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Stuff from Johannesburg

iCAUR to reveal V27 at Festival of Motoring

The V27 public debut leads a wider Festival programme featuring a first glimpse of the 03T REEV and a new partnership with Red Bull.

iCAUR South Africa will unveil the V27 to the public at this year’s Festival of Motoring, opening pre-orders for the new flagship as it makes its first local appearance.

The reveal is part of a larger showing for iCAUR, which will also bring the 03T REEV to Kyalami and announce a long-term partnership with Red Bull. A busy schedule of joint events is already planned for the coming months, with details to be released in stages.

The V27 sits at the top of the iCAUR range and continues the Future Classic design direction introduced by the V23. Its squared proportions and upright stance are familiar, but the V27 is a larger and more refined interpretation, with a longer body, more interior space and a range-extender electric drivetrain.

A turbocharged 1.5-litre engine works with a 34.3 kWh battery and two electric motors to produce 339 kW. The V27 has a published electric range of 150 km and a total driving range of more than 1,000 km, with the dual-motor model accelerating from rest to 100 km/h in five seconds.

The cabin includes a dual panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, ambient lighting and up to 50 storage spaces. The chassis has been developed with support from the Prodrive racing team, while more than 76% of the vehicle’s safety structure is made from high-strength steel.

“The V27 is a significant vehicle for us, but we did not want its first public appearance to be a static reveal,” said Shannon Gahagan, National Brand and Marketing Manager at iCAUR and OMODA & JAECOO South Africa. “Festival of Motoring gives people time to see the car properly, spend time with the range and get behind the wheel. Our partnership with Red Bull means that engagement will continue well beyond the weekend at Kyalami.”

The 03T REEV will be displayed alongside the V27, giving visitors an early look at another range-extended addition to the iCAUR line-up. Further information on the model will be shared closer to its South African introduction.

Away from the vehicle display, iCAUR has planned the Festival experience as a journey through several touchpoints across the venue. Visitors will not need to follow a fixed route or complete every activity.

The iCAUR Game Pass connects the experience. It can be collected from the welcome desk or any participating iCAUR space, with each interaction giving visitors another opportunity to enter the Ball Pit in the food court. There is no app to download and no login process. Hidden among the orange and white balls are a limited number of blue ones, each of which unlocks iCAUR merchandise. The blue balls are returned to the pit after each win, keeping them in play for the next visitor.

Rep My T brings customisation into the experience through on-site T-shirt printing. Visitors can choose an iCAUR design, have it printed while they wait, and take the finished shirt home. Those who want to drive can register at the SnowPeak lounge before heading out in a selected iCAUR model. The space doubles as a waiting area, giving guests somewhere to spend time before their allocated drive.

The Festival of Motoring runs from 28 to 30 August 2026 at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. The V27 and 03T REEV will remain on display throughout the weekend, with pre-orders for the V27 opening at the show. Pricing, derivatives and delivery timing will be confirmed separately. The first events under the iCAUR and Red Bull partnership will also be announced over the next few months.

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The Oriental Plaza: A Phoenix in Fordsburg

If Johannesburg is a city of forced displacements, the Oriental Plaza is its most resilient response. While the Rand Club was built for the elite and Ponte for the “jet-set,” the Oriental Plaza was born from the trauma of the Group Areas Act—a piece of Apartheid legislation designed to geographically separate the races. Yet, in true Johannesburg fashion, what was intended as a tool of containment and financial ruin for the Indian community transformed into one of the most vibrant, independent commercial powerhouses in the country.

The story of the Plaza begins with the destruction of Pageview, affectionately known as Fietas. In the mid-20th century, Fietas was a legendary multicultural hub, centered around the bustling 14th Street. It was the city’s premier destination for textiles, clothing, and spices, where shoppers of all races would rub shoulders in a “jazzy, soulful” atmosphere. However, because Fietas was located so close to the white-only city center, the Apartheid government declared it a “white area” in 1962. The community fought back for decades, but by the 1970s, the bulldozers arrived. Homes were leveled, and the thriving traders of 14th Street were forcibly relocated to a purpose-built, modernist complex a kilometer away in Fordsburg: the Oriental Plaza.

The government’s intent was cynical: by moving the traders into a controlled environment with high state-mandated rents and strict rules on what could be sold, they hoped to break the back of Indian commercial dominance. The early years were devastating; many businesses folded, and the “Grand Bazaar” felt like a sterile warehouse compared to the street-level energy of Fietas. However, the traders refused to vanish. They eventually won the right to purchase their own shops, making the Oriental Plaza unique among South African malls because it is owned by the shopkeepers themselves rather than a corporate landlord. This ownership model changed everything. Without the burden of massive monthly mall rentals, the 360+ independent stores can offer prices that national retailers cannot touch, turning the Plaza into a “bargain-hunter’s paradise” that draws millions of visitors a year.