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The High Court has declared the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Amendment Act, on which the planned demerit system for traffic offences is based, unconstitutional and invalid.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) challenged the constitutional validity of AARTO and the AARTO Amendment Act, and asked the court in October last year to declare both the main Act and the amendment Act unconstitutional.

The Pretoria High Court on Thursday delivered its ruling on the constitutionality of the AARTO Act.

Judge Annali Basson found in favour of Outa and agreed with its position that the legislation unlawfully intrudes upon the exclusive executive and legislative competence of the local and provincial governments envisaged in the Constitution, preventing local and provincial governments from regulating their own affairs.

The respondents in the case were the Minister of Transport, the Minister Of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Road Traffic Infringement Authority (RTIA) and the Appeals Tribunal.

The court ordered the Minister of Transport and the RTIA to pay Outa’s costs, including the costs of two counsel.

The Department of Transport told Engineering News Online that it will study the judgement and “consult our counsel. Then we’ll take it forward from there”.

Outa says in a statement that it has raised its concerns and objections about the AARTO Act and the published AARTO Amendment Act “for a number of years”, sharing its concerns with relevant authorities before the amendment Act was published.

The organisation says it believes that these pieces of traffic legislation are unconstitutional, and that it will not assist in curbing road traffic fatalities in South Africa.

In her judgment, honourable Judge Basson concluded the following: “It therefore follows in my view that the AARTO Act and the Amendment Act must be declared to be inconsistent with the Constitution in its entirety. It is therefore declared that the AARTO Act and the Amendment Acts are unconstitutional and invalid.”

“We are very pleased with the court’s decision,” says Outa accountability and governance divisions executive director Advocate Stefanie Fick.

“Outa believes that AARTO in its current format does nothing to improve road safety, nor does it reduce the scourge of road fatalities in South Africa.

“We are satisfied that the judgment will be sending government back to the drawing board.

“This time around, we trust the relevant departments will engage meaningfully with civil society to obtain our input when developing such important policies for the country.

“South Africa needs effective processes enabled by fair adjudication that complies with the Constitution.”

Fick adds that the court’s judgment points out that government is out of touch with reality.

“Not only did government waste a lot of time, but also valid resources, as the AARTO rollout will have to be stopped while the Act is once again amended and taken through the legislative process. Only then can it be implemented.”

Fick says Outa’s battle to “protect motorists” from AARTO is not yet over.

“Outa urges government to listen to the input given by organisations such as Outa when reviewing these Acts. We can assure the public that we will carefully monitor the process to ensure that any revised AARTO Acts are constitutional and truly aimed at increased road safety and saving lives.”

The Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association (NEVA) reports that the Scandinavian country set a new record for electric vehicle (EV) sales in 2021, with 64.5% of all new cars sold fully electric.

The association says last year turned out to be the year “EV sales skyrocketed in Norway, where ground-breaking records have become a frequent occurrence”.

In December EVs had a market share of 67%. However, September proved to be the record month for the year with a 77.5% electric market share, meaning three out of every four new vehicles sold were electric.

After 11 consecutive years in pole position, Volkswagen in 2021 lost its number one market position in Norway to US EV manufacturer Tesla.

The main reason for this is that the Tesla Model 3 was Norway’s best-selling car “by far” in 2021, says NEVA.

Next in line was the plug-in hybrid Toyota RAV4, followed by Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model Y.

NEVA represents electric car owners in Norway.

The association says it promotes Norway as the best case scenario for EV policy to Europe and the rest of the world.

“Our main goal is to promote EVs that run fully, or partially, on renewable energy. We believe EVs are the best alternative for personal transport when it comes to the local environment, climate, energy efficiency and economy.”

In stark contrast to the Norwegian sales numbers, Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council reports that 650 hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery EVs were sold in South Africa for the entire twelve months of 2021 – or 0.2% of all new car sales.

This is, however, up 127.3% on the 2020 number of 286 units.

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) last year marked 42 years – out of 61 years in the local market – as the best-selling automotive brand in South Africa, while it also recorded a remarkable market share of 25.4%, up from the 23.7% of 2020.

This means that one in every four vehicles sold locally last year was a Toyota product.

Out of the industry’s total sales of 464 122 units in 2021, 117 659 units were delivered by TSAM.

This is a significant jump from the 90 129 units the local arm of the Japanese manufacturer sold in 2020, but remains well shy of the pre-Covid-19 number of 130 072 units recorded in 2019.

The last time TSAM registered a market share higher than 25% was in 2003, which wasn’t necessarily a good year for the local industry as total automotive sales were just above 380 000 units.

The made-in-Durban Hilux bakkie retained its title as the country's best-selling vehicle, with a total of 36 085 units sold in 2021, most of which were double-cabs.

The locally assembled Hiace minibus taxi also continued its supremacy as the people mover of choice, with a total of 15 699 models sold.

These two models, assisted by the Land Cruiser pick-up and Dyna small truck, propelled TSAM to a light commercial vehicle market share of 42.2% in 2021.

Toyota’s market share of 19.2% in the passenger segment is the highest in the last 12 years – matching a similar figure in 2018 – and comes in the wake of stellar performances by the locally manufactured Corolla Cross in November and December.

Other notable figures were posted by Starlet and Urban Cruiser – 12 103 and 8 899 units, respectively, for 2021.

Toyota’s truck division, Hino, posted a market share of 25.1% in the medium commercial vehicle segment, and 5.5% in the heavy commercial vehicle market.

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has resolved to support the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) with resources to enable it to “urgently prepare cases” against those identified in a recently released report arising from the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture.

Such resources could include private prosecutors, Busa said in a statement released following a special meeting of its board held on January 10.

“We will coordinate initiatives by our members into a serious and concerted mechanism to provide necessary resources to the NPA to urgently prepare cases to prosecute those identified in the report.

“Such resources could include private prosecutors and other relevant assistance.

“We will engage the NPA about this,” CEO Cas Coovadia said in a statement.

The board meeting was convened in response to Part One of the inquiry’s report, which contains evidence of fraud and corruption at South African Airways, the South African Revenue Service and the New Age newspaper.

It was delivered to President Cyril Ramaphosa by Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on January 4, with two subsequent reports to follow and with the second report to focus on corruption and maladministration at State-owned companies such as Denel, Eskom and Transnet.

The Busa board also asked relevant members to “urgently engage with any businesses mentioned in the report, in order to get a full briefing from those businesses about the allegations and to understand what actions those businesses intend taking”.

Coovadia said that the outcome of these engagements would inform its position on these aspects of the report.

The Zondo report names various large companies that the NPA should consider prosecuting for fraud or corruption, notably Nedbank and Bain & Co.

Nedbank, which has denied any wrongdoing, has indicated that it will cooperate with any investigation that could arise.

Coovadia made a commitment that Busa would address the outcomes of Part One of the report with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.

“We are, however, an organisation of business associations and have the responsibility to engage members and ensure due process in arriving at a mandated position on the report.

“We are processing this with utmost urgency.”

Busa stressed, however, that it supported the general recommendations contained in the report, including one on the protection of whistleblowers and “a role for business in addressing the dire circumstances some of the whistleblowers are in”.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has highlighted climate action failure, growing social divides, heightened cyber-risks and uneven global recovery as the foremost risks the world will be facing in coming years.

Launching the ‘Global Risks 2022’ report on January 11, which was compiled in collaboration with professional services firms Marsh McLennan, SK Group and Zurich Insurance Group, WEF MD Saadia Zahidi said only one in ten people believed the global recovery would accelerate.

Most respondents instead expect the next three years to be characterised by either consistent volatility and multiple surprises or fractured trajectories that will separate relative winners and losers.

Zahidi highlighted that health and economic disruptions were compounding social cleavages.

“This is creating tensions at a time when collaboration within societies and among the international community will be fundamental to ensure a more even and rapid global recovery.

“Global leaders must come together and adopt a coordinated multi-stakeholder approach to tackle unrelenting global challenges and build resilience ahead of the next crisis,” Zahidi stated.

WEF president Børge Brende said the cost of inaction against climate change far exceeded the cost of action, but yet there was still a lack in “net zero” ways of thinking.

Standing in the way of immediate climate change mitigation were inflationary pressures, owing to the response to Covid-19 globally, and a looming debt crisis, which reduced fiscal ammunition among governments, he explained.

To deal effectively with climate and social challenges, more private and public sector collaboration was needed.

Brende noted that global problems required global solutions, but added that it was uncertain to what extent persistent geopolitical tension in an already fractured world would hinder the necessary action.

Given the rise in geopolitical ambitions and tensions, Marsh continental Europe risk management leader Carolina Klink deemed it fitting that companies were sharpening their focus on organisational resilience and environmental, social and governance credentials, as they recovered from the pandemic.

“With cyberthreats now growing faster than our ability to eradicate them permanently, it is clear that neither resilience nor governance are possible without credible and sophisticated cyber-risk management plans.

“Similarly, organisations need to start understanding their space risks, particularly the risk to satellites on which we have become increasingly reliant, given the rise in geopolitical tensions.”

Commenting on the publication of the ‘Global Risks 2022’ report, the Worldwide Fund for Nature International director-general Marco Lambertini commented that businesses and policymakers were finally waking up to the very real risks posed by both climate change and biodiversity loss.

He suggested that this “eco-awakening” be coupled with efforts to connect the dots between climate change, the destruction of nature and the current production and consumption model.

Lambertini pointed to the necessity of authorities and businesses moving away from responding to pandemics to preventing them by adopting a one health approach, which recognises that the health of people is closely tied to the health of animals and the natural environment.

“We are finally beginning to understand that only by securing a stable climate and healthy natural world will we be able to build a safer, more prosperous and equitable future for humanity. Now it’s time to commit and to act.”

The ‘Global Risks 2022’ report lists the top short-term risks, within the next two years, as being extreme weather, livelihood crises, climate action failure, social cohesion erosion, infectious diseases, mental health deterioration, cybersecurity failure, debt crises, digital inequality and an asset bubble burst.

The top medium-term risks, over the next two to five years, are listed as climate action failure, extreme weather, social cohesion erosion, live...

The World Bank is forecasting that growth in South Africa will slow to only 2.1% in 2022 amid decelerating global and regional growth, reflective of continued Covid-19 flare-ups, diminished fiscal support, and lingering supply bottlenecks.

The bank’s latest ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report, released on January 11, estimates that South Africa grew by 4.6% in 2021, after contracting by 6.4% in 2020.

“In South Africa, a strong rebound earlier in the year was disrupted by severe Covid-19 outbreaks, social unrest, and power shortages,” the report notes.

It also forecasts that the country is likely to expand by only 1.5% in 2023 and warns that risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside.

“Growth in South Africa is forecast to moderate to its pre-pandemic trend, being held back by structural impediments and elevated levels of public debt,” the report adds.

Global growth is also expected to decelerate markedly from 5.5% in 2021 to 4.1% in 2022 and 3.2% in 2023 as pent-up demand dissipates and as fiscal and monetary support is unwound across the world.

“Following a strong rebound in 2021, the global economy is entering a pronounced slowdown amid fresh threats from Covid-19 variants and a rise in inflation, debt, and income inequality that could endanger the recovery in emerging and developing economies,” the report cautions.

Output in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), meanwhile, grew by an estimated 3.5% in 2021, driven by a rebound in commodity prices and an easing of social restrictions.

However, the report warns that the recovery remains fragile and insufficient to reverse a pandemic-induced increase in poverty.

Growth in SSA is projected to firm slightly during the forecast horizon, to 3.6% in 2022 and 3.8% in 2023.

“This outlook is nearly a full percentage point below the 2000 to 2019 average, however, reflecting the continued effects of the pandemic, reduced policy support, and policy uncertainty and worsening security situations in some countries.”

In over a third of the region's economies, including Angola, Nigeria and South Africa, per capita incomes are projected to remain lower in 2022 than a decade ago.

The bank also warns that very low Covid-19 vaccination rates in the region pose a threat of renewed and more severe outbreaks, which could trigger recurrent disruption to activity.

“A prolonged pandemic could amplify past development and health challenges, derail structural and fiscal reforms, and result in lasting human capital losses.”

The challenge this year will be to reduce policy uncertainty further, as confidence-building is said to be the cheapest form of economic stimulation, and accelerated economic reforms, higher fixed investment and stronger business confidence need to be backed by policy certainty, the North-West University (NWU) Business School Policy Uncertainty Index (PUI) for the fourth quarter of 2021 states.

South Africa must, therefore, mobilise and implement a range of existing half-forged policies and shovel-ready infrastructure projects to help create a growth environment that is solid, coherent and employment-friendly.

“Among the fundamental structural reform items is policy certainty. Simple, but fundamental to the investor community. Remember that you cannot force people to invest, but you can create an environment which makes it easier to invest, create jobs and develop the country,” former Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said in December.

Key platforms, such as the State of the Nation Address, in early February; the main Budget Speech, later in February; and the next Presidential Investment Conference, in March, must be used to create an economic environment that is conducive to inclusive, is job-rich growth and promotes policy consistency and coherence, the NWU Business School says.

The NWU Business School PUI declined to 53.2 in the fourth quarter, from 58.2 in the third quarter, but was still well in negative territory. The negative factors that caused the big spike in the third-quarter PUI diminished in the fourth quarter.

“Structural impediments to a strong economic recovery remain, unless economic reforms are prioritised. For example, an acceptable existing growth roadmap, the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, still awaits full recognition and implementation,” the PUI report says.

Further, towards the end of the fourth quarter of 2021, overall global economic growth rate forecasts, although still positive at about 5%, were being trimmed as a result of the impact of Covid-19 Omicron variant restrictions in several countries.

The media data for the fourth quarter PUI showed a slight increase in references to policy uncertainty, while surveyed economists, on average, believed policy uncertainty was the same, or a little lower.

Further, Stellenbosch University’s Bureau for Economic Research survey of manufacturers experiencing policy or political uncertainty declined from 84 to 79.

SOUTH AFRICAN ECONOMY

During the third quarter of 2021, negative factors greatly eclipsed positive ones to push the PUI much higher, including the serious civil unrest in July, the move to lockdown Level 3, Eskom load-shedding, record-high unemployment figures, uncertainty around the pending local elections and continued implementation risks around various policies and projects, such as energy policy.

This was eventually also reflected in the worse-than-expected 1.5% gross domestic product (GDP) economic contraction in the third quarter of 2021.

“Though the PUI remains well in negative territory, policy uncertainty in the fourth quarter of 2021 was lower than it was in the third quarter. Some of the factors causing the third quarter 2021 PUI to strongly spike subsequently began to diminish.

“One positive element was the key Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, in November, which delivered a positive message about South Africa’s growth and fiscal metrics. Then the South African Reserve Bank’s composite leading business cycle indicator rose marginally in October. The South African stock market also ended 2021 with its best performance in 12 years, with all its components higher for now,” the NWU PUI shows.

However, the fourth-quarter PUI remained elevated and in negative territory, which can be partly ascribed to the initial uncertainty stemming from the emergence of Omicron and the imposition of travel bans on South Africa by about 30 countries. Although a few of the travel bans have been lifted, considerable economic damage had already been d...

New-vehicle sales rebounded strongly in the domestic market in 2021, gaining 22.1% to reach 464 122 units for the year, says Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council.

This follows a 29.2% drop in 2020, in a year where sales were heavily impacted by the outbreak of Covid-19.

“It was a very satisfying performance by an industry that has had to deal with numerous challenges, ranging from global supply-chain disruptions, insufficient model availability, persistent load-shedding, escalating logistics cost, as well as several domestic shocks,” reports Naamsa.

“Fortunately, the new-vehicle market’s resilience continued and the economic disruptions caused by July’s civil unrest, the cyberattack on Transnet operations, the three-week strike in the steel and engineering sector, record fuel prices, as well as the first interest rate increase in three years did not deter sales too much.”

Naamsa says 2021 new-vehicle sales were assisted by renewed activity in the vehicle rental industry in the second half of the year as the tourism sector started to show signs of recovery.

The council notes, however, that market conditions in the new-passenger-car and light-commercial-vehicle market continued to be characterised by a buying-down trend, with “preowned vehicles offering the most enticing option during the year”.

Sales of medium and heavy-commercial vehicles also recovered in 2021, with truck and van sales mirroring an improved macro-economic climate.

New-passenger-vehicle sales jumped by 23.3% in 2021, to 303 961 units.

Light-commercial-vehicle sales increased by 20%, to 133 079 units.

Medium-truck sales grew by 11.6%, to 7 518 units.

The sale of heavy trucks and buses increased by 22.1%, to 19 564 vehicles.

Exports Pummelled by Civil Unrest, Transnet

New-vehicle exports from South Africa recovered by 8.8% in 2021, to 295 268 units.

This follows a 30% contraction in exports in 2020, to 271 288 units.

For the first half of 2021 vehicle exports were still on par with the record pre-Covid-19 vehicle export performance of 2019, but the civil unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the force majeure declared by Transnet after the cyberattack during July, “left a major scar on the country’s economy”, says Naamsa.

“Consequently, the upward momentum in vehicle exports ground to a halt as the knock-on effects of the economic disruptions, along with the global shortage of semi-conductors – which also impacted domestic vehicle production – became visible.”

8% Growth in Sales Expected, 15% in Exports

Naamsa says many of the current market disruptors are expected to remain in play in 2022.

The council expects that sales will continue to be hampered by escalating costs and supply-chain disruptions, such as the global semi-conductor shortage, impacting on the availability of certain models.

Naamsa also believes that load-shedding will remain an area of “great concern” this year, limiting the economy’s ability to reach its full capacity.

“Furthermore, the realities of rising interest rates and fuel prices are expected to impact vehicle affordability, as household budgets remain under pressure, dimming the hopes of a strong recovery in the economy any time soon.”

While the new-vehicle market has seen substantial growth since the initial shock of Covid-19, it has not been sufficient to return to pre-pandemic levels, notes the council.

With an economic growth rate of 1.8% forecast for 2022, the new-vehicle market is expected to continue its gradual recovery during the year, but at a slower pace.

“A sustained higher domestic economic growth rate is essential to support higher domestic new-vehicle sales volumes,” says Naamsa.

“At this stage a year-on-year improvement of around 8% in new-vehicle sales volumes is projected for 2022.

“Factoring in the expected year-on-year improvement in vehicle exports of around 15%, an improvement in vehicle production of about 17% is projected for 2022.”

BMW this week unveiled the iX Flow featuring E Ink at the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas.

The Munich-based premium car manufacturer is proposing the prospect of a future technology that uses digitisation to adapt the exterior of a vehicle to different situations and individual wishes.

The surface of the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink can vary its shade at the driver's prompting.

“Digital experiences won't just be limited to displays in the future,” says BMW management board member responsible for development Frank Weber.

“There will be more and more melding of the real and virtual. With the BMW iX Flow, we are bringing the car body to life."

The fluid colour changes are made possible by a specially developed body wrap that is tailored to the contours of the all-electric iX sports activity vehicle.

When stimulated by electrical signals, the electrophoretic technology brings different colour pigments to the surface, causing the body skin to take on the desired colouration.

"The BMW iX Flow is an advanced research and design project and a great example of the forward thinking that BMW is known for,” says BMW Group Design head Adrian van Hooydonk.

BMW believes that new technologies will provide a whole new level of decision-making freedom in the future.

“This [technology] gives the driver the freedom to express different facets of their personality, or even their enjoyment of change outwardly, and to redefine this each time they get into their car," says Stella Clarke, who heads up the project for the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink.

“Similar to fashion or the status ads on social media channels, the vehicle then becomes an expression of the different moods and circumstances in daily life."

But it is also about efficiency, says the German car maker, especially when taking into account the different abilities of light and dark colours when it comes to reflecting sunlight and the associated absorption of thermal energy.

A white surface reflects a lot more sunlight than a black one.

By implication, the heating of the vehicle and passenger compartment as a result of strong sunlight and high outside temperatures can be reduced by changing the exterior to a light colour.

In cooler weather, a dark outer skin will help the vehicle to absorb noticeably more warmth from the sun.

In both cases, selective colour changes can help to cut the amount of cooling and heating required from the vehicle's systems.

This reduces the amount of energy the vehicle's electrical system needs and with it also the vehicle's fuel or electricity consumption.

In an all-electric car, changing the colour in line with the weather can, therefore, also help to increase the range.

E Ink technology itself is extremely energy efficient, promises BMW.

Unlike displays or projectors, the electrophoretic technology needs no energy to keep the chosen colour state constant. Current only flows during the short colour changing phase.

Electrophoretic What?

Electrophoretic colouring is based on a technology that is more well-known from the displays used in eReaders.

The surface coating of the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink contains millions of microcapsules, with a diameter equivalent to the thickness of a human hair.

Each of these microcapsules contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments.

Depending on the chosen setting, stimulation by means of an electrical field causes either the white or the black pigments to collect at the surface of the microcapsule, giving the car body the desired shade.

Are electric vehicles with their currently limited range of roughly 400 km suitable for one of life’s more iconic events – the road trip?

Mercedes-Benz thinks so. The German car maker used this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to lift the veil on a vehicle capable of tackling long distances – the Vision EQXX.

“The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX is how we imagine the future of electric cars,” says Daimler and Mercedes-Benz chairperson Ola Källenius.

“Just one-and-a-half years ago, we started this project leading to the most efficient Mercedes-Benz ever built, with outstanding energy consumption of less than 10 kWh per 100 km.

“The Vision EQXX has a range of more than 1 000 km on a single charge, using a battery that would fit even into a compact vehicle.

“It is an advanced car in so many dimensions – and it even looks stunning and futuristic. With that, it underlines where our entire company is headed. We will build the world’s most desirable electric cars,” says Källenius.

Rather than increasing the size of the battery, Mercedes-Benz tasked an international team to focus on maximising long-distance efficiency, to ensure that the electric vehicle remains one suited to the road trip.

The result is a battery pack that holds almost 100 kWh of energy, yet has 50% less volume and is 30% lighter than what Mercedes-Benz regards as its benchmark battery pack in the Mercedes-Benz EQS.

To put all of this in real-life perspective: The Vision EQXX uses less than 10 kWh of electrical energy to travel 100 km. Translated into fossil-fuel consumption, this is around one litre of fuel per 100 kilometres. (Ultra-thin solar roof panels also feed the battery system for up to 25 km of extra range.)

Other innovations on the Vision EQXX include a new one-piece internal display that comes to life with responsive real-time graphics.

The display spans 1.2 m from one A-pillar to the other. With an 8K resolution, the mini-LED display acts as a portal connecting the driver and occupants with the car and the world outside.

The Mercedes-Benz team worked with navigation experts Navis Automotive Systems to develop the first real-time three-dimensional (3D) navigation system on a screen of this size.

It performs zoom and scroll functions from satellite view down to a height of ten metres in the 3D city representation. Executed on the one-piece display, it promises the user clear, accurate and intuitive route guidance.

The Vision EQXX also uses the map data to ‘see into the future’, anticipating what lies ahead to help the driver take advantage of it in a way that maximises driving efficiency.

The interior features a large number of materials sourced from startups around the world. The door pulls are made from AMsilk’s Biosteel fibre. This biotechnology-based and certified-vegan silk-like fabric comes from the inventor of biofabricated (nature-identical) fibre.

Another sustainable material is MyloTM, a vegan leather alternative made from mycelium, which is the underground rootlike structure of mushrooms.

The animal-free leather alternative called Deserttex is a sustainable cactus-based biomaterial made from pulverised cactus fibres combined with a sustainable bio-based polyurethane matrix.

On the floor, the carpets are made from 100% bamboo fibre.

Elsewhere, the Vision EQXX makes extensive use of recycled waste materials, such as the recycled plastic bottles used in a textile to enhance the floor area and door trim.

The interior also features UBQ material, a sustainable plastic substitute made from household and municipal landfill waste.

The doors of the Vision EQXX are made from a hybrid of carbon- and glass-fibre-reinforced plastic components with aluminium reinforcements.

Also, a new polyamide foam reinforces the lower edge of the door and optimises energy absorption in a side-on collision.

On the chassis, aluminium brake discs reduce the mass compared with cast steel discs.

Another efficiency feature of the Vision EQXX that takes its cue from natu...