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Newcomer

Earlier this year news broke that the Toyota Crown, a premium sedan that’s exclusive to Japan and select Asian markets, was going to reinvent itself as an SUV.

Not only that, but word on the street was that it would become Toyota’s most expensive SUV, albeit with a more car-like flavour than the LC300.

The newcomer’s sleek design attempts to bridge the gap between sedan, coupe and SUV. The vehicle has a rather large footprint, with Creative 311 reporting an overall length of 4930mm, making it almost as long as a Land Cruiser 300. | IOL Motoring

Seven months after leaving Cape

Agulhas, the Kingsley Holgate Defender Transcontinental Expedition has reached its geographic halfway point in Alexandria, Egypt, becoming the first exploration team in 30 years to cross the African continent from south to north through Sudan. Travelling in three New Land Rover Defenders, this geographic and humanitarian expedition aims to cover 30 countries on its route from the southern tip of the African continent to the northern-most point of Europe at Nordkapp in Norway’s Arctic Circle, and then through Europe to reach Anglesey in Wales. The core six-member team is made up of expedition leader Ross Holgate and his wife Anna, Kingsley Holgate and partner Sheelagh, Mike and Fiona Nixon, and assisted by African expedition members in each country who help with local knowledge and language. The team has not only dealt with mountains of paperwork related to overland travel in Africa, sharply rising fuel prices and the high costs and logistical challenges of Covid-19 restrictions and PCR tests at every border crossing, but also survived life-threatening situations and extreme hardships on the journey from South Africa to Egypt. | IOL Motoring

Joining Forces

Honda and Sony have joined hands to establish a new company that will develop high-value-added electric vehicles and provide services for mobility.

The new company, which is named Sony Honda Mobility, will aim to bring together the expertise of Honda and Sony.

The new company will have Honda's cutting-edge environmental and safety technologies, mobility development capabilities, vehicle body manufacturing technology and after-sales service management experience.

It will also have Sony's expertise in the development and application of imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network and entertainment technology. | IOL Motoring