Ford has launched a new budget car. Priced at an appealing R88 525, the Ford Ikon 1.3iL is R15 000 cheaper than next car in the Ikon range, and by far the cheapest Ford now available in this country.

DaimlerChrysler South Africa has introduced a limited-edition Jeep Cherokee Extreme Sport. With only 150 available, demand is expected to outstrip supply.

Hyosung, who have been producing lightweight commuter motorcycles and scooters since 1979, has moved into the proper motorcycle market with the launch of a stylish 650cc street machine. The Hyosung Comet 650’s in-house 90 degree V-twin produces a very healthy 79 horsepower (58,5 kW) and revs cheerfully to its 10 500 red line when thrashed.

Kia’s new Shuma 1,8 Sport isn’t the quickest car around, and it doesn’t have the solid feel of some of the more expensive cars on the overcrowded South African market, but it enjoys a huge advantage in the one area that affects most of us — price. The Shuma is the cheapest 1,8 litre family saloon available, writes Gavin Foster.

It sounds like the recipe for another product from <i>that</i> German manufacturer. Compact, sexy body, powerful six cylinder in-line 24 valve engine, lots of electronic wizardry to keep the whole damned shenanigan glued to the road. But the car I spent half a day thrashing around the Knysna area emanated from Japan, not Europe.

We drove the Toyota 160i RX at the launch of the RunX range in January this year and were impressed with its build quality and the level of specification offered. Now, after driving Toyota’s South African Car of the Year finalist for a week we see no reason to change our minds.

Sixty kilowatts (80 horsepower) isn’t usually enough to get excited about, but when the car those 80 horses are pedalling weighs just 790kg the effect can be startling. So be startled by the new smart roadster and smart roadster coupé.