Local car industry sees continued decline in June 2024
Naamsa stats indicate that local vehicle sales in June 2024, at 40,072 units, reflected a further substantial decrease of 6,531 units, or a loss of 14,0%, from the 46,603 vehicles sold in June 2023.Source: UnsplashExport sales recorded a welcomed increase of 977 units, or 3,6%, to 28,306 units in June 2024 compared to the 27,329 vehicles exported in June 2023.Of the total reported industry sales, an estimated 33,039 units, or 82,5%, represented...
2024-07-03T00:05:19Z
The most infamous product recalls in modern history
Elon Musk dubbed himself the Technoking of Tesla, but he's fast becoming the Recall-king too. In 2023, Tesla recalled two million of its vehicles in the United States due to a technical problem. At the end of 2023, the company released its much-talked-about Cybertruck, a somewhat bizarre-looking creation compared to Tesla's other vehicles. Since then, there have been four recalls issued for various design problems with the truck. The first was related to a Tesla-wide software issue in January 2024. The second came in April when it was revealed that the Cybertruck accelerator pedal could become stuck down. Now, the third and fourth recalls have been issued—one for a piece of plastic trim that can fly off the windshield and another for a problem with the high-powered single windshield wiper that could cause the truck's motor to fail. This once again highlights the worldwide phenomenon of the product recall. Essentially, this is a request from a manufacturer to return a product after the discovery of safety issues or product defects that might endanger the consumer or put the maker/seller at risk of legal action. And the practice is nothing new. Cars, for example, were being withdrawn from the market as early as 1973 in order for modifications to be carried out. Since then, thousands of different products have been subject to withdrawal, and even outright bans. Click through and discover the goods that fell victim to a total recall.
2023-12-18T07:15:28Z
The history of road travel via motorways, highways, and freeways
The Romans are credited with establishing the first road networks, created specifically to transport troops and supplies to far-flung corners of the empire. But it wasn't until the early years of the 20th century that the idea of roads built solely for motor traffic, or controlled-access highways, shifted into gear. The world's first motorway was inaugurated in 1924. Soon afterwards, plans for an interstate highway system in the United States were being drafted. Meanwhile in Germany, the Autobahn caught the imagination of many. Today, motorways and freeways can be found in numerous countries. But what drove the urge to build these extraordinary vehicular platforms in the first place? Click on, get in gear, and accelerate through the history of road travel.
2024-04-10T13:07:04Z