It’s very good-looking, it’s extremely well specced, it feels well built for the money, with excellent ride and handling, and it’s affordable. On the downside, the Proton brand has yet to gain the confidence of the South African public, and the Savvy is let down by a lethargic 1,2-litre engine that doesn’t deliver what the sporty styling promises.

Nissan has just launched a three-door oil-burning version of their cute little Micra -the first diesel passenger car bearing the Nissan logo to go on sale here in South Africa. At R139 900 the Micra Tekna is scarcely a budget car, so you’d be justified in expecting it to look the part and come with a full toy-box.

Kawasaki’s sexy new ER-6n naked motorcycle has gained a fully clothed stablemate. The ER-6f, aimed at riders who enjoy the versatility of the 650cc twin but feel the need for more efficient streamlining and weather protection, is mechanically identical to its lively sibling, but comes with the option of ABS brakes and retains the user-friendly nature of the naked bike.

When Hyundai’s Getz arrived on the scene at the Geneva Motor Show in 2002, it received loads of favourable comment in the motoring press, but nobody expected the factory to sell 550 000 of the little hatchbacks in a few short years. Gavin Foster went to the launch of the new face-lifted model.

Bakkies such as the Opel Corsa and Nissan 1400 sell only in South Africa, Brazil and … well, that’s about it. As a result, Ford, General Motors and Nissan have pretty well had the field to themselves for decades in South Africa. Then, last year, Fiat introduced its Strada pickup, and Proton’s newly launched Arena light pickup has now arrived to wee on the South African manufacturers’ batteries.

"It would be great if we could all buy the most expensive tyres for our cars every time we needed them, but for most of us that’s impossible. Most cars are used as simple commuting tools, driven by ordinary people who live on a tight budget," writes Gavin foster.

"Maybe I’m just an eccentric, but I have a thing about small, affordable cars. They get the job done well enough most of the time, you can have fun driving them hard without getting into too much trouble with the law, and they’re a breeze when squeezing in and out of parking bays," writes Gavin Foster.

The problem is that the public in general don’t understand how things are supposed to work. Traffic authorities feed them half-truths, and the media unquestioningly run mindless stories about the "millions" owed to the authorities in "outstanding fines". What is happening now has nothing to do with road safety, and everything to do with raising revenue to fill municipal budgets’ shortfalls.