Say yes to UX
CAR South Africa|April 2023
Baby Lexus gets tech treats aplenty; untouched hybrid and CVT reaffirm it's more suited to Silicon Valley than Silverstone
Braam Peens
Say yes to UX

For anyone from ruling parties to market leaders, the benefit of incumbency is a powerful enabler. It allows those in command to look forward, whereas in its wake, the pack keeps chasing.

In the realm of automotive hybridisation, for Toyota, this defining market standing was institutionalised with the introduction of the Prius in 1997. In consumer minds, this cemented the brand as a pioneer in its field... until its competitors inevitably caught up.

Amid the fallout from the 2008 cash crunch that notably affected the American automakers and their European counterparts, which embarked on chasing forced induction until 2015's diesel scandal broke, an unruffled Toyota persisted with hybrids.

Today, the Japanese giant owns this landscape in South Africa. The lion's share of its passenger applications boasts a hybrid offering and the same can be said of its more urbane sister brand, Lexus.

Esta historia es de la edición April 2023 de CAR South Africa.

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Esta historia es de la edición April 2023 de CAR South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE CAR SOUTH AFRICAVer todo
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With a repaired car and a point to prove, Alex Shahini returned for Round 3 of the Toyota GR Cup at Zwartkops Raceway to achieve a career-best finish

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The fastest and most technologically advanced flagship C-Class to date, AMG's C63 S has evolved into an electrified uber-sedan. Has this mighty model forsaken some character in pursuing this status? We strapped our test equipment to the new shooting star.

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Now in its 14th year, the Simola Hillclimb continues to combine adrenaline-fuelled competition with showcasing some of the most appealing classics out there in a heady mix that keeps local petrolheads coming...

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Complete with rugged bakkie-based underpinnings that encourage off-the-beaten-track venturing, largely proven powertrains that afford maximum range and towing capability, and brand names with enviable respective reputations for reliability, adventure SUVs remain the favourite of thousands of South Africans.

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Ferrari keeps things suitably old-school with its V12-engined 12Cilindri GT

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