News South Africa

Awesome horse-power on show

Whether your passion is power and performance, economical family transport, off-road bundu-bashing, or saving the planet with low-emission engines you are guaranteed to find plenty to drool over at this year's Johannesburg International Motor Show.

The show hosted local and international motoring media on Thursday and Friday with lots of glitz, glamour, loud music and stunningly attractive models on two legs as well as on four wheels.

JIMS opened to the public on Saturday and will run until 9 November.

Show-goers are given an interesting glimpse into the future with displays of hydrogen, electric, hybrid and fuel cell cars.

With few exceptions, most of the leading car manufacturers have a significant presence at the show, with most of them showing off with new or revamped models.

High octane addicts will undoubtedly get their high from the blistering 4.8-litre Koenigsegg which rockets from 0 to 100km/h in 3 seconds and to 200km/h in 13.8 seconds - and will run on to a top speed of more than 400km/h.

The world also gets its first glimpse of the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series which was unveiled at the show. This high-performance coupé is powered by a thundering AMG 6.0 litre V12 biturbo engine, with a maximum output of 493kW/1000Nm.

Also on display is one of the most talked and written about modern sports cars - the Nissan GT-R all-wheel drive which is armed with a 3.8-litre twin turbo V6 engine that produces 353kW and 588Nm

GMSA has delighted local car fans by bringing to the show its latest Chevrolet Corvette, plus a stylish reincarnation of the iconic sixties Chevrolet Camaro which might well be heading to our shores in the not too distant future.

GMSA is also showing its Cruze Concept which came to South Africa straight from the Paris Motor Show.

Other don't-miss stands include Audi, Renault, Volkswagen and the collective and very impressive combined Mercedes/Jeep/Hummer/Cadillac/Opel/Saab/Chevrolet display.

The red Ferrari's are also there, along with the white Aston Martins, Bentley's Flying Spur Continental and Audi's head-turning R8.

The show also has a vast commercial section with a wide spread of trucks and buses. Outdoor attractions include quads, bikes, marine engines and off-road vehicles.

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