10. Ford Mustang
It may not be the most advanced car on the planet and the 4.6-litre V8 only manages to churn out the same sort of power as a 335i but the Mustang has brutal looks. If it's muscle you're after the 'Stang is right up at the top of the pile. South Africans are well known for their love of muscle cars so why are we missing this?
9. Cadillac CTS-V
We could do with another option in the super saloon segment and this fits in the left field section when it comes to choices. With a 6-litre V8 and 298kW on tap with a manual gearbox the CTS-V was developed to beat the likes of the BMW M5 around the Nurburgring and it did just that, lapping in under 8 minutes. Not your ordinary Cadillac.
8. Ford Edge
We have a particular fancy for SUV's in SA, just look at the success of the X5, Cayenne and even the Land Rover Discovery, so why didn't Ford bring the Edge to us? Powered by a 3.6-litre V6 capable of 198kW and 339Nm of torque it would have probably done well in our market, except that is the only engine it has, just the trim levels vary.
7. Mitsubishi EVO X
Leaving the Subaru STI to dominate the market the EVO X never made it to our shores due to exchange rate difficulties and profitability issues. It had the perfect opening to take the top spot as road rally special when Subaru lost a lot of support by releasing a hatch version of the STI. It's a little late now though as Subaru has already righted this and is set to release a STI sedan soon.
6. Seat Bocanegra
It doesn't look exactly like the picture but it's close enough, great looking car and Seat should have never been let out of the country. The Bocanegra fits in perfectly as another strong three-door hot hatch, complete with a DSG gearbox and 133kW on tap it would have been a perfect alternative to those forced to buy a Golf.
5. Noble M15
Who would say no to having the option of buying one of these blindingly fast M15's? It has a huge price ticket on it but so do Lamborghini's and Ferrari's but we see them hurtling about the streets.
4. Honda Ridgeline
We are a nation that loves its bakkies, the Hilux success is testament enough to that fact. The Honda Ridgeline is different however, it has modern day technology like a unibody chassis and independent suspension. This makes it a lot like a car when driving and you're still able to load around 700kg in the load bin. Also it looks fantastic for a bakkie.
3. Dodge Challenger
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Bring them here!
3 Cars missing here. The Opel Insignia the Ford Kuga and the Ford Mondeo. They would be a huge hit in South Africa. Bring them here please!
What about INFINITI
I think your top ten was not properly thought out as you left out INFINITI (the luxury division of Nissan - it is like LEXUS is to Toyota). Will be easy to bring to south Africa as they have M series (executive sedans that would compete with MERC C and BMW 3 dominance here at a lower price. The Infinity G series would knock out you BMW 3 series coupes hands down for he money. Same can be said about the SUV series the FX and the EX. Should be easy to do as these cars are now available in the UK in right hand drive. Why not in RSA. Cant wait.
Camaro
Camaro,Camaro,Camaro!!!.'nough said!
Inability to meet the consumers demands!
There truly is some kind of sinister power here in South Africa that ominously controls all products that we ridiculously consume or reluctantly settle for! Why isn't there the vehicles that we want to possess instead of only a bunch of stale looking yester-years technological mess-ups! Did you know that we pay the most for our vehicles and its maintenance than any other country? Check it up!
Never again!
VWSA only have themselves to blame for the SEAT fiasco. They priced the cars too high and never extended the dealer network. As far as the others are concerned, I agree about the Dodge Challenger. There are other cars I would also like to see here, like the Ford Kuga and Transit (the latter will kill the Toyota Quantum) and a Chevrolet based on the Holden Caprice.
Some Points
1) Doesn't the current CTS-V have a 410+ kW 6.2 supercharged V8
2) The Mustang's 4.6 V8 is replaced late this year with a 300+ kW 5.0 32V V8 (The 302 is back!)
3) I have seen grey/SADC(?) imports of both Shelby Mustangs and Challenger SRT-8 here on teh East Rand!
They need to bring us the
They need to bring us the bigger bakkies, Toyota Thundra, Ford F150, Nissan Titan, Chev Tacoma etc. The IS350 yes, we also need some more Nissan's, the Sentra, Maxima for instance. We also need the Infinity range. We can do with some muscle cars too, Mustang, Challanger, Camaro, Corvette Z06, ZR1. Toyota Aygo etc etc.
Fully agree
@Kiren> Problem with the Genesis Sedan, Veracruz and Genesis Coupe is the same as General Motors and Ford... they don't make them in right-hand-drive due to low demand vs cost of development and manufacturing.
Due to low demand, Hyundai originally said no to RHD Genesis Coupe, but more recently due to demand from Australia and other RHD markets , I read that they said there will be a RHD Genesis Coupe by 2011, I'm prtty sure we'll get it here if there is one, by then maybe the 2.0l Turbo will be upgraded to the new 208kw 365nm Direct Injection Turbo found in the Sonata...
Agree!
I strongly agree with your top ten list of cars that should be available in South Africa. Why doesn't Ford and General Motors manufacture the Mustang, Challenger and Camaro in right-hand drive? These cars have the potential to increase the street cred of these brands.
With regards to Honda, they should definitely consider bringing the ridgeline to compete with the coming VW Amorak. Honda should also bring the Pilot SUV, the Honda City sedan and the Civic Type R sedan with an automatic gearbox. Lexus needs to bring its IS 350.
Ford should consider bringing the new Mondeo and Ka. Toyota needs to consider bringing in its good looking american Camry to challenge the Accord. Hyundai also should bring the Veracruz SUV and the Genesis sedan. VW needs to consider bringing its brazillian Gol hatchback.
Lastly Mercedes-Benz needs to bring its C250 CGI Blue Efficiency to this country which produces 150Kw and is more of a "mid range" model competing with the likes of the 325i .
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