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Is Toyota the greatest Name Plate in East Africa?

MOTORING|  Why the Toyota Corolla is the greatest nameplate in Kenya Toyota Motors works with the Corolla makes the stuff for a perfect love story. Once she was discovered- it got better with age.  Last year, I  sat in a panel that judged and awarded the Toyota Corolla the car of the year 2009 (Kenya). The Publisher of the magazine that gave these awards however was space strained and limited our justification to a judgment of just 300 words: Obviously, not enough for a car with such a splendid legacy!   300 words sounded limiting especially after rigorous tests drive that reviewed handling, acceleration, braking, and stability on the road among other handling dynamics, which revealed  just how majestic the new Toyota Corolla was. We have Benda Kithaka, then Marketing Manager of Toyota East Africa to thank for this. The Corolla is no doubt Kenya’s greatest nameplate. This is how I will describe its legacy. As I grew up on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, this ...

Jaguar: The Cat's Story

Jaguar: the cat’s new story While other classy European cars like Range Rover, BMW and Mercedes Benz are global household names, the Jaguar has remained a species very exotic and vulnerable. Now, after messy living, the Jaguar makes a comeback in the new XJ 2010 By Kamau Ngunyi (   http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kamau-ngunyi/a/797/7a4) If cars could be equated to countries, the classy British car going by the name Jaguar would be Greece. Most people know Greece –for the old days schoolers, than for anything else in its recent history. Jaguar’s significance in motoring has been more felt in the past. While other classy European cars like Range Rover, BMW and Mercedes Benz were building into global household names, the Jag chose to remain a species very exotic and vulnerable. That cost it. Today, the Jag is remembered for a rich legacy between the 1930’s to 80’s. During this era, founder Sir William Lyons etched creative designs and built eye catching luxury saloons and spo...