FOCUS on Transport and Logistics

18/09/2026

🚨 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧. 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗔. 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨’𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗧 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗦!

The latest issue of FOCUS on Transport & Logistics is LIVE – and our cover story is an utterly incredible FOCUS exclusive.

Construction machinery giant 𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮.

But that’s only the beginning.

⚡ 800-V battery architecture
⚡ Around 100 km of range added in just 10 minutes
🇿🇦 Close to 60% local content already
🏭 R350 million invested in local assembly
💰 Potential operating savings approaching R750,000 a year

This is far more than another new vehicle launch. It is a fascinating story about technology, localisation, jobs and the future of passenger transport in South Africa.

🔥 Read the new issue of FOCUS now – and discover the full, remarkable story. There are lots of other sensational reads too! Read it here: https://buff.ly/MzceU7K

18/09/2026

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗚? 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦! 😲🚌

South Africans will know MG as the iconic British-born sports car marque. Today it is owned by Chinese automotive giant SAIC Motor – and now MG is making buses.

Meet the new MG iEV12LE, unveiled at IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026.

⚡ 489 kWh battery
⚡ More than 650 km claimed range
⚡ Up to 80 passengers
⚡ Fully electric

Yes, the badge once synonymous with little British sports cars is now sitting on a 12-metre electric intercity bus.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴?

18/09/2026

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗔𝗔 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲!

It was fantastic catching up with Maretha Ge**er, President & Group CEO of Daimler Truck Southern Africa – and naturally, we had to go and take a closer look at one of Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ big IAA debuts together: the new eActros Lowliner.

The truck uses up to three 207 kWh LFP battery packs, with series production scheduled to begin in Q2 2027.

But here’s why this truck is A Seriously Big Deal: The eActros 600 Lowliner can travel around 500 km at full load, while its ultra-low fifth-wheel height allows it to work with mega trailers offering an interior height of up to three metres.

That’s impressive! Lowliner trucks are vital in high-volume operations such as automotive logistics, where every cubic metre of trailer space counts. To achieve that three-metre internal height, the tractor has to sit exceptionally low.

Doing that with a battery-electric truck is technically challenging because the batteries and electric drivetrain still need to be packaged without pushing the chassis higher and compromising the trailer’s load volume.

So, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has managed to combine long-haul electric range with the huge cargo capacity Lowliner operators depend on. In other words, electrification without sacrificing one of the vehicle’s biggest commercial advantages.

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. 🚛

18/09/2026

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗸 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.

One of the most talked-about trucks on its IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026 stand is the SITRAK 4x2 battery-electric tractor – and the numbers demand attention.

⚡ 600 kWh battery
⚡ 20–80% charge in around 23 minutes
⚡ Energy consumption as low as 1.1 kWh/km
⚡ Just 10.1 tonnes kerb weight
⚡ GCW of up to 44 tonnes

And Sinotruk sent a powerful signal about the importance of IAA: Wang Zhijian, Chairman of Shandong Heavy Industry Group, personally attended the show.

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝘁.

18/09/2026

Is the cheapest truck really the most cost-effective? 🚛

Isuzu’s “Cheap is Expensive” and “A Profitable Investment” campaigns encourage businesses to look beyond the initial purchase price and consider the bigger picture – from fuel efficiency and maintenance to reliability, uptime, resale value and aftersales support.

Because when a truck isn’t moving, a business isn’t earning. Ultimately, the smartest investment is not necessarily the cheapest truck, but the one that delivers the greatest value throughout its working life. Learn more in the latest issue of FOCUS here: https://focusontransport.co.za/isuzu-challenges-the-lowest-price-mindset/

ISUZU South Africa

18/09/2026

🛻 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗡𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗨𝗩

Niagara opens a new chapter in Renault’s expansion into Latin America. Part of the futuREady strategy, it marks the start of an offensive involving 14 new models for international markets.

😎 Redefining the cues of bakkie design, Niagara combines the refinement, comfort and technology of a C-segment SUV with the robust strength and versatility of a vehicle designed for the most demanding types of use. Its styling conveys a strong sense of identity, fusing an urban focus with all-terrain capabilities.

The interior places the emphasis on comfort and connected technology, such as integrated Open RLink system with Google Gemini, a Multi-Sense system, customisable mood lighting and a range of features to make everyday life easier.

⚡️ Niagara ships with a wide range of powertrains and transmissions. Available with a manual or automatic gearbox and two- or four-wheel drive, it responds to a full range of uses in Latin America.

Assembled at the Santa Isabel plant in Argentina, Niagara is the only bakkie/pick-up in its class to be built locally.

18/09/2026

"Nobody is coming, you only have yourself to look to," said Lebo Rakgekola, the Department Executive of Sales (LCV & SUV) at Isuzu.

Talking to delagates at CILTSA's 2026 Women Empowerment Conference about leading through disruption, she highlighted that one of the biggest disruptions being faced in the automotive industry is Chinese entrants that are changing the competitive baseline. However, she noted that disruption is not limited to the workplace. It also happens in your personal life.

Rakgekola emphasised that disruption proofing starts with leadership. Leadership is the ability to learn from your competitors. What worked 5 or 10 years ago, may not work now.

"Are you willing to change?"

To navigate disruption, leaders need to learn how to manage their focus, learn the importance of delegating and be a listening ear.

"Manage your energy not only your time. Energy matters. Reflection matters and connection matters. Asking for support matters. Resilience during disruption is not being unshakable. It is knowing what anchors you," shared Rakgekola.

ISUZU Motors South Africa

18/09/2026

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport executive director, Catherine Larkin, welcomed delegates (both men and women) to this year's Women Empowerment Conference at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg today, emphasising the need to work together to build a stronger network that will enable resilience during the next disruption.

18/09/2026

🚲️ 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗦𝗔 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀

🐘 Hino South Africa recently provided support for a fourth mountain bike ride linked to conservation through the PEACE Foundation, an NGO that seeks to preserve and protect elephants and rhinos living in the wild in South Africa through a strategy based on rural poverty alleviation.

🚵‍♀️ The project has already provided more than 1,000 bicycles to learners from the Barokologadi community, living adjacent to the Melorane Game Reserve in the North-West Province. The strategy is to improve access to education and thereby address poverty which is a root cause of poaching and the destruction of wildlife habitat.

🚚 Hino provided support in the form of a diesel-electric hybrid Hino 300-series truck with a van body to transport the donated bikes from Pretoria to the game reserve for distribution. The truck is currently undergoing evaluation in South Africa for possible introduction in the future.

The truck also provided back-up for a group of cyclists who rode 342km over four days from Centurion to the reserve. Hino also supplied Toyota Quantum minibuses to transport the riders back to the starting point.

🎓️ The objective of donating bicycles is so that learners can get to school far easier and quicker than walking from far flung villages and that their education will help uplift the local communities. Usage of the bikes is monitored by the relevant schools and the project owners. Three trained mechanics are employed and supplied with tools and spare parts to repair the bikes when necessary.

🗣️ “We are proud of our ongoing support for this innovative conservation project which also gives us the opportunity of hosting customers on the ride,” commented Anton Falck, the Hino SA vice president and himself a keen mountain-biker. "This latest ride saw a group of 20 riders complete a demanding route with the worthwhile reward at the end of seeing the big smiles when the donated bicycles are handed over to the learners."

17/09/2026

🚨 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗼

🔥 As concerns over container fires intensify, the World Shipping Council (WSC) is urging governments to close a dangerous loophole that allows containers packed with thousands of lithium batteries to be transported as ordinary cargo without carriers being informed of the risk.

🪫 The issue relates to Special Provision 188 of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. Smaller batteries meeting specified testing, packaging and capacity requirements are exempt from some dangerous goods rules, but there is currently no limit on how many can be consolidated inside one container.

⚡️ WSC calculates that a box containing around 4,200 laptops could hold approximately 416kWh of stored energy – comparable with three or four electric vehicles – without requiring dangerous goods documentation or placarding.

🗣️ “Right now, a container can be packed with thousands of lithium batteries and still travel without being declared as dangerous goods,” said WSC president and CEO Joe Kramek. “The SP188 exemption was intended to simplify the transport of individual devices with small batteries, not to make entire container loads invisible.”

👀 More: https://buff.ly/7CgXYf8

The World Shipping Council (WSC), liner shipping’s lobby group, is pressing governments to close what it describes as a dangerous loophole that allows containers packed with thousands of lithium batteries to move as ordinary cargo without carriers being told of the risk. The issue centres on Speci...