2021/21 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards

Now in its sixth iteration, #CarsAwards annually recognises the best purchasing propositions in 13 respective segments of the domestic new-vehicle market and is widely acknowledged as South Africa’s definitive automotive awards programme.With the support of WesBank, #CarsAwards has grown in reach, influence and stature. The theme for this year’s programme is “Be Part of the Journey – My Car, My Freedom”.“As South Africa’s leader in vehicle and asset finance, it is important to us to align our brand with impactful industry initiatives, particularly those that add value to consumers. “There are many aspects to consider when making a major budget-impacting decision such as buying a car. As such, consumers should have access to credible opinions and objective data on the models of cars and features available in the market, to assist them in making an informed purchasing decision,” says Ghana Msibi, CEO of WesBank Motor.“Our successful partnership with Cars.co.za in powering the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards is now in its sixth year. It seems fitting that this year’s awards theme is ‘My Car. My Freedom’. “After the months of lockdown and restrictions to movement we have all had to endure, being able to get behind the wheel and drive across our country’s roads and highways is certainly a sense of freedom. However, if you are still deciding which car is right for you and your needs, the 2020/21 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards category finalists and eventual winners should go a long way in guiding you to that decision.”CHANGING MARKETPLACEThe 13 category winners will be selected from the list of 39 vehicles, which includes model derivatives from no fewer than 19 brands represented in the South African market. All vehicles available on the South African market on October 1, 2020 were eligible, not only new products that were launched during the past 12 months.The 39 finalists for the 2020/21 programme were selected by the extended Cars.co.za editorial team; each member scored the 65 pre-selected semi-finalists individually, based on the "Filters of Eligibility" and the "Pillars of Success" of the 13 respective categories. Once the scores were tallied, 3 finalists remained in each of the segments.Compared with the preceding #CarsAwards, Performance Car and Fun Hatch have been replaced with new and more relevant categories: Entry-Level and Premium Crossover. Nonetheless, as many as 10 of the previous programme’s category winners have made the list of finalists again, although only four of them with exactly the same derivative as in 2019/20: Volkswagen Polo, Mazda CX-5, as well as BMW X3 and X5 respectively.“We made some revisions to the categories to make sure that they are in line with what South Africans are shopping for in the new vehicle market, but also factored in which segments had seen significant activity in terms of new launches,” says Cars.co.za consumer experience manager Hannes Oosthuizen. “We also consider pricing movements, to make sure that our categories remain relevant to the consumer.”Whereas the 2019/20 #CarsAwards Brand of the Year, Volkswagen, had the most semi- finalists (7), followed by Suzuki (6) and Toyota (5), the Japanese marques, both of which have won the Brand of the Year title on two previous occasions, lead the list of finalists with 5 contenders apiece – the Wolfsburg-based firm has 4, followed by BMW and Volvo (3 each). Citroën, Honda, Isuzu, Land Rover and Subaru, which weren’t represented in the decisive round of the programme last year, each have at least one finalist in 2020/21. FULL LIST OF FINALISTSEntry Level? Hyundai Atos 1.1 Motion? Suzuki S-Presso 1.0 S-Edition? Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLBudget Car? Suzuki Baleno 1.4 GLX? Suzuki Ignis 1.2 GLX? Toyota Starlet 1.4 XRCompact Hatch? Ford Fiesta 1.0T Trend auto? Suzuki Swift 1.4T Sport auto? Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI Comfortline autoCompact Family Car? Kia Seltos 1.5 CRDi EX+? Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Prestige? Volkswagen T-Cross 1.5 TSI 110kW R-LineFamily Car? Citroën C5 Aircross 1.6T Shine? Mazda CX-5 2.0 Dynamic auto? Toyota RAV4 2.0 AWD GX-RAdventure SUV? Ford Everest 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4WD XLT? Isuzu M-UX 3.0 4WD? Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 VX AutoExecutive SUV? BMW X3 xDrive20d M-Sport? Range Rover Evoque P250 R-Dynamic SE? Volvo XC60 D5 R-DesignPremium SUV? BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport? Land Rover Defender D240 HSE? Volvo XC90 T8 Twin-Engine R-DesignCrossover? Mazda CX-3 2.0 Individual Plus? Subaru XV 2.0i-S ES? Toyota C-HR 1.2T LuxuryPremium Crossover? Audi Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI quattro S Line? Mini Countryman Cooper S? Volvo XC40 T5 AWD R-DesignHot Hatch? Honda Civic Type R? Hyundai i30 N? Volkswagen Golf GTI TCRLeisure Double-Cab? Ford Ranger 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4x4 Wildtrak? Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 4x4 Legend Auto? Volkswagen Amarok 2.0BiTDI Highline Plus 4MotionSport Executive? Audi A4 40 TFSI Sport S Line? BMW 330is Edition? Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG LineEach of the three finalists per category will now be subjected to back-to-back testing at the renowned Gerotek proving ground in Gauteng by the combined judging panel (the 6 Cars.co.za editorial team members and 14 respected guest judges from various backgrounds and fields of expertise) on 3 and 4 November 2020.

2021/21 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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2021/21 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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