26 JUNIE

A POPULAR BUY: Schonenberg Estate in Somerset West is popular with Gauteng families moving to Cape Town. READ MORE ON PAGE 12

BUILDINGTRENDS:SAVING ENERGYANDWATERNOWTOP PRIORITY

Homeownersopt for ecofriendly living

DALEEN FOUCH

A growing trend to transform

houses into more energy-effi-

cient and eco-friendly living

spaces is gaining momentum in

the Helderberg and Boland.

A local builder working in Hel-

derberg, Boland andOverberg says

more and more homeowners

choose to install energy-saving sys-

tems when they are building new

homes or making big renovations

to their current home.

He says the more popular strate-

gies to make a house energy effi-

cient, are to install solar geysers

and to use thicker glass for win-

dows.This trend is strengthenedby

the new Energy Efficiency (EE)

building regulations of 2011 that

makes certain energy-saving sys-

tems compulsory for new build-

ings.

A less-knownmeasure to save on

energy that is gaining popularity is

to use thicker walls to regulate the

temperature of the house.

Water-saving systems are also

making inroads to the building in-

dustry.He saysmanyhomeowners

who do big renovations choose to

install a grey-water system which

recycles household water to the

garden.

Andries Basson, committee

member for the Sectional Title As-

sociation of Somerset West (Stas-

west), says there is a growing inter-

est by sectional-title owners to im-

prove the energy use in their

homes.

He says especially with the pros-

pect of load shedding and the in-

creasing cost of electricity, more

owners are opting for solar geysers

and other alternative sources of

electricity.

Basson, however, says the sec-

tional-title owner has a bit more of

a challenge when installing these

systems than single residential

homeowners. He explains that any

system that can not be fitted into

a unit, has to be placed on the com-

mon land which is also an extra re-

sponsibility for the body corporate.

Basson says more body corpo-

rates are investigating these op-

tions to make it possible. The op-

tions to use solar energy to light

common areas and to power the se-

curity gates are also becoming

more prevalent.

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Luxuryestate launched in style

The launch of Willowbrook

Estate was held at Willow-

brook Lodge onWednesday 18

June to present the luxury de-

velopment to the market.

During the planning phase of

the development Harcourts Plat-

inum received strong enquiry

from the marketplace on the de-

velopment.

The launch was the ideal occa-

sion to present the final develop-

ment product to interested par-

ties.

The five luxury homes, de-

signed by architect Abrie Jor-

daan,havebeendesigned tomax-

imise the setting and the views,

whilst at the same time creating

maximum privacy for the resi-

dents. All the homes will be built

to the exacting standards that

Hengrave Estates is known for,

butwitharangeof revolutionary

features never before seen in the

Helderberg basin.

A luxury development of this

nature needs a fitting launch to

set the tone of the estate. As part

of the Luxury Property Selection

marketing that Harcourts Plati-

numwill use tomarket the devel-

opment, the launch provided the

ideal platform for purchasers

and development partners to dis-

cuss the development, the site,

and the design with interested

parties.

Wewereverypleasedwiththe

attendance at the event and

weve received excellent feed-

back from the market. Demand

in the development is strong and

we are expecting to convert this

interest into sales, says Cara-

doc-Davies, principal of Har-

courts Platinum.

From left is Steve Caradoc-Davies (Harcourts Platinum), David Kain (Devel-

oper of Willowbrook Estate - Hengrave Estates), Garth Uys (Harcourts Plati-

num), Nicholas Bone (Developer of Willowbrook Estates - Hengrave Estates)

and Jason Hutton (Harcourts Platinum).

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HELDERBERG

021 841 4285 021 887 2840 021 870 4600

SOLD is die mees koste-effektiewe ho-impak keuse vir die bemarking van eiendom in die Boland

Biggest and Best Property Guide in the Boland

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Whatkindofmarket

arewe in?

Theresbeenafairbit inthepress latelyabout

our changing market. There is no doubt that

thingshave changed in the past ninemonths.

But according to our research the current

Helderberg market is different to growing

markets of times past.

There are three kinds ofmarkets: a Buyers

Market, where there are more

sellers than buyers a Sellers

Market, where there are more

buyers than sellers and a Bal-

ancedMarket, where there are

equal numbers of buyers and

sellers.

The first thing to appreciate

is that the property market,

like all markets, reacts to sup-

plyanddemand.Whendemand

is low and supply increases,

then prices drop. When de-

mand is strong and stock levels

decrease, then prices increase.

From 2008 to 2011 we saw a

dramatic increase in the quan-

tity of properties available, as themarket be-

came flooded due to owners inability to af-

ford their repayments. Buyer numbers were

very limited as banks declined about 60% of

all bond applications, and were giving rela-

tively low loan-to-value loans. Buyers simply

didnt have the cash required to make up the

difference.Theresultwasthepropertyvalues

dropped, in some cases by up to 35%.

From 2012 we have seen a steady increase

in bank lending,withmore purchasers being

able to obtainhomeloan finance.An increase

in sales has lead to a decrease in supply. A

fewyears ago therewere approximately 1 000

properties on the market in Somerset West.

Now, there are less than 500. The increased

demand and reduced supply means there is

upward pressure on prices.

But, intheHelderbergarea, thereisadiffer-

ence this timeoverpreviousmarkets, at least

in my 25 years of real estate. The difference

is that this time we have all three kinds of

markets at the same time, but in different

market segments.

Our research shows that in the price range

up to approximately R2 750 000 there is a

shortage of listings, and a

strong supply of buyers. This

means that this market seg-

ment is currentlyaSellersMar-

ket with good upward pres-

sure on prices. Buyers have to

compete strongly to secure a

property.

In the market segment be-

tween R2 750 000 and R5 000 000

thereareequalnumbersofbuy-

ers and sellers a Balanced

Market. This means that sales

are taking place at a good rate,

but there is not as much up-

wards pressure on prices as

buyers still have a range of list-

ings to choose from. We may see this change

soon as listing numbers reduce and well

keep our eye on this segment.

InthepricerangeaboveR5 000 000thereare

still relativelyhigherstock levels incompari-

son to the numbers of buyers. So this market

segment, at least in the Helderberg market,

is currently still a Buyers Market. That

doesnt mean prices are falling here in fact

they are growing at a healthy pace. But what

it does mean is that there are more listings

than buyers here, and sellers need to price

more competitively to attract interest and se-

cure a sale.

It must be said though that, in anymarket,

a property that is correctly priced and well

marketed will sell at market value. The good

news is that, across all market segments,

there is healthy growth.

Talking Property with

Steve Caradoc-Davies

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There has been a noticeable in-

flux of Gauteng buyers moving

their families to the Western

Cape, and particularly to the

Somerset West area.

Thats according to Pam Golding

Properties (PGPs) area manager

for the Helderberg Basin, Louise

Varga,who says the grouphasnoted

a rise in Gauteng-based buyers dur-

ing the first months of 2014, as well

as increased demand from other up-

country provinces.

Of PGPs last 90 sales in the area,

15 were to up-country buyers (12 of

them from Gauteng) and another

nine to international buyers,mostly

from Germany, the UK and USA.

Security and a wholesome family

lifestyle appear to be the main fac-

tors driving these relocations.

Schonenberg Estate occupies a

substantial area of 65 ha, and has

close to 530 residential erven, rang-

ing from neat lock-up-and go homes

to larger family dwellings.

The result is that the estate has a

homogenous blend of residents,

ranging from young professionals

and first-time buyers to families

with children and older buyers

downscaling for their early retire-

ment years.

The development is approaching

maturity,with 439homes completed

andafurther30currentlyundercon-

struction. Prices range fromaround

R2 million for a compact lock-up-

and-go home with two bedrooms, to

aroundR4,5 milliontoR6 millionfor

larger and more luxurious family

homeswithswimmingpools,double

garages and luxury finishes.

Early investors have made a

healthy profit, with homes pur-

chased for R1,4 million in 2008, now

selling for just over the R2 million

mark.

PGPs most recent sales have in-

cluded a brand new lock up and go

home sold for R1,8 million, and a

larger three-bedroomed family resi-

dence which sold for R2,35 million.

This home in Schonenberg Estate was recently sold by Pam Golding

Properties for R2,35 million.

Gautengbuyers flock toSomersetWest

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Every now and then, says

Bill Rawson, chairman of

the Rawson Property

Group, he is approached by

a home owner who has had

a large section of the view

from their home reduced or

obliterated by a neighbour

deciding either to extend

their homeor, if the plot has

previously been undevel-

oped, building so large and

imposing a complex that

again it destroys others

views.

Typically, said Rawson, a

single storey home owner

will suddenly find that the

building next to him is now

about to become a double or

triple storey and this is es-

pecially unfortunate if the

new, larger building is on

thenorthern side and there-

foreblocksout the sunshine

as well as the view.

Regrettably, said Raw-

son, in nine cases out of 10,

there is nothing the severe-

ly disadvantaged home

owner can do because in all

homes in that street or pre-

cinct, although initially

perhaps small and appro-

priately sized for their

plots, on investigation will

be found to have had the

right to extend upwards or

sideways from the time the

plans were first approved.

The moral of the story,

therefore, is to check the

zoning rules that apply to

your street before you buy

and if the lossof aviewwill

be distressing to you, con-

sider buying elsewhere or

at the very least be aware of

the risk you are taking.

Equally frustrating to

home owners, said Rawson,

can be the situation where

a buyer signs for a plot and

plan deal, usually in a new

multiunit sectional title de-

velopment, without realis-

ing that future develop-

ment will impede their

view.

In a smallminority of cas-

es, added Rawson, perverse

or ignorant owners have

built above or beyond the

specified limits for their erf

and in the old days they

very often got away with

it.

More recently, he said,

the courts, when appealed

to on this matter, have

cracked down on this type

of illegal building and (in

some cases) have actually

ruled that the sections

above or beyond the speci-

fied limit be demolished.

As the quality of the

view can make or break a

home, said Rawson, it is

very important that this

matter should never be

fudged and there should be

clarity on this issue right

from the start.

Blocking another persons

view is not illegal

New

property

brand inSW

Fine & Country International Realty

launched its SomersetWest branch onThurs-

day 19 June during an elegant British themed

cocktail and wine tasting event at their new

offices in Bright Street.

The dynamic duo of Kelly Reifarth (Harris)

and Shaun Harris, will run the franchise and

are twowell-knownnames in local real estate

circles.

About 130 guests attended the event.

Magdel and Charl van den Berg.

Wendy Awomold, Tayo Bolodeoku and Ore Adio-Moses.

Jacques van Niekerk, Gerhard Smit and Fanie Bosman enjoy a drink

at the launch. PHOTOS: DALEEN FOUCH

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STELLENBOSCH

Multi-award winning luxury estate agents in 300 locations worldwide.

Live in a haven in a

forest one of a kind

niche property in the

most beautiful valley

around Stellenbosch: 3

bedr, 2 bathr.

Viewing by appointment:

Jannie 084 626 0017

BANHOEK COTTAGE

R2 250 000

SOLD BY USSOLD BY US

021 841 4285 021 887 2840 021 870 4600

SOLD is die mees koste-effektiewe ho-impak keuse vir die bemarking van eiendom in die Boland

Biggest and Best Property Guide in the Boland

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Eikestadnuus

26 Junie, 2014

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STELLENBOSCH

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Paarl Post

26 Junie, 2014

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PAARL/WELLINGTON

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PAARL/WELLINGTON

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Franschhoek/Paarl Valley farmswanted

Farms around the Franschhoek/

Paarl Valley are back on the invest-

ment radar of local, upcountry and

foreign buyers looking to secure a

property in this scenic and fertile

valley, says Seeff Franschhoek

agent, Elza Oberholzer.

Interest is once again coming

from across the board with any-

thing from small lifestyle plots to

larger lifestyle farms and commer-

cial wine and olive farms back in

demand, Oberholzer says.

Since October last year, about 42

farms with a total value of almost

R235 million were sold. Smaller

lifestyleplotshavesold forupwards

of aroundR2million toR3,5 million

while about nine larger lifestyle

andcommercial farmsweresold for

upwards of just under R10 million

to R30 million.

Lifestyle farms especially (many

with untapped potential) are offer-

ing some of the best value right

now. These range from a 2,4 ha plot

on the Berg River, priced at

R3,4 million to a 47,9 ha lifestyle

farm located over seven hills in the

La Motte/Wemmershoek area, just

outside the village.

The lifestyle farmis located in the

same area as theWaterfal farm and

is more than double the land size,

with excellent development poten-

tial. On the market for R14,85 mil-

lion, the scenery and vegetation is

quite unmatched in the area, she

says.

The estate includes a spacious

double-storey homestead with four

bedrooms, two on the lower level

with en-suite bathrooms, the third

on theupper levelwithastudynook

andadjoining loungeandthe fourth

located over the double garagewith

panoramic views. The property is

close to the villagewith all its facili-

ties and is also in close proximity

to the prestigious Bridge House

School.

This 47,9 ha lifestyle farm located over seven hills in the La Motte/Wem-

mershoek area offers stunning views and landscapes and is on the mar-

ket for the first time at R14,85 million.

26 JUNIE

021 841 4285 021 887 2840 021 870 4600

SOLD is die mees koste-effektiewe,

ho-impak keuse vir die bemarking

van eiendom in die Boland

Biggest and Best Property guide in the Boland

FUNKY: THE C4 PICASSOOFFERS VALUE ANDVERSATILITY

CitronC4Picasso isa trendsetter

MOTORPRESS

CitronisconfidentitsnewC4Pi-

casso multi-purpose vehicle

(MPV) or people-mover will be

another global trendsetter,

therebyfollowinginthetracksof

theoriginalXsaraPicasso,which

was launched tomuchacclaim in

1999. Initial response to the lat-

est model from the motoring

press and buyers in Europe,

where it was launched at the

FrankfurtMotor Show last year,

hasbeenverypositiveandenthu-

siastic.

Two derivatives of the C4 Picasso

have joined the rapidly growing

range of Citron vehicles on sale in

SouthAfrica theSeduction and In-

tensive both powered by a 1.6-litre

e-HDi 115 turbo diesel engine devel-

oping 85 kWof power and 270 Nmof

torque. Power goes to the front

wheels via a six-speed manual

transmission.

These smooth-running engines

offer sparkling performance with a

top speed of 189 km/h and 11,8 sec-

onds for the 0-100km sprint, while

fuel economy is very impressive

too, with a consumption of

4F/100 km for the combined cycle

with CO2 emissions of only 105 g/

km.

Pricing of this trending five-seat-

erMPVisverykeen,withtheSeduc-

tionmodel launching fromR325 900

andtheevenmorecomprehensively

equipped Intensive version from

R345 900.

This newplatform is significant-

ly lighter than the previous version

andprovidestheopportunityto low-

er the engine, thereby the centre of

gravity too, making the car more

stablewhile also providing extra in-

terior space, added Bowring.

The design team in France has

coined the term Technospace for

the overall design philosophy be-

hindthespaciousnewCitroenC4Pi-

casso as it combines the latest ideas

from Citrons Crative Technolo-

gie division with the design possi-

bilities arising from the use of a

new, lightweight platform, which

uses aluminium and high tensile

steel to reduce weight and gain in

torsional rigidity.

Travelling becomes a relaxing ex-

perience in the newC4 Picassowith

the exclusiveLoungePackcompris-

ing front seats with a massage and

seat warming function, while the

front passenger can also stretch his

or her legs using the extending seat

squab. All the seats are fitted with

Relax headrests to provide opti-

mum neck support. It is like travel-

ling Business Class!

Although comfort is always top of

the list with the Citron design and

development team, they do not stint

in terms of driving enjoyment,

whichmeans outstanding handling

and roadholding.

Of course, being a Citron means

the latest C4 Picasso should also be

innovative with unusual features,

which is the case.

The exterior styling is paceset-

ting, with bold, modern lines tend-

ing towards a futuristic look with a

shorter front overhang and wider

track giving it an aggressive, road-

hugging stance.

The attractive front end features

a new look for the trademark Cit-

ronchevrons,whileslim,LEDday-

time running lights extend the line

of the grille, sitting just above the

very slender headlights. Fog lamps

add the finishing touch to this very

original Citron signature in lights.

The 3D styling effect for the LED

lightsat therearwas inspiredbythe

rear light treatment of the recent

Tubik, Survolt and Revolte concept

cars, displayed at recent motor

shows and employed on the Citron

DS3 last year.

The attractive styling of the latest

C4 Picasso can be shown off to good

effect with a choice of five colours:

Polar White, Aluminium Grey, Ru-

by red, Teles Blue and Shark Grey.

Uniquely-styled alloy wheels are

highlights of the exterior styling.

The Seduction shows off 16 Viper

wheels and the Intensive sports 17

Anaconda rims, bothwithMichelin

tyres.

The7 touchscreenwith its seven

touch-sensitive buttons controls all

in-car functions including satellite

navigation, dual-zone climate con-

trol, and an audio system with six

speakers, USB connectivity, Blue-

tooth with media streaming and an

additional USB socket all within a

fingers reach. The 12 panoramic

HD screen displays essential driv-

ing information. Drivers can even

display a personal photo as a screen

backdrop using a USB key.

There are front park assist sen-

sors onbothmodelswhile the Inten-

sivemodel alsohas front parkassist

sensors and the Park Assist system

for easy parallel parking.

Storage spaces abound, including

two beneath the floor of the second

row of seats.

Seatingconsists of five individual

seats,with the three seats in the sec-

ond rowoffering the convenience of

occupants being able to adjust the

rake of the backrest.

There are a host of convenience

items including programmable

cruise control and speed limiter, an

electronic handbrakewithhill start

assist, automaticon-off for thehead-

lamps and windscreen wipers, slid-

ing drivers and passengers sun

blindswith sun visors and courtesy

mirrors, findmy car feature with

illumination bymeans of the interi-

or lights and flashing hazard warn-

ing lights and a guide me home

headlamp function.

Additional equipment on the In-

tensive variant includes LED front

indicators, kerb lighting (puddle

lights in the exterior rear viewmir-

rors), removable and rechargeable

boot light/torch, interior mood

lighting, integrated, retractable

rear side window blinds, rear seat

conversation mirror and front fog

lamps with a cornering function.

Luggage space is very generous

with 537 litres capacity below the

parcel shelf, which can be enlarged

to a very spacious 1851 litres when

the rear seat backrests are folded

forward. In addition, the powered

tailgate can be opened remotely by

the press of a button.

As onewould expect fromCitron

thereisavastarrayofstandardsafe-

ty and security equipment, includ-

ing ABS brakes with electronic

brake force distribution (EBD),

emergency braking assistance

(EBA), electronic stability control

(ESC) with intelligent traction con-

trol;automaticactivationof thehaz-

ard warning lights in case of rapid

deceleration or impact, six air bags

and a deflated tyre indicator.

The Citron C4 Picasso comes

with a 3-year/100 000 km warranty,

5-year/100 000 km service plan, 3-

year 24-hour roadside assistance,

with the extra cost option of extend-

ing the warranty to 5 years/

100 000km.

Then there is the option of pur-

chasing Citron Freedrive, which

consists of a 5 year/100 00 km war-

ranty and a 5 year/100 000 kmmain-

tenance plan.

We are very proud of this latest

addition to the Citron model line-

upinSouthAfrica,as it isclass-lead-

ing in many aspects of its specifica-

tion besides being exceptionally

stylish too.

We are confident it will be yet an-

other trendsetter from the chevron

brand, concluded PCSAManaging

Director, Francis Harnie.

The Citron designers and stylists have also been given the opportunity to

showcase their ability with an innovative interior for the new C4 Picasso.

PHOTO: MOTORPRESS

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Solidperformanceneededon iconic Toyota

1000Kalahari BotswanaDesert race

QUICKPIC

Castrol TeamToyota is heading

to the spectacular Toyota 1000

KalahariBotswanaDesertRace

this weekend, and is aiming to

bank as many points as possi-

ble.While thismaybe their aim

during any race, the fact that

the Desert, as it has become

known, offers double champi-

onship points, makes it doubly

important for the team to put in

a solid performance.

Because of the extreme length

of this race, it is classed as amara-

thoneventandthatmeansdouble

points on offer, saysTeamPrinci-

pal Glyn Hall. Well be running

theHilux in the samespecification

as we did on the last race and as

such were not expecting any sur-

prises from the vehicle.

After three rounds of the cham-

pionship, Castrol Team Toyota

driver Anthony Taylor, with co-

driverDennisMurphy, is tiedwith

Ford driver Manfred Schrder at

the top of the leaderboard. Team-

mates Leeroy Poulter and Rob

Howiearecurrently tied for fourth

in the production vehicle stand-

ings.

The Desert can make or break

a championship. If you are down

after a couple events, this is the

place to make up some points,

reckons Hall. We would obvious-

ly love a win on our home event,

but realistically we need to put as

many vehicles as possible on the

podium to ensure maximum

points earned.

In addition to the two Castrol

Team Toyota Hiluxes, the team

will also be fielding a thirdCastrol

Hilux in identical spec. Brazilian

veteran Reinaldo Varela (54) will

be piloting, with his regular navi-

gator Gustavo Gugelmin beside

him.Valerahascompetedinsever-

al hundred cross-country events

globally, and won the Baja Italy in

2013, but this will be his first ap-

pearance at the Toyota Kalahari

Botswana 1000 Desert Race.

ThisyearsToyotaKalahariBot-

swana 1000 Desert Race will be

based around the Jwaneng area,

170 km northwest of the Botswana

capital of Gaborone. The move to

anewpartof thecountrywasmade

at the request of the Botswana

TourismOrganisation, as the race

offers communities a significant

income boost, and the organisa-

tion wants to see more communi-

ties benefit from this event.

The result is that teamswill face

new racing territory for the third

time this year as the first two

rounds of the racing calendar the

RFS 450 and Toyota Dealer 450

were new events, with only the

Nkomazi 450 (round 3), having fea-

tured before.

Thenewterrain levels theplay-

ing field a lot, continues Hall,

and you sometimes need a bit of

luckonyoursidewhenheading in-

to virgin territory. The area

around Jwaneng is very dry and

sandy, with lots of tree stumps

lurking in the bushes.

The Desert was first run in

1975, and moved to Botswana in

1991 and this year marks the 33rd

year of Toyota sponsoring the

event. The race gets under way

with the prologue, to determine

the start-order for the main event,

on 27 June. The race itself is con-

tested over two days, each featur-

ingtwoloopsofaround200km,and

finishes on Sunday 29 June 29.

Anthony Taylor is raring to go Toyota 1000 Kalahari Botswana Desert Race this weekend. PHOTO: QUICKPIC

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AUTO

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NewVWPolooffersmuchmore

QUICKPIC

Volkswagen Polo is one of the

worlds best-selling compact

models with nearly 14 million

units produced and sold world-

wide to date. The Volkswagen

factory inUitenhage is one of the

two plants in the Volkswagen

production network that assem-

blesthePolohatch.InSouthAfri-

ca, the Polo is produced for both

the local and export markets.

Since its launch in 2010 Polo

hatch has consistently been the

secondbest-sellingpassengercar

in South Africa. In 2013, Polo

hatch was bought by 23 501 cus-

tomers. The best-selling car in

South Africa since 2010 has been

Polos sibling, the Polo Vivo,

which was also launched in the

same year.

The new Polo has been enhanced

both visually and technically. The

driver assistance and infotainment

systems as well as the new TSI en-

gines now available with either 5 or

6-speed manual transmissions or

the award winning DSG gearbox,

have taken the new Polo to another

level.ThenewPolooffers thewidest

range of assistance systems in its

class. It is also the first car in this

segment that comes equipped with

an Automatic Post-Collision Brak-

ing System as standard.

Thanks to the new award-win-

ning TSI engines, the new Polo fuel

economy has been improved by as

much as 20 percent. The pick of the

bunch is the 1.2 TSI 66 kW engine.

It has a claimed fuel consumption

of 4.9 F/100km (117 g/km of CO

2

emissions).

Visually, the new Polo can be

identified by a sharper front and

rear design. In addition, the new

model introduces fresh colours,

new interior materials and new

specifications. The new Polo now

comes in three equipment levels,

Trendline, Comfortline and High-

line. Customers who want a Polo

withruggedbutsporty lookscanopt

for the CrossPolo.

The new Polo will be launched

with fuel efficient TSI engines,

which replace the MPI engines. Ini-

tially only the four-cylinder 1.2 TSI

engines will be available with the

power output range of 66 kW and

81 kW.

TSI engines. The two 1.2 TSI en-

gines replace the 1.4 (63 kW) and 1.6

(77 kW) MPI engines. The new Polo

is the latestVolkswagenmodel to be

offered with the award winning

small capacity TSI engines.

1.2TSIwithanoutputof66 kW.

The entry derivative is fitted with

the TSI engine that delivers an out-

put of 66 kW available at 4 800 rpm.

The claimed combined fuel con-

sumptionof the1.2TSI66 kWengine

is as low as 4.9 F/100 km (117 g/km

of CO

2

emissions). Turbocharging

boosts the torque at this power level

to 160 Nm (over the range 1 400 to

3 500 rpm). The 66 kWpowered Polo

1.2 TSI has a top speed of 184 km/h

and accelerates to 100 km/h in 10,8

seconds. This engine is mated to a

5-speed manual transmission.

The1.2TSI66 kWengine isavaila-

blewith theTrendline andComfort-

line derivatives.

1.2TSIwithoutputof81 kW.At

81 kW, the new Polo attains a fuel

consumption value of 5.1 F/100 km

(equivalent to 120 g/km CO

2

). The

maximum power of this engine is

available at 5 000 rpm and its maxi-

mum torque of 175 Nm is delivered

between 1 500 and 4 000 rpm. At this

power level, the Polo 1.2 TSI has a

top speed of 196 km/h and acceler-

ates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9,3 sec-

onds.

As an alternative to the standard

6-speed transmission, this engine

canalsobeorderedwithanoptional

7-speed DSG, which provides an op-

timum of efficiency, dynamics and

comfort. The consumption for the

DSG transmission remains un-

changedat5.1 toF/100km(122 g/km

CO

2

).

The 81 kW engine is available in

the Highline derivatives as well as

the CrossPolo.

There are optional convenient

features on offer for the new Polo

customers that want to individual-

ise their cars. These optional fea-

tures include Bi-Xenon headlights

with LED daytime running lights

(only available with CrossPolo at

launch), panoramic sunroof, re-

movable towbar, climatronic air-

conditioning, light and vision pack-

age (includes auto-dimming interi-

or mirror, rain sensor wipers and

lowbeamassist), park distance con-

trol (front and rear), rear view cam-

era RearAssist and cruise control.

)Prices (VATandCO

2

emissions

tax included)

1.2 TSI 66kW Trendline R188 300

1.2TSI66kWComfortlineR209700

1.2 TSI 81kW Highline R233 300

1.2 TSI 81kW Highline DSG R247

800

1.2 TSI 81kW CrossPolo R241 000

The new Polo comes with a 3

year/45 000 km Service Plan, 3

year/120 000 km warranty and a 12

year anti-corrosion warranty.

Visually, the new Polo can be identified by a sharper front and rear design. PHOTO: QUICKPIC

27

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26 Junie, 2014

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MercedesBenzSouthAfrica

Silver in EuropeAfrica

QUICKPIC

The much anticipated J.D. Power Initial

Quality Study (IQS) has placed the MBSA

plantinEastLondonamongstthetopmotor

manufacturers in 2014, according to their

poll of American consumers after 90 days

ofownershipofnewmodels in thismarket.

The MBSA plant has received a silver com-

mendation in the Europe-Africa manufactur-

ing region from this esteemed organisation,

whose IQS quality rating is upheld by many

in the international automotive industry as a

benchmark for quality and reliability.

As the onlyAfrican plant on the list of awar-

dees, this is the sixth consecutive award for

DaimlerAGsSouthAfricanplant.The compa-

nys J.D. Power award collection now boasts

twogoldawards(2009and2011)andthreesilver

awards (2012, 2013and2014) in theEurope-Afri-

ca region, as well as the ultimate accolade a

platinumaward in 2010, as thehighest ranking

plant in the world supplying the US market.

MBSA CEO and vice-president of manufac-

turing,ArnovanderMerwe,attributesthecon-

sistency of themanufacturingplants perform-

ance to a focus on efficiency improvement and

stringent quality systems within the produc-

tionprocess.Whiletechnologyandprocessex-

cellence is of vital importance, equally essen-

tial is the mind-set and passion of our employ-

ees, van der Merwe says.

The East London plant produced the W204

C-Class for both the local and USmarkets, and

registered only 27 problems per 100 vehicles

(27PP100) surveyed by J.D. Power in 2014. The

goldawardrecipient in theEurope-Africacate-

gory performed only one point better, at

26PP100 vehicles. This clearly shows the ne-

cessity to run a tight ship at our plant in terms

of reliability, efficiency and quality, van der

Merwe adds.

The W204 C-Class model has been replaced

by the latest model variant from Daimler AG,

and started production at the East London

plant inMay2014. The fact thatwehavemain-

tained the quality of our production in a run-

out year,while simultaneouslypreparingboth

facility and employees for a new and more ad-

vanced model, proves the level of focus of our

employees,vanderMerweconcludes.Weare

extremely proud of this award and its implica-

tion for our status as a first-class manufactur-

er. As one of only four Daimler AG plants

world-wide selected to produce the luxurynew

C-Class,MBSAhas invested in excess ofR5 bil-

lion into the South African economy between

2011 and 2015. Close to R60 million has been

channelled into training initiatives,withmore

than 1 200 training interventions and assign-

ments to various international plants. In addi-

tion, nearly 900 unemployed people from the

Border Kei region have been upskilled as part

of the new C-Class training programme.

The top-selling, dynamic W204 C-Class was

manufactured by highly skilled employees at

the award-winning Mercedes Benz South Af-

rica production plant in East London.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

28

Donderdag

26 Junie, 2014

BOLAND

SOLD

AUTO