AutoTrader 2020 South African Car of the Year finalists!
The top 14 finalists for the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year has been announced. One of these vehicles stands a chance of winning the sought-after crown.
The most competitive category is leisure, that currently has four finalists: the Peugeot 5008, Toyota RAV4, Citroen C3 Aircross, and Volkswagen T-Cross. The premium SUV category is well-populated too with three finalists: the BMW X5, Jaguar I-Pace, and Mercedes-Benz GLE.
There are two finalists in the urban and family categories. Both Hyundai Atos and Suzuki Swift Sport are battling it out in urban while the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla hatch are aiming for the top in the family category.
The BMW 3 series is the remaining finalist in the premium car category, while the Toyota GR Supra is a finalist in the sport/performance, and the Ford Ranger Raptor being the sole finalist in the lifestyle category.
For all manufacturers, a win in the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year will be significant. If Citroen had to win, it would surely be one for the history books since the French manufacturer has just re-entered the South African automotive market.
Chairman of the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year competition and honorary secretary of the SAGMJ, Vivien Natasen says, “Right now there is no clear frontrunner, it is anyone’s guess as to which car will win.”
Suzuki did outstandingly well in the 2019 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year with its Swift and Jimny winning the urban compact and lifestyle utility categories. An electric car and a bakkie has never won any competition, meaning an I-Pace and Raptor victory will be significant.
CEO of AutoTrader, George Mienie has revealed that the public are keeping fingers crossed to see a win by the Mazda 3. “It triumphed in the consumer vote, where we had hundreds of thousands of votes. The consumer votes act as the 28th juror in the competition. Mazda’s last win was back in 2008 with the Mazda 2 1.5 individual so it will be interesting to see if this Japanese company can take top honours. Toyota is the only company with three finalists in the 2020 competition,” he comments.
Toyota last won two awards in 1980. The Toyota Corolla Twincam won in 1986 and Toyota Corolla GLi Executive took the title in 1989.
The next step for the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year journey is the track as well as road testing in March 2020 by 27 of South Africa’s top motoring journalists. The category and overall winners will be announced at an event hosted by AutoTrader in April 2020.
2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year Finalists by Category
Family
Mazda3
Toyota Corolla Hatch
Leisure
Citroën C3 Aircross
Peugeot 5008
Toyota RAV4
Volkswagen T-Cross
Lifestyle
Ford Ranger Raptor
Premium Car
BMW 3 Series
Premium SUV
BMW X5
Jaguar I-PACE
Mercedes-Benz GLE
Sports/Performance
Toyota GR Supra
Urban
Hyundai Atos
Suzuki Swift Sport
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