Winning brands revved up to go at red-carpet automotive event

The 2018/19 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards — powered by WesBank — concluded with the announcement of 12 category winners and the awarding of the prestigious Brand of the Year title at a red-carpet event at Kyalami in Joburg last month. Conceived to be SA’s definitive automotive awards programme, #CarsAwards has grown in stature, reach and influence since the inaugural event in 2016. Apart from being exclusively supported by WesBank, SA’s largest vehicle finance provider, #CarsAwards is regarded as an energetic, impactful opening number on the automotive industry calendar.

Toyota, the first recipient of the Brand of the Year title (in the inaugural 2015/16 iteration of the programme), narrowly defeated double winner Suzuki (2016/17 and 2017/18) to reclaim the most coveted #CarsAwards trophy this year.

Eighteen brands were represented in the list of finalists, with Volkswagen leading the nominations with seven derivatives, followed by BMW and Ford (four apiece), and Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo (three apiece). Significantly, Porsche and Isuzu made their first appearances in the final stage of the #CarsAwards programme, while Honda and Range Rover returned to the list of 39 after failing to make the last round in 2017/18.

There are several reasons why the #CarsAwards is of greater significance than most other awards programmes. For one, the winners aren’t chosen exclusively by motoring journalists, who report on and review the latest vehicles in the market.

Although the seven members of Cars.co.za’s editorial team chose the finalists, the combined judging panel (including 13 respected guest judges from various backgrounds and fields of expertise) only compiled the finalists’ individual scores once they’d evaluated the cars back to back during a thorough two-day test at the Gerotek facility at the end of 2018.

“A roaring congratulations from WesBank to all the winning brands, all the categories were thrilling and competitive,” said Ghana Msibi, Executive Head of Sales & Marketing at WesBank.

“A special mention goes out to all the consumers who participated in the surveys and voting. WesBank remains dedicated to enthusiastically participating in celebrating the excellence of our OEMs. We look forward to revving up the relationships we have with you, and are excited to see you at the next Cars.co.za Awards.”