WeeklySA_AdminSTANDOUT CONTENDERS: BMW 7-Series, BMW X1 and BMW M2 shine at the 2024 SA Car of the Year awards
By Ali Mphaki
After all is said and done, it had to be a BMW.OTY Jurors Excellence Award granted to the 7 Series, recognising the jurors’ admiration for its exceptional driving experience, vehicle quality, and craftsmanship based on the jurors’ input scores.
From a carefully selected and impressive pool of 80 qualifying vehicles representing various fiercely contested categories, the BMW 7-Series emerged as a standout contender, impressing Car Of The Year, COTY, jurors from the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists,SAGMJ, throughout the evaluation process.
The title was presented at a prestigious gala event held on Thursday in Johannesburg. The COTY Jurors Excellence Award granted to the 7 Series, recognises the jurors’ admiration for its exceptional driving experience, vehicle quality, and craftsmanship based on the jurors’ input scores.
BMW now holds the record for the most overall wins in this prestigious showcase, having triumphed in six previous years, namely 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2011. It is remarkable that the BMW 7 Series now marks their seventh win in the competition! The competition, now its 38th chapter, featured Budget/Compact, Compact Family, Family, Premium, Adventure SUV, 4×4 Double Cab, Luxury, and Performance categories. With a greater representation of EVs across the different categories, the previous New Energy category was dropped in this year’s competition.
The surprise of the evening was the Mahindra Scorpio-N, which won the “Motor Enthusiasts Choice” award, which was determined by public votes in a social media campaign led by OMI. This category was added three years ago to recognise the increasing importance of public engagement in the COTY competition. As if to prove the adage “the next best thing after a BMW is another BMW”, the COTY jurors had no option but give it to the high-perfomance BMW M2, claiming third position overall. Word is out that a huge celebration is on the cards at Suzuki SA, what with the funky newcomer Suzuki Fronx earning second spot overall and as number one in the Best Budget Compact category.
Whilst others were cocking champaign bottles and lighting up cigars, there were ‘sore’ losers in the likes of Ford, Kia, Stellantis, Jaguar Land Rover, among top contenders, who went home empty handed on the night.
Ford was the defending champion having won the coveted title with their awesome Ford Ranger in 2023. VW on the other hand – despite their PR strategy of using so-called ‘Influencers’ to sample their products at the expense of motoring journos – were spared some blushes as they bagged one accolade with their VW Amarok, winning top spot in the 4×4 Double Cab category.
Toyota also ascended the podium to receive the award for the best vehicle in the Compact Family category with their Urban Cruiser.
In his congratulatory message,Charles Nortje, Managing Director of Old Mutual Insure (OMI), a leading insurer in South Africa and a main sponsor of COTY for the past two years, expressed his delight at the outcome of this year’s COTY competition. and remarked on the industry’s rapid advancements, particularly in automotive safety.
“ With ever-heightening competition levels year on year, and with new technology and better value-for-money offerings from the different brands, the winners of this year’s contest should feel immensely proud of achieving top honours.”
Mabuyane Mabuza, Chairperson of the SAGMJ and the 2023 and 2024 COTY competitions, congratulated the winners and all the competitor entries.
HOW COMPETITION WORKS;
After the formal vehicle evaluation and jury scoring, Lightstone Auto*, COTY’s competition partner, contributes data-driven insights and online market intelligence. This allows COTY to objectively measure factors in market relevance regarding volume and share of segment, while also recognising the importance of a product’s value relative to its immediate market competitors. This change has been particularly successful, resulting in recent winners ranging from an EV, two family crossovers, a 4×4 Double Cab, and for 2024, a luxury sedan.
The category winners of the 2024 COTY competition are:
Budget/Compact: Suzuki Fronx
Compact Family: Toyota Urban Cruiser
Family: BMW X1
Premium: Mercedes-Benz GLC
Adventure SUV: Mahindra Scorpio-N
4×4 Double Cab: Volkswagen Amarok
Luxury: BMW 7 Series
Performance: BMW M2
