It recently became a lot cheaper to bulletproof your car

SVI Engineering has launched a more affordable car armouring option for motorists.

Since 2004 the firm has been bulletproofing vehicles at its Bashewa factory near Pretoria. SA’s high vehicle hijacking levels have spurred the growth of armoured protection companies in the country and SVI converts about 230 vehicles a year, mostly for corporate fleets and wealthy individuals.

With the average motorist unable to afford the expensive B4 and B6 discreet armouring packages designed to stop rounds fired from assault rifles and powerful handguns, the company has introduced its SVI Lite offering to provide partial ballistic protection to the motoring public.

Conceived for mainstream passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, the discreet kit comprises lightweight armoured glass and concealed Kevlar panels in each side door to provide B2 level protection to stop rounds fired from a 9mm handgun. Other parts of the car are left standard, and SVI Lite does not provide the 360º armouring of the more expensive and much heavier B4 and B6 packages.

“In much the same way as a bullet-resistant vest provides protection for vital organs of the human body, our new SVI Lite solution covers critical areas of the vehicle that are typically targeted during a hijacking attempt,” said SVI business development director Nicol Louw.

At a product demonstration for journalists this week, SVI Engineering CEO Jaco de Kock fired three rounds from a 9mm pistol into the window of a Ford Ranger fitted with SVI Lite. The bullets failed to penetrate the glass.

The vehicle requires no mechanical upgrades as the armouring adds only 15kg per door, which SVI said has virtually no effect on the vehicle’s performance. I can attest to this after driving a Toyota Corolla Cross equipped with the SVI Lite armouring in its four side doors. I could not feel the extra 60kg in the vehicle’s handling or braking, unlike in more heavily armoured cars that weigh several hundred kilos more and sometimes require suspension and brake modifications to cope.

The electrically operated windows in the Corolla Cross opened and closed almost normally.

The SVI Lite kit is priced at R219,800 excluding VAT (R54,950 per door) for a passenger car and R259,800 (R64,950 per door) for a bakkie. It is considerably more affordable than a 360º B4 kit for a medium-sized SUV, which starts at about R750,000.

The SVI Lite kit is initially launched for two of SA’s top selling vehicles, the Toyota Corolla Cross and the Ford Ranger, with the Hilux, Fortuner and Everest to follow. Installation takes about two weeks.

The armour protection does not affect the warranty of Ford vehicles as SVI has earned qualified vehicle modifier (QVM) status with the brand.

Toyota does not give official factory backing to SVI-armoured cars, but Louw said the car brand treats warranty claims on a case-by-case basis, meaning it covers claims not affected by the armouring.