Bryanston, Johannesburg – The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) has announced the finalists for the 2018 WesBank South African Car of the Year (COTY) competition.
The finalists, says the SAGMJ, "represent the robust relationship between the South African motor industry, the SAGMJ, and the COTY competition’s headline sponsor".
Top cars in SA
The SAGMJ: "While all finalist vehicles represent examples of outstanding automotive engineering, there can be only one winner, and after careful deliberation by the COTY Jury, the vehicle range that best represents automotive excellence when compared to its segment peers, will be crowned the 2018 WesBank South African Car of the Year."
The top cars follow a vote cast by a 26-member Jury, from an original list of 35 eligible vehicles.
The finalists are: in alphabetical order
• Alfa Romeo Giulia
• Audi Q5
• BMW 5 Series
• Kia Picanto
• Land Rover Discovery
• Peugeot 3008
• Porsche Panamera
• Suzuki Ignis
• Toyota C-HR
• Volvo S90
Which vehicle do you think should should be crowned the 2018 SA Car of the Year? Tell us why!
The Guild says preparations now continue for the COTY evaluation days that will be held in late January 2018. At these evaluation days – the most critical of which will be the scheduled procedures to be held at a dedicated testing facility – the jury will assess the cars independently, with routes and modules designed to test the vehicles in a similar way in which the average consumer would use them.
The evaluation days offer the Jury the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the vehicles on specific criteria including aesthetics, build quality, ergonomics, fuel consumption, environmental friendliness, safety features and value for money.
These aspects are not only important with regards to the actual testing, but also to how the public perceives the COTY process, the finalists and ultimately the winning car.
George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO, says: "We’ve seen many of these finalists performing well in our search volumes, with more than half appearing in our top 200 most searched for makes. It will be interesting to see who the judges choose as the winner.”
Performance test data
The Jury will also have access to performance test data, comparative pricing and specification data, as well as comparative parts pricing data, compiled by the Guild’s digital partner, MAPO International.
Gerhard Coetzer, the organisation’s Managing Director: "As sponsor and digital partner, the MAPO team is looking forward to engaging with Jurors and OEM representatives respectively, and will always offer our full support and continued commitment to the motor industry and this prestigious event."
The winner will be revealed at an evening function on 13 March 2018.
The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists has run the SA Car of the Year competition since 1986, with WesBank – one of South Africa’s largest vehicle finance institutions – as its headline sponsor since inception. AutoTrader and MAPO supply support sponsorship.