SOPHISTICATED: Chery SA introduces an entirely new brand called Jaecoo

By Ali Mphaki

It’s a new year and of new resolutions and along  with it Chery SA introduces an entirely new brand called Jaecoo. Traffic lights are all green for the Chery brand in 2024 -celebrating two years in SA   with the company revving up to unveil plug-in hybrid variants of its Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro.

The new Omoda flagship, the C9, will be launched in the first quarter and, somewhere along the line, Chery SA’s first battery-electric vehicle, the Omoda E5, will be unveiled.

Before we get carried away, the source of this article is Jaecoo, the newly established urban off-road SUV marque and second brand from OMODA&JAECOO,its first model.

Jaecoo  made its global debut at Auto Shanghai 2023 in China as recently as April, when it was announced as an independent brand with a focus on urban off-road SUVs and a fitting brand slogan of “From Classic, Beyond Classic”.

The name Jaecoo is inspired by a fusion of the German word “Jäger” for hunter and the English word “Cool.”

This melding, according to the manufacturer, captures both off-road and urbanism while exuding a refined style and quality that imparts a mission of brave exploration and unwavering perseverance.

Making its debut on SA soil in the first quarter is the J7,what you may call Jaecoo 7, an urban off-road SUV endowed with Jaecoo’s intelligent off-roading system, boasting as many as 7 drive modes, allowing it to adapt to a wide variety of terrains.

The J7’s distinctive exterior styling is a mix of classic aesthetics and cutting-edge design, including a matrix-style grille, slim LED headlights and elegant flush door handles. The sleekly styled urban off-road SUV is equipped with a minimalistic yet luxurious interior, including a vast 24.6-inch screen.

Product rollout in South Africa will commence with the eagerly anticipated J7 early in 2024 and there’s plenty more to come from the brand.

MOTORING:

Briefs

DR MAHLANGU’S BMW

RETURNS

Globally renowned, BMW will be presenting one of the most iconic art cars in history, courtesy of Dr. Esther Mahlangu. The Cape Town display will also feature a retrospective of the famed Ndebele artist’s art and life. Here are the details ahead of its arrival.

Running from  February 18 to the 11th of August 2024, the exhibition curated by Nontobeko Ntombela showcases Mahlangu’s career spanning over 50 years, emphasizing her global recognition as a contemporary artist.

Central to the exhibit is Mahlangu’s iconic BMW 525i Art Car, making its return to South Africa after over 30 years.

PORSCHE MACAN ELECTRIC

The electric Porsche Macan – Porsche’s second EV following the Tyacan – will officially debut on 25 January 2024.  Porsche dipped its toe in to the electric car market with the Porsche Taycan, delivering a sort of electric Panamera to market – and it’s been something of a success.

Well, it’s a success in terms of how it’s been received, although there seem to be an awful lot of used Taycans floating around, and at prices that will make owners who bought new weep.

Next up in Porsche’s EV journey is the electric Porsche Macan, which was confirmed as far back as 2017 but, thanks to software issues at VW, has been put back considerably, but now Porsche has finally announced the new Macan EV will debut on 25 January.

DEFENDER OF COMFORT

Of the Defenders sold in South Africa between November 2022 and September 2023, 89 per cent were specified with the optional Comfort and Convenience Pack.

This adds premium cabin lighting with 10 configurable settings to suit mood and driving conditions. Also included is a front centre console refrigerator to keep drinks chilled on every adventure, as well as wireless device charging for powering mobile devices as you rove the land.

Comfort also ranks high among family-oriented client evident in the popularity of the Family Pack, which includes Air Purification Plus – one of the most sophisticated interior air quality technologies – that promotes wellbeing through improved air quality while heightening driver alertness by monitoring and controlling CO2 levels inside the vehicle.

LAMBO SETS NEW RECORD

Lamborghini sold more than 10,000 cars in 2023, clocking a 10% increase over 2022 and beating its record for the third year in a row.

The Italian firm delivered 10,112 cars worldwide last year, a 10% hike on the 9233 that it produced in the previous year, which was itself a 10% increase over 2021.

CEO Stephan Winkelmann said it was “a true source of pride to have surpassed the 10,000-car delivery mark” for the first time, but added: “We’re not stopping at single milestones and we’re ready to take on more exciting new challenges in 2024.”

As has been the case since it arrived in 2018, the Urus SUV was Lamborghini’s best-seller last year, accounting for nearly two thirds of output at Sant’Agata, with 6087 units sold globally.

ONE MORE THING…

A GANG of criminals stole a £30,000 Toyota using a sneaky car theft method branded “headlight hacking”. Shocking footage shows two balaclava-wearing thieves unscrewing the left headlight of Kaye Milne’s motor in Dartford, Kent, earlier this month.

After removing the bulb the crooks accessed the 2021-make C-HR’s computer system by plugging in a dark web device disguised as a Bluetooth speaker. The tiny computer replicates the car’s key fob and sends validation signals to a sensor responsible for unlocking the car.

It allows the duo to start up the motor and drive off in just 127 seconds – although similar “hack and dash” attacks have taken less than a minute.

It has stoked fears of thousands of copycat attacks around the UK using the security flaw.The Sun UK