1 EDITOR’ S LETTER Decoding Chinese auto subsidies
3. THE PHOENIX Reconsidering the car as a cultural activity
4. INDUSTRY INSIGHT How Suzuki became Japan’ s second biggest automaker
6. ILLUMINATION AFTERMARKET LED light bars and spots have transformed 4x4 safety
10. ICE AWARD Horse Powertrain wins big with hybrid petrol engine tech
12. AUTOMOTIVE E-FRANCHISING Digital platforms for your e-commerce auto aftermarket business
14. FRANCHISE INSIGHT Understanding the future of digital automotive franchising
16 & 17 NEW HILUX ANALYSIS
6 Everything you need to know about 25
SA’ s most popular vehicle
18. TYRE & FITMENT INDUSTRY An iconic local brand now belongs to the Japanese
20. EV CHARGING INDUSTRY Stellenbosch start-up secures R50 million funding round
22. ISUZU’ S BIG D-MAX INVESTMENT Supplier development funding of R510 million into the Eastern Cape
24. AUTO STEEL SUPPLY What does steel disruption mean for local gear and axle makers?
26 & 27 EXPLORING SOFTWARE DEFINED VEHICLES Why the transition from legacy to advanced auto design is so challenging
28. CHINA’ S TECH SUPERPOWER Exploring the standardisation organisation helping Chinese OEMs
30 F1 INSIGHT The Ferrari / Lewis Hamilton partnership: A branding success story
34 NEW MODELS Insights on the latest vehicles from Changan, Omoda, Lepas and Ford
36 F1 HISTORY From Alfa Romeo apprentice to F1 Immortality
38 AFTERMARKET CLASSICS An entrepreneurial Johannesburg teenager goes classic to fund her future
40 & 41 INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY Will a small incentive finally create local battery pack manufacturing?
42 & 43 ABR RACING A new team member and a venture into time attack racing
44 RETHINKING REMANUFACTURING Upcycling profit opportunities in an underappreciated market
48 ROAD ACCIDENT FUND LEVIES Reconsidering South Africa’ s thirdparty auto insurance issue
50 REMEMBERING ANDRÉ DE KOCK We pay homage to South Africa’ s most legendary motorsport writer
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Director Richard Laskey Roxanne Martin |
Editors at Large Lance Branquinho lance @ abrbuzz. co. za |
Managing Executive Sales Judith Van Tonder judith @ abrbuzz. co. za |
Photographs All Photographs are the property of Litage Publishing |
Graphic Designer NOvate |
Photo Credits Quickpic Freepik Motorpress |
Disclaimer: The publisher and contributors have done their best to ensure the accuracy of the articles and cannot accept responsibility for any loss or inconvenience sustained by any reader as a result of information or advice in Automotive Business Review. The information and opinions expressed in this publication are provided in good faith and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the publisher. No article may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission from the publisher, except for the quotation of brief passages in reviews.
WORDS IN ACTION 2 JUNE 2026