Against a background of the ongoing economic squeeze,
crippling motor-industry strikes, a surrender to e-tolling (for the moment,
anyway) and the absence of some big names, the 2013 Johannesburg International
Motor Show was never going to have an easy ride.
It didn't help that the first real Highveld rains of the
season began falling as the public days got underway. Uncharacteristically
persistent rain and plummeting temperatures dampened spirits on a sodden
opening weekend.
Yet there were encouraging signs. New models galore - with
some serious intent shown by the Chinese brands - provided plenty for the
crowds to drool over.
JIMS 2013
At JIMS's official opening, Trade and Industry Minister Rob
Davies underlined the importance of the automotive sector to South Africa's
manufacturing environment, while announcing measures to improve its
competitiveness. There are also encouraging indications that government support
for green vehicles remains undimmed, despite the flop of the Joule project.
Notably, electric vehicles seem likely to be a more practical proposition: the
minister's colleagues at the Department of the Environment and Water Affairs
are preparing for a rollout of electric- vehicle charging infrastructure. That
coincides with the long-awaited launch of the first mass-market EV in South
Africa, the Nissan Leaf (see separate story).
It's worth noting that JIMS isn't a one-trick pony, either.
Running alongside the cars, SUVs and lifestyle activity are the Johannesburg
Truck and Bus Show and Auto Shop, making the whole shebang Africa's biggest
motor industry showcase.
A greener tomorrow
JIMS 2013 by numbers
·
11 days
·
18 concept vehicles
·
62 new models
·
265 passenger cars and SUVs
·
250 000+ visitors expected
·
30 000 m2 indoor area
·
40 000 m2 outdoor area
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Reading the road
Even before JIMS started, Mercedes-Benz stole a march on the
rest. A glitzy pre-show launch of the company's flag-ship S-Class involved a
squadron of helicopters ferrying guests over a night time Johannesburg to view
the car from the air as the center-piece of a laser light show.
Mercedes-Benz South Africa President and CEO Martin
Zimmerman calls it the best car in the world, and in all honesty there can't be
many who would dispute that. The new car certainly has oodles of the S's
trademark luxury. Seated in the rear of the long-wheelbase 500 version, with
its impossibly plush head restraints behind us and individual video monitors
ahead of us, it was hard not to be seduced by the plutocratic lifestyle.
Mercedes-Benz
S-Class
Our PM USA colleague Andrew Del-Colle reports that the 2014
S-Class is smart - really smart. Equipped with the most advanced suite of
cameras, sensors and radars in a production vehicle, the car can almost drive itself,
he says. By far its cleverest new feature is Magic Body Control, which uses
cameras to read the road and then adjusts the suspension to mitigate any
approaching bumps (though it does occasionally miss). New headlights, each
housing 56 separate LEDs, and a heavily styled face lend the car a dramatic
demeanor, while clean sides replace the last gen's awkward rear bulges. The
interior's most noticeable updates are two sprawling 31-cm screens that serve
as the instrument cluster and center displays.
Reading the road
The twin-turbocharged 4,6-liter V8 paired with a seven-speed
automatic transmission carries over, but, according to Mercedes, all models get
at least 20 per cent better fuel economy. From the driver's seat (capable of
giving hot-stone-like massages, of course), the 5,2-meter sedan feels big, but
is surprisingly lithe.
We'll report on the first local drive of the S-Class in PM
January.
Alongside the S on the stand was the MB Guard ML500, one of
a couple of armored vehicles on the show; the GLA compact crossover, due here
in early 2014; and the CLA four-door coupé, said to the most aerodynamic
production car you can buy, with a drag factor of 0,22.
