Inanda Polo Club, Johannesburg – The Finalists for the 2015 WesBank / SAGMJ Car of the Year (COTY) competition were announced during a thrilling reveal event at the Inanda Polo Club in Johannesburg. Hosted by WesBank, the Finalist reveal follows a vote cast by a 29-member Jury from the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ), of an original list of 40 Semi-finalists.
The eleven finalists for the 2015 WesBank / SAGMJ Car of the Year competition, South Africa’s premier motoring event, are (in alphabetical order):
- AUDI A3 SEDAN 1.4T SE S TRONIC
- BMW M4 COUPE AUTO
- CITROËN C4 PICASSO E-HDI 115 INTENSIVE
- HONDA ACCORD 3.5 V6 EXCLUSIVE
- LEXUS ES 250 EX
- MERCEDES BENZ C-CLASS C 200 AUTO
- NISSAN QASHQAI 1.6DCI ACENTA AUTO
- PORSCHE MACAN S DIESEL
- RENAULT DUSTER 1.5DCI DYNAMIQUE 4WD
- SUBARU WRX PREMIUM
- TOYOTA COROLLA 1.4 D-4D PRESTIGE
The competition now moves into high gear as preparations are made for two days of stringent evaluations at the beginning of March 2015. At these evaluation days – the most critical of which will be the scheduled procedures at the world-renowned Gerotek test facility near Pretoria – the COTY 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 aspects including aesthetics, build quality, ergonomics, fuel consumption, environmental friendliness, safety features and value for money.
The Jury will also have access to independent performance test data, comparative pricing and specification data, as well as comparative parts pricing data, compiled by Malcolm Kinsey.
While all of the models are deemed to represent examples of outstanding automotive engineering, there can be only one winner and, in the eyes of the COTY Jury, that model will epitomise all-round automotive excellence – the sole criteria the be crowned the Car of the Year.
The winner of the 2015 WesBank / SAGMJ Car the Year will be revealed at a gala banquet on 18 March 2015.
