2022 COTY finalists announced
THE 25 finalists for the prestigious 2022 SA Car of the Year (COTY) competition have been announced, with Toyota boasting the biggest number of finalists this year.
'This year’s COTY finalists show us the tremendous speed of research and development in the automotive industry,' said Carl Wepener, chairperson of the SA Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ), and organisers of the event.
Besides the overall winner’s crown, finalists can also win one of nine categories, with the Budget category not contended this year.
The most competitive categories in this year’s competition are the Midsize and Performance, with five finalists each.
Strong contenders in the Compact and Compact Family categories represent imported brands, with Toyota the only OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) that manufactures vehicles locally.
This year, the New Energy category represents a wider range of vehicles, showing increased focus by OEMs in this segment of the market.
The Adventure SUV and 4x4 Double Cab categories are just as competitive this year as last year, where a newcomer in the class is competing against an established, locally manufactured rival.
With six finalists in five different categories, Toyota has the most finalists, while Hyundai follows in second place with five finalists in three categories.
This year’s semi-finals was very competitive, with the Honda Fit, Land Rover Defender V8 and Haval Jolion missing the cut-off mark by only one point.
'The Car of the Year committee is extremely pleased with the variety of vehicles that made the finalist round of this year’s competition,' commented Graham Eagle, 2022 COTY committee chairperson. 'Our jury panel of experts has a tough task ahead of them.'
The final round of scoring will commence shortly and continue until early April. This round will include data from Lightstone, used for automated scoring based on segment sales volumes and spec-adjusted competitor pricing.
2022 COTY finalists Compact
• Kia Sonet
• Hyundai i20
• Peugeot 208
• Toyota Urban Cruiser
Compact Family
• Chery Tiggo 4 Pro
• Toyota Corolla Cross
• Hyundai Kona
Midsize Category
• Hyundai Staria
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Audi A3
• Hyundai Palisade
Luxury Category
Mercedes-AMG GLE 53
Performance Category
• Toyota GR Yaris
• BMW M3 Competition
• Volkswagen Golf GTI
• BMW 128ti
• Porsche 911 Carrera GTS
New Energy Category
• Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
• Lexus IS
• Honda Fit Hybrid
Adventure SUV Category
• Toyota Land Cruiser 300
• Isuzu MU-X
4x4 Double Cab Category
• Peugeot Landtrek
• Nissan Navara