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FERRARI filled the top three places on the timing screens in F1’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, as the sport looked to the future with grand prix veterans and newcomers starting work with new employers. Carlos Sainz was quickest for Ferrari ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, with both race regulars taking turns in the one F1-75 car and focusing on Pirelli’s 2023 tyres.

Israeli test driver Robert Shwartzman was third fastest in the other Ferrari and did 116 laps. Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso, 41, made his track debut with Aston Martin after leaving Renault-owned Alpine. | Reuters

Iconic

LATELY, there have been whispers about whether the Volkswagen Golf would live to see another generation, but now it seems the iconic nameplate does have a future, albeit as an electric car.

Speaking to Autocar recently, Volkswagen’s global boss Thomas Schäfer said some of the older and more iconic nameplates, like Golf and GTI, would live on. “It would be crazy to let them die and slip away. We will stick with the ID logic but iconic models will carry a name,” Schäfer said. He said the company might have something along the lines of an ID Golf, but added: “We would not let go of the Golf name, no way.”

Repo rate

SOME good news. Cars are looking set to become more affordable in South Africa in the next few years as global economies recover from the effects of the pandemic, says WesBank CEO Ghana Msibi.

“As the South African GDP continues to take strain and our inflationary forecast sees two interest rate increases within the next six months, we believe the situation will begin to improve with decreases in the repo rate and that the economy will normalise in 2024,” Msibi said.

He said shortages of certain automotive components should improve in the medium term and the global logistical turmoil should ease, leading to lower shipping costs. | IOL Motoring

EV investment

MAZDA is set to invest about 1.5 trillion yen (R183 billion) to electrify its vehicles, including boosting production of battery EVs, in a three-phase approach to help it flexibly address electrification by 2030. In the first phase, the carmaker will make use of its technology assets comprising multiple electrification technologies to achieve both a reduction in environmental footprint and produce attractive products. In the second phase, Mazda will introduce a new hybrid system and launch battery EV vehicles globally. In the third phase, it will promote the full-fledged launch of battery EVs and consider investing in battery production. | Reuters

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2022-11-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

http://independentonsaturday.pressreader.com/article/281968906696641

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