14 an Impending Crisis? 22 APDP Takes Effect 36 Cell Phone Use Official Mouthpiece of 44 a Champion of Quality 52 TDAFA Road Show 68 Calmer Khama Karma
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14 An Impending Crisis? 22 APDP Takes Effect 36 Cell Phone Use Official Mouthpiece of 44 A Champion of Quality 52 TDAFA Road Show 68 Calmer Khama Karma The Phoenix A Tragic Waste of Talent Monday night, 29th March 2010, saw the untimely and tragic death of an automotive aftermarket industry icon. Peter Granat (53), at the time Managing Director of AutoZone, was ruthlessly murdered and cut down in his prime by callous, evil, and cowardly thugs, adding to the appalling crime statistics of this country. rrespective of motive or The secret is to identify the threat circumstance, we must so that it can be isolated and dealt not lose sight of the fact with. There are powerful forces in that this unthinking act, the universe that counter evil, Iin one split second, took away a and they give their support when father, a son, a husband, a called upon. This is the message brother, a colleague, a friend, that I have for those who are left an entrepreneur, a visionary, to carry the flame that burned so and more. Far, far more. Not bright. Do not despair, go for- least someone who had built up ward with courage and character, a reputation as an astute and and fulfil Peter’s vision and des- deliberative businessman, and a tiny. A bullet may strike a man maverick who was not afraid to down, but it cannot kill an idea, challenge the status quo. From nor can it kill faith and an industry perspective, the endurance. One cowardly and most tragic aspect was that evil act is nothing when con- Peter Granat had just that very fronted with many positive steps day signed a deal, the details of and the power of good. Go for it. which had been tantalising the Show your mettle. Honour a automotive aftermarket for great man’s memory. many months. It was rumoured that he was on the cusp of From Automotive Business something revolutionary in the Review, a fond farewell to a brave parts market. The industry had crusader. May you rest in peace picked up many hints of what and grace. The May 2010 issue of was to come, but only those in ABR is dedicated to Peter Granat his inner circle knew what was and his brave band of warriors. in the offing. Please see page 40. Our condo- lences to his family, his friends, his colleagues and his contempo- From a personal perspective, I got to know Peter during the early raries. 1990’s, when he was taking Fast Parts Roodepoort to unimagined heights. My interaction with him was as both a supplier and a No matter the circumstances, the brutal reality is that life goes on, friendly business associate. As a customer, he was as tough as nails, so our May issue continues the tradition of journalistic excellence but you always knew exactly where you stood with him, and fair- that from its inception ABR introduced to a moribund automotive ness was his mantra. As a business associate he was both warm and aftermarket publishing segment. Part of this excellence is to work distant, which encapsulated a complex character, but also gave an with AAMA (Automotive Aftermarket Manufacturers Association) indication of his single minded commitment to a long term goal. to identify trends and/or threats in the industry, and to alert the This masked an intense desire and it obviously informed everything stakeholders to these trends and/or threats. This month we look at he did and said. With the signing of a very important document on a ticking time bomb facing the industry – the issue of training and the very day of his passing, Peter was clearly close to his promised resources, and the impending crisis if action is not taken by govern- land, and from anecdotal evidence, he was on the verge of leading ment and industry. The article may be found on page 14. This sub- his flock of 2500 employees to a new and exciting phase in their ject is of such strategic importance for both the industry and the business lives. Unfortunately, evil played its hand. country that ABR has decided to allocate significant space and resources in the future to looking at various aspects and opinions, There is a lot of evil in our country, in various guises and disguises. which we shall bring to our readers on a continual basis. I can personally vouch for this. But I also know that evil, when con- fronted, can be contained, and even defeated. www.abrbuzz.co.za 2 May 2010 Contents 88 22 6060 1212 7474 2 The Phoenix 45 Industry Update 6 What’s the Buzz 46 Launch Technologies 12 Personal Profile 48 Vehicle Evaluation 14 AAMA Alert 50 Capricorn Insights 16 Auto Topical 52 Tyre News 18 The Chery Story 54 The Golden Triangle 20 Frankly Speaking 56 Training and Resources 22 Life Goes on 57 e-CAR 24 Burford on Brands 58 Imperial Update 25 Industry Update 60 KIA Motors Update 26 Tony’s Take 64 Show Time 28 Weighty Issues 66 Wilde Things 30 Customer C.A.R.E. 68 Partinform 34 Tyre Safety 72 Fast Wheels 36 Intelli-Driving 73 Midas Sport 37 AIDC Quiz 74 The Fink 40 The Phoenix 75 The Last Writes 44 Diamond Dialogues 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 provided and opinions expressed in this publication are provided in good faith and do not necessaraly 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. Publishing Editor Keeg, Howard Fax: 27 11 802 3979 Design and Reproduction Graham Erasmus McCleery, Roger E-mail: [email protected] j. Kraft Information Design cc Cell: 083 709 8184 McCrae, Alison Website: www.abrbuzz.co.za Tel: 012 997 6946 Twine, Tony Fax: 012 997 6987 Editors at Large Wilde, Fingal Subscriptions and Data E-mail: [email protected] Alwyn Viljoen Management Paul Collings Published by Trilogy Trading & Promotion Printing Trilogy Publishing P O Box 69 Business Print Centre, Pretoria Intelli-Driving Editor Wendywood 2144 Eugene Herbert Advertising Sales Tel: 27 11 802 6020 Marlene Erasmus Fax: 27 11 802 3979 Correspondents Cell: 082 837 2668 E-mail: [email protected] Beeton, Frank E-mail: [email protected] Borlz, Baron Claude Official Mouthpiece of Burford, Adrian Editorial Office Gamble, Austin 81 Alma Road, Wendywood Hogg, Gilbert Tel: 27 11 656 2198 4 What’s the Buzz? TomTom goes to WORK TomTom WORK, a division of the leading provider of navigation solutions TomTom NV, is a business solution for fleet management combined with navigation and is now providing commu- nication products and services to the South African business market. With the online tracking and tracing service, customers can monitor their fleets’ movements in real-time and communicate with their teams, whether it be for deliveries, meetings or other urgent messages. Each TomTom WORK offering is designed specifically for each customer’s reporting needs and made available with a simple click of a button. “We know our colleagues TomTom SA have experienced great success with lifestyle navigation solutions and we believe that there is a significant gap in the market for B2B navigation opportunities that are able to improve business management and fleet control and at the same time generate positive financial results”, says Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director for TomTom WORK. Don’t Give your Tyres Grey Hairs… Fast-paced action returns Get the best out of your tyres by following simple guidelines. Good tyre care ensures you get the most out of your tyres, says Mandy Lovell, Public Relations Manager for Bridgestone. The Suzuki Acceleration Series is back. Following a “A set of tyres for a mid-range car can easily cost four to six thousand Rand, yet our tyre safe- successful debut at venues around the country during ty survey shows that many people do not protect this investment,” she commented. 2008, Suzuki Auto South Africa has decided to run a “Incorrect inflation is the major cause of reduced tyre life, and when we survey tyre pressures, second, extended season of the Acceleration Series, we find that the majority of tyres whose pressures are incorrect are underinflated,” she with significant prizes at stake. The Suzuki Acceleration explained. “This causes the tyre to wear more rapidly on the shoulders. Over-inflated tyres Series features the complete Suzuki passenger car range, wear more rapidly in the middle, although we don’t find many over-inflated tyres in our and offers members of the public an opportunity to study.” she commented. Moral of the story: Check your tyres regularly and avoid any participate in two challenging activities. The first of obstructions in the road at all costs, especially the dreaded POTHOLES! You will then these is a timed precision driving challenge in a Suzuki increase your tyre-life and in turn save considerably. Swift and a Suzuki Alto around a predetermined gymkhana track, while the second consists of a loading task, during which participants have to fit as many blocks as possible into the cargo compartment of a Suzuki SX4. The full range of Suzuki passenger cars will also be on hand for testing, allowing the public convenient one-stop access to Suzuki’s Alto, Swift and SX4 passenger car models. As before, the Acceleration Series will be run in all major centres around the coun- try, but this year will consist of a total of 20 events.