (Safair BMW 128it), Michael van Rooyen (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla) and Saood Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla). Keegan Campos (Campos Transport BMW 128it) fought with the leaders until the pit straight of the final lap, where his car cut out. Campos heroically pushed it the last 200 metres to the flag, to clinch seventh place championship points. Starting from an inverted grid, van Rooyen led race two all the way, though behind, a mid-race clash between Msimanga and Robertson in the tight complex section prevented another Volkswagen 1-2 finish. Van der Watt was, therefore, second ahead of Schofield, Msimanga, Variawa and a less than pleased Robertson. Not taking the grid was the privateer Toyota Corolla of Siyabonga Mankonkwana after a monstrous accident in the complex in race one that completely destroyed the car, without any harm to the driver. SupaCup Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Genuine Parts SupaPolo) won the opening SupaCup category from Tate Bishop (ANGRI Volkswagen SupaPolo), Dylan Pragji (Styling Auto Volkswagen SupaPolo), Jason Loosemore (Volkswagen Genuine Parts SupaPolo) and Dawie van der Merwe (Toyota Gazoo Racing SupaStarlet). Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Genuine Parts SupaPolo) won both SupaCup races. Photograph: Brandsponential. Mogotsi took race two as well, leading home Bishop, Loosemore, Pragji and Nicolaos Vostanis (Campos Transport SupaPolo). Polo Cup Bradley Liebenberg returned to the Astron Energy Polo Cup arena in an unsponsored Polo, and won race one by a narrow margin from Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5). Bradley Liebenberg returned to the Astron Energy Polo Cup arena on Saturday, and won the race. Brandsponential. They were chased to the flag by Judd Bertholdt (Rookie Cup), Rory Atkinson (Industry Petroleum) and lady racer Tyler Robinson (AF Fans). 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ALSO READ: National Extreme Festival gives it its all at Aldo Scribante
Mail & Guardian
2 days ago
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Omoda C9 PHEV: Best plug-in hybrid under R1m
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The Mail & Guardian had the Omoda C9 on test for the week. Omoda is meant to be the luxury arm of Chery, so when you get one, you know that you are in for some amazing technology and brilliant features. To start off, while there are door handles, there's also a button that opens your door. This button was convenient and gave me a smooth feeling when doing something as simple as opening the car door. Then, Omoda takes keyless entry to a new level in this vehicle. There is no stop-start button. Just jump into the vehicle with your key, put your seatbelt on and you are ready to move wherever you need to. The car will not move unless you have your seatbelt on. I've only ever seen this with flagship Volvo models. Omoda is known for its bold exterior and luxurious interior and the C9 does not disappoint. The exterior features an eye-catching diamond-shaped grille, daytime running lights, and LED head- and tail-lights. The C9 PHEV boasts 20-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof and privacy glass for the second row. Red-painted brake callipers hint at sportiness, underscoring the C9 PHEV's performance capabilities. The finely stitched leather seats are extremely comfortable for both front and back seat passengers. The ambient lighting adds an extra dimension to the vehicle as the thin light strip moves above and below the dashboard all around the vehicle to the rear doors. The interior also features dual 12.3-inch digital displays with one being the instrument cluster and the other being the infotainment screen. I really love when manufacturers aim to give back seat passengers just as much of an experience as the driver and front seat passenger and Omoda does just that. The back seats recline electronically, passengers have their own climate controls and the seats are also heated. It was just perfect for the terrible Gauteng cold that were experiencing. Besides that, the back seats are also spacious and can comfortably fit three adults. When it comes to driving, Omoda pairs a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with three electric motors that deliver 440kW of power and 915Nm of torque. That amount of power is actually very scary, but also very necessary when you need those quick overtakes. The vehicle moves smoothly when these electric motors and the engine work together. It provides silence to match the comfort that you feel on the inside. You can choose to drive the vehicle as a hybrid or in full electric mode. The Omoda C9 PHEV has a 34.5kWh battery that provides up to 150km of full electric range. The 65-litre petrol tank and 34.5kWh battery deliver just as promised. This makes the C9 PHEV amazing. Omoda claims that you can get 1 100km of driving on a full tank and full charge and, if you are charging up your battery more regularly, you could even get much more than the claimed figure on your fuel tank. 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The Herald
3 days ago
- The Herald
VW's Kariega plant celebrates a strong year as the ‘Home of Polo'
Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has celebrated one year since it became the German brand's sole exporter of the Polo for left- and right-hand drive European and Asia-Pacific markets. The hatchback has been built at the Kariega plant since 1996 and the Polo Vivo since 2010, but the Eastern Cape factory only became the self-proclaimed 'home of Polo' on July 1 2024, said Ulrich Schwabe, production director at VWGA. 'The Polo is unquestionably an icon, and we are proud to call Plant Kariega its home,' said Schwabe. 'Our first year as the sole exporter of the Polo was certainly strong, and we plan to build on the foundation of the success continuously and consistently with the Polo, Vivo and our upcoming third model, the Tengo.' The Polo was South Africa's most exported vehicle in 2024 and accounts for 88% of exported vehicles through the Gqeberha port, said VW. Between July 2024 and June 2025, 119,336 Polos were exported from Kariega to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Of these, the biggest receivers of Polos are Germany, France and the UK. A record 167,084 vehicles were built in Kariega in 2024, of which 131,485 units were Polos for export, and 35,599 vehicles were Polos and Polo Vivos for the local market. A record-breaking 13,930 Polos were built in October 2024 alone. The Polo was the seventh best-selling passenger car in the local market last year, with 12,253 units. In April-May, VWGA shut the Kariega plant for four weeks in preparation for the Tengo model that will be assembled and sold in SA from 2027. Volkswagen announced in early 2024 it would build the small SUV as a third model at the factory alongside the Polo and Polo Vivo in a R4bn investment.
