For Release:12August 2013			GM South Africa	General Motors South Africa Kempston Road, Sidwell PO Box 1137 Port Elizabeth 6000         www.gmsa.com

Chevrolet Spark brings SimDrive students into reality

 

Port Elizabeth, 12 August 2013 – General Motors South Africa has sponsored a Chevrolet Spark to SimDrive, a new-age driving school which uses virtual simulation to teach students the ins and outs of driving before they turn the key to a real vehicle and drive on real South African roads.

 

All the realism, none of the risk

 

SimDrive, which has been designed around international concepts and which has seen enormous success in countries like Germany and the Netherlands, uses the same technology found in aircraft simulators to teach learner drivers how to drive, from the most basic clutch and accelerator control to ‘real’ driving scenarios which include traffic and pedestrians. The mobile unit currently travels between schools in Johannesburg, with plans for expansion in the future.

 

Keen pilot and creator of the SimDrive initiative in South Africa, Anton Tromp says SimDrive is finding favour with more and more schools in South Africa as the concept grows in popularity. “SimDrive is a unique concept whereby driving students are placed in a realistic car environment, complete with a dashboard, seatbelt, handbrake, gear lever and peripheral controls as they would find them in a real car. The system then allows the students to ‘drive’ the virtual car with a virtual driving instructor built in – with audible warnings for mistakes such as over-revving the engine or driving too quickly. Customised for South Africa and the K53 driving test, SimDrive is the answer for budding new drivers.

 

“Our aim is to produce highly competent new drivers who practise safe driving techniques, which improves road safety and ultimately saves lives in South Africa,” concludes Tromp.

 

Chevy is the first step onto real roads

 

Chevrolet Brand Manager, Tim Hendon, says: “The locally-built Chevrolet Spark is the perfect car to pair with the SimDrive initiative as it is not only often the car of choice for first time drivers once they pass their licenses, but being compact and light on its feet makes the task of learning to drive in the real world that much easier.

 

Chevrolet recognises the value in SimDrive and with the demand from students to be able to progress from virtual driving lessons directly into a real car with an instructor, the sponsorship came naturally.”

 

Spark is the perfect car for new drivers

 

The Chevrolet Spark is built in Port Elizabeth and is available in five derivatives – from the business-oriented 1.2 Pronto panel van to the sporty Spark 1.2 LT. The Spark 1.2 Campus has been tailored specifically to suit student needs, featuring important items like ABS and EBD, two airbags, air conditioning and power steering – but at an exceptionally pocket-friendly price of R106 600.

 

 

Ends

 

About General Motors– General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 202,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries.  GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 30 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Italy.  GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.  More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

 

 

GMSA Contacts:

 

Lunga Ntsendwana

Product Communications Manager

General Motors South Africa                                           

+27 41 403 2187 (tel)                                                      

+27 41 403 2922 (fax)     

                                               

E-mail: lunga.ntsendwana@gm.com

Website: www.gmsa.com

Media On-Line: http://media.gm.com

Follow me on twitter: @LungzN