Definitive car awards

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 Johannesburg on January 24 2019.

Conceived as 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 automotive awards programmes. For one, the winners aren’t chosen exclusively by motoring journalists, who report on (and review) the latest new vehicles in the market.

Though 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 had evaluated the cars back-to-back during a thorough two-day test at the Gerotek facility at the end of 2018.

“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.”

Category winners of the 2018/19 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards — powered by WesBank Budget Car: Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL Compact Hatch: Volkswagen Polo 1.0TSI Comfortline Auto Premium Compact: Mercedes-Benz A200 AMG-Line Compact Family Car: Nissan Qashqai 1.2 Acenta Auto Family Car: Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 1.4 TSI Trendline Business Class: Volkswagen Arteon 2.0TSI 4Motion R-Line Executive Sedan: Mercedes-Benz E220d Avantgarde Leisure Double-Cab: Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 V6 TDI 4Motion Highline Plus Adventure SUV: Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 Auto Executive SUV: Volvo XC60 D5 AWD R-Design Premium SUV: Range Rover Velar D300 RDynamic SE Hot Hatch: Honda Civic Type R Performance Car: No trophy awarded* * The rules of the competition require at least two cars in each category to have full scores (judges’ scores and survey scores) and in the case of this category, Cars.co.za could not meet the requirement.