Keeping up with the international motor industry is a lot more complicated than Keeping Up With The Kardashians – with just as many family squabbles, scandals and break-ups.
Emerging at the top of the family tree is Volkswagen, ending 2016 as the world’s largest automaker with sales of 10.3 million; just a shade more than Toyota. Face-saving news after pleading guilty to three charges in the diesel emissions affair and paying a $4.3-billion fine to settle the US Department of Justice investigation.
And remember the German giant includes Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Porsche. In turn, Audi owns Lamborghini, and Lamborghini owns Ducati. Yes, it’s complicated.
The number three spot goes to General Motors (GM) – or to be more accurate General Motors Company LLC – emerging with a changed name from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 thanks to a multi-billion-dollar bailout from the US Treasury.
Most of that money has been paid back and a study by the Centre for Automotive Research reveals that the GM bailout saved more than a million jobs and preserved nearly $35 billion in tax revenue.
All of the Big Three made it onto the list of finalists for the South African Car of the Year 2017. Volkswagen with the new Tiguan, the most stylish Passat ever, and the technically supreme Audi A4.
Toyota ticked the right boxes with the rugged yet comfortable Fortuner (the bestselling SUV in the country) and have kick-started 2017 with record sales and the claim that one out of every four new vehicles that found homes at the start of the year was a Toyota or affiliate brand.
GM waded in with the Opel Astra which has been gathering international and local awards along with cousin Corsa.
The voguish Astra won the 2016 European Car of the Year award in one of the toughest automotive battles of the decade and the Corsa 1.0T Enjoy drove off with Compact Hatchback of the Year at the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards.
There has been a quiet revolution happening in the ‘more affordable’ car sector over the last couple of years. In essence, it used to be a sector where (and I’m not joking) a passenger airbag was considered to be an optional extra. And ABS was by no means standard!
Now many models hovering around the $25,000 mark boast more standard features than the luxury sedans selling for four times the price tag.
Take the Opel Astra 1.4T Sport. Cruise control, halogen headlights, daytime running lights, tyre pressure monitoring, side blind zone alert, hands free parking and heated sports seats and steering wheel are all included.
And there’s more… the Driver Assist Pack helps to warn drivers of an impending collision, picks up speed restriction signs along with the following distance and automatically throws out emergency anchors to reduce the impact of an unavoidable collision.
While the tech boffins in Stuttgart and Munich seems to be intent on making simple functions like turning down the aircon a life study, the Opels are blessed with IntelliLink – the most amazingly simple communication and media platform. Which complements the modern, free-flowing interior where the instruments are stark and easy to read and the controls are ergonomically excellent – or more simply, right there at your fingertips.
Although the budget hatches seem to be poured out of a common mould, the Astra manages to distinguish itself with a touch of exterior style – in fact the Sport model is quite a stunner.
You don’t have to spend too much time on engine choice. They are all petrol and all turbo charged. Starting with a single liter of displacement, through the 1.4l to the 1.6l manual which has a claimed top speed of 235km/h and hits 100 in less than seven seconds. Youssou N’Dour would be proud.
All very impressive – as it should be. There have been many decades for research and development. The Astra has been around for more than 80 years and sold over 25 million units!
Again it’s one of those intricate family affairs. Production hasn’t been consistent since 1936 and you may be more familiar with the name Kadett. And to complicate things even further, the UK models fall under the Vauxhall banner.
Now the new Opel era beckons. The Rüsselsheim-based carmaker has enjoyed the highest sales in five years with an increase of 46,000 units. The Astra was the main driver of increased sales across Europe, being newly registered more than 285,000 times. Overall Opel managed to increase sales in 18 of 22 markets including Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland.
The resurgence of Opel in South Africa is gaining momentum – over the past two years Opel sales have grown by 9.6%, compared to the market decline of 15.5% over this same period.
And no resting on their laurels. Opel is in the midst of the biggest model offensive in its long history and intends bringing 29 new models to market before 2020. Seven of them this year – hence the motto ‘7 in 17’.
“With these seven new models for 2017, Opel will become a completely different brand within the next 12 months,” says Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann. “We are making electro-mobility feasible for everyday driving with the Ampera-e.”
The Ampera-e, introduced at the Paris motor show, is designed to be the compact range champion with the ability to clock up 500 kilometers on a single charge with sports car performance.
Then the flood gates open with the new flagship Opel Insignia Grand Sport, an all-wheel drive sedan with a coupé-like silhouette. The Sports Tourer, the Country Tourer, the Vivaro and the Crossland X – a new stablemate for the Mokka X.
So the future looks bright for Opel, but it may not be with General Motors as parents. They have been in talks for some time with French automakers Peugeot SA (which includes the Citroën brand) and some say it is a done deal which will rock the European industry.
The major concern is that the deal with PSA and BNP Paribas doesn’t introduce any new barriers of additional tariffs in the shadow of Brexit.
With the addition of Opel and Vauxhall, Peugeot SA will become the second largest automotive company in Europe with a market share of 17%.
“We are proud to join forces with Opel/Vauxhall and are deeply committed to continuing to develop this great company and accelerating its turnaround,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman of the Managing Board of PSA
And back in Detroit, despite ending 2016 with $11 billion of cash on the automotive side, the share price took a knock. Why? Well mainly because of President Donald Trump’s threatened wall. A full 14% of vehicles sold in North America are manufactured in Mexico!
Indeed there is more intrigue in the global car field than you will find in the 13th season of the Kardashians… even with Kanye West joining the fray.

Nomical

Astra-Nomical

<ol>
<li>
<h3>How long did it take to get to the top?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Nearly two decades. I began my career at sea as a cadet in 1996. I then worked on cargo ships, shipping bananas between Ecuador and California, before starting my career in the cruise industry in 2001 as third mate. I worked my way up the ranks, from second officer, first officer navigation, first officer deck, first officer safety, chief officer safety to staff captain (deputy captain, second-in-command). I then joined Celebrity Cruises in July 2015 with my promotion to captain.
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<ol start="2">
<li>
<h3>You have made history as a female captain…</h3>
</li>
</ol>
I honestly did not expect the overwhelming response of support and sheer enthusiasm for my promotion, but I meet people on a daily basis who tell me how much it means to them to see me in this position. It is a very humbling experience, and I really enjoy sharing the story about where and how it all started – with my dad, who told me I could be anything I wanted in life. I meet fathers who let me know that they tell their daughters the same thing. I meet grandmothers who have so much faith in their granddaughters and want to share my story with them. I enjoy speaking to young women and watching their faces and reactions as they come to the realization that becoming a captain of a cruise ship is a possibility for them.
<ol start="3">
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<h3>What is your greatest high on the high seas?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
The ability to actually maneuver the vessel – the arrivals and departures from ports are an adrenaline rush!
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<ol start="4">
<li>
<h3>What is the roughest weather you have encountered at sea?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
I have found that the term ‘rough’ is relative as everyone has a different definition, but one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is not only applicable to going to sea, but also on land: Mother Nature is to be respected. There are several things that we can control but Mother Nature is not one of them. However, we have great, expert means of being able to make predictions and plan accordingly. The safety of our guests and crew always comes first, and we do not take chances.
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h3>How is it like to be away from family for months?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
My contract is three months onboard and three months at home. I have the opportunity to invite my family to come sail with me when possible. Onboard, I have a family of 950 crew members. You can say we are a support system of our own. More than 65 different nationalities and backgrounds working together and supporting each other – they are truly special relationships.
When I am home, I can do anything I want, including travel, visit friends and family or learn a new hobby – there are plenty of those on my list! Also, communication has evolved so much since I began sailing; it is easier than ever to stay in touch with loved ones, they are only just a click or phone call away. Life onboard, doing what I love, is nice. Many things are taken care of, such as laundry, meals, cleaning, scheduling. When I go home, it takes a bit of time to adjust to making my own bed, sitting in traffic or going to the grocery store to buy ingredients to cook a meal.
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<ol start="6">
<li>
<h3>What’s your typical day aboard the ship?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Days at sea are great for me to meet as many guests as possible. I like to walk throughout the ship, go where great events are taking place, talk to everyone and find out where they are from and how their cruise experience is going.
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<ol start="7">
<li>
<h3>Would you recommend this career for other women?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Women are in the ranks. They have been since I began sailing. The opportunities are increasing for everyone, with more ships being built and positions opening up, and I believe you will see more female captains in the cruise industry soon. It is an incredible career, and I recommend it for anyone who has wanderlust in their veins, enjoys meeting new and interesting people, and experiencing the world by an awe-inspiring mode of transportation – cruising. Think about how you feel when you witness a perfect sunrise or sunset, now that is what it feels like to be at sea every day.

Kate-etch

7 Questions With…

Sue Viljoen and Buddy Vaughn make their way down to the fourth floor cabin. It’s early in the morning and the weather is warm, the ocean is crystal clear and just yesterday the couple saw hundreds of red starfish as their ship made its way along the east coast of Africa.
The ship anchors offshore. The two climb down the gangway and jump into a small 24-man orange rubber duck boat. Their destination Portuguese Island, off the Mozambican coast, 562km from their home in Johannesburg.
Viljoen sits down near the end of the rubber duck, by the motor. Vaughn, being slightly heavier, is told to sit at the front. Once everybody is seated the boat master shouts that they are taking off.
A huge swell catches the dingy as it speeds off. Vaughn turns around to Viljoen. She is drenched. Soon, they are all soaked. Here there are no busy harbors, nor busy roads, just untouched white sands.
The couple spends the rest of the morning watching the other passengers disembark.
“The best was watching the ladies getting off, in their dresses, soaked up to their knees with their things held above their heads. And it’s actually really funny,” [&#8230;] “I could go back right now—I would go back tomorrow and do it all again,” says Vaughn.
In Africa, going on a cruise ship offers more than the average holiday, it’s an adventure and this is one of many travelers’ tales of the 20 million people who cruise the world every year, says Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). This year CLIA expects $36 billion will be spent on cruises.
According to Allan Foggitt, head of marketing and sales for MSC Cruises South Africa and former owner of Starlight Cruises, business is on the up.
“For the last two or three years it has been recognized as the fastest growing sector of the travel industry.
“If one looks at our local cruise line industry, which we [MSC Cruise Liners] hold a monopoly, we expect a revenue of R450 million ($4.8 million) a year. Each vessel can accommodate around 2,150 passengers and over the period of the season we can expect to accommodate 130,000 to 135,000 passengers annually and about 98% to 99% of them would be South African residents,” says Foggitt.
MSC operates out of Durban, South Africa, and travels along the east coast of Southern Africa en route to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius and Il Santo Marine. Cruise ships also travel from Cape Town up along the coast of Namibia.
Cruises around Africa are still seen as small change when compared to the international cruising industry. George Argyropoulos, who emigrated from Greece to South Africa to set up Cruises International, explains that 30,000 South Africans are willing to leave their shores and spend up to $30 million. This is nothing in comparison to the billions made in the industry overall but African business is competing with the likes of Israel, the Middle East (UAE), Belgium, Holland, and Portugal—a market almost six times that of local African cruises. The key to building the African market is acquiring a draw factor.
“When you compare it with a Mediterranean cruise; you start in Barcelona and then you’re in Monte Carlo, and the day after that you’re in Florence and the day after that you are in Rome. So why must I fly 17 hours to Africa for a cruise? To see what?” says Argyropoulos.
Competition is tough but the strong dollar helps the African cruise industry. It means airfares are cheap along with prices onboard ships.
“The vessels have gotten even more elaborate, so that in many cases the cruise ships themselves are the destination, literally offering what one would expect to find on a land-based resort,” says Foggitt.
Africa looks to Europe for its business. Europeans make up 85% of those who cruise around the west coast of Africa; on short trips around Southern Africa, they are almost entirely South African.
Investment in the cruise industry comes with a number of problems.
Argyropoulos says that Africans earn less money than Europeans and Americans, so the additional costs of flights and VISAs are expensive and time consuming.
There is also a lack of infrastructure in many ports on the continent, restricting the area where large liners can dock.
“If one looks at Europe you can literally be in a recognized famous city every day of your cruise.In the United States and the Caribbean you can be on a different island every day; you can be in Jamaica one day and then zip across to the belt of Mexico. There are so many different destinations, so many exciting well-established ports that have the infrastructure you would need in terms of buses,” says Foggitt.
“The other thing is distance. If one wants to get to Mauritius which [has] the infrastructure and the tourism background or even Réunion, with these destinations you are looking at cruises of a minimum of 10 and as many as 14 days to get to those destinations. That limits a lot of people in terms of leave,” he says.
Cruising can be dangerous too. There’s piracy off the coast of Somalia and cruise ships have been caught up in it. Anthony Sharp, CEO of Typhon, makes a living out of combating piracy by providing private convoy naval protection units. He says that buccaneering costs the global economy between $7-12 billion a year and costs up to $6.9 billion a year in Somalia alone.
Piracy is waning but it’s not going to go away says Timothy Walker, researcher of conflict management and peace-building at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, South Africa.
“The latest figures are that there are five vessels with 77 passengers being held captive. But there has been a reduction in the number of passengers and vessels and many of them would have been captive for a very long time and we are not sure if there will be any resolution. Negotiations are still being done,” says Walker.
“The majority of incidents this year have occurred around the Gulf of Guinea along the west coast of Africa. Generally most people credit private security companies onboard as deterrents they provide, and the rate of adoption of the best management practices recommended by the International Maritime Bureau,” he says.
To avoid the pirates Foggitt says MSC follows routes along the west coast of Africa rather than risk being attacked en route from the Mediterranean.
“Cruising in South African waters never goes far north and in these seas there has never been any pirate activity. With huge international effort the pirate situation is very much under control so if anything the danger area has been controlled,” says Foggitt.
Once the fear of uncharted waters and the lack of provident ports is overcome, Africa has untapped potential for the cruise liner industry. As the industry continues to grow more and more ships are being built, it’s a reality that people need somewhere to escape and they are willing to pay for it.

Riding The Rough Seas  Off Africa

Sri Lanka is a tropical island steeped in history—boasting multiple ethnicities and beliefs. It is a melting pot of Sinhala, Tamil and Indian people, as well as the ancestors of Dutch, British and Portuguese colonialists. The country’s diverse landscape offers visitors a multitude of activities and experiences; Sir Arthur C. Clarke called Sri Lanka “the island jewel of the Indian Ocean”, and he had seen the universe.
Swift reconstruction efforts, after the 2004 tsunami, have been funded by NGOs and returning tourists who have recognized its potential as a leading tourist destination. It is now possible to rent a fully furnished villa with personnel attending to your every desire. Perhaps a private island, previously owned by a count, takes your fancy? Comparable are the luxurious resorts that spoil residents with palm-tree-fringed private beaches where falling coconuts are the highlight of the day. Visitors are beckoned to book themselves into a spa, participate in a yoga retreat or take a course on meditation.
At dinner—after a day of scuba diving and snorkeling—you can fantasize about tomorrow’s whale watching cruise. Satiate your adrenalin cravings with numerous water sports or challenge the waves the following day. Ascending the country’s highest peaks; rock climbing and abseiling have also proved popular among tourists.
<div id="attachment_667" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-667" class="size-large wp-image-667" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/DSC_6188-1024x680.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="315" />Galle fortress on the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka</div>
With its fortifications perched on a rocky outcrop on the south-western peninsula of Sri Lanka, the city of Galle is one of Sri Lanka’s top tourist hotspots. The Unesco World Heritage Site remains the largest European-built fort in Asia and is best viewed while sipping champagne in a hot air balloon. Its cobbled streets are dotted with Dutch colonial buildings, which have been rejuvenated as museums, boutique hotels and elegant restaurants. The latter provide ideal respite after a sightseeing tour in Marco Polo’s footsteps.
Food is abundant in Sri Lanka. If you need something quick and easy, most bakeries sell vegetable curry-filled rotis and carefully wrapped samoosas. For something more elaborate, handpick a lobster or crayfish from a local fisherman and have a beachside restaurant prepare it for you while you watch a live fire-throwing performance. Indian and colonial influences have infused Sri Lankan food with unique flavors which include an abundance of coconut milk and bouquets of spices.
Being chauffeured northwards, in the comfort of your privately hired car, allows you to observe the majestic landscape. The small hilltop town of Nuwara Eliya is especially charming. It is brewed in nostalgia, with local traditions adopted from the British colonialists. Here, you can join a white-clad gentleman on the golf course or place bets on horse races. The cool atmospheric conditions—it’s located 1,860m above sea level—are ideal for tea cultivation. Take the time to visit the privately-owned plantations. Look through bakery windows and you’ll find English scones being served for breakfast alongside a pot of Ceylon tea. After all, the island was called Ceylon until 1972.
<div id="attachment_666" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-666" class="size-large wp-image-666" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/DSC_5717-1024x680.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="315" />Nuwara Eliya tea plantations</div>
Kandy, which recollects childhood fantasies due to its name, is a cultural haven and home to the Buddha tooth relic temple and the burial grounds of kings gone by. Further along, you will encounter Sigiriya, meaning ‘Lion’s Rock’ in Sinhalese. This hardened magma plug of an extinct volcano rises sharply 370m above the plains. Age-old rock paintings suggest that its caves have been inhabited since prehistoric times. According to local folklore, it was the royal playground of King Kassapa I. Since its re-discovery in 1831, it has been declared a ‘pre-1900 creation’ and the eighth wonder of the world. Palace pools and ruins lie atop its flat peak, which offers magnificent panoramic views.
The ancient city of Anuradhapura was Sri Lanka’s capital city for 1,000 years. The assortment of dagobas (Buddhist shrines); high-rise temples; ponds and ancient palaces are vestiges of its cultural, religious and architectural importance in Sri Lanka’s history. Unesco has classified it as one of the oldest continually inhabited cities: the new city center arises at the foot of the ruins. The Ruwanweliseya dagoba, which is synonymous with Anuradhapura, is revered for its architectural splendor. It is one of the world’s largest brick monuments built before the 20th century.
Although the majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist; Hindu, Christian and Islamic influences are also visible. The birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka can be traced back to Mihintale. I accompanied barefooted, white saris on a short pilgrimage, up 1,840 stairs to the meditating Buddha statue.
Sri Lanka is overflowing with local cultures, traditions and a fascinating history. The smiling locals are fully inclusive.
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www.srilankatourism.org should set you on the right path. According to icanholidays, you should budget at least $500 a day to live in the lap of luxury.

Tag: cruise

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Astra-Nomical

7 Questions With…

Riding The Rough Seas Off Africa

Sri Lanka: The Pristine Island