The 2022 South African Car of the Year competition is now in full swing following the announcement of the top 25 finalists that will compete for the ultimate title, as well as various category wins.
This year’s competition has eight categories, which are: Compact, Compact Family, Midsize, Luxury, Performance, New Energy, Adventure SUV and 4×4 Double Cab.
The most competitive categories this year are Midsize and Performance, which each boast five finalists. Below is the full list of finalists within their categories.
| VEHICLE | CATEGORY |
| Kia Sonet | Compact |
| Hyundai i20 | Compact |
| Peugeot 208 | Compact |
| Toyota Urban Cruiser | Compact |
| Chery Tiggo 4 Pro | Compact Family |
| Toyota Corolla Cross | Compact Family |
| Hyundai Kona | Compact Family |
| Hyundai Staria | Midsize |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | Midsize |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Midsize |
| Audi A3 | Midsize |
| Hyundai Palisade | Midsize |
| Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 | Luxury |
| Toyota GR Yaris | Performance |
| BMW M3 Competition | Performance |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI | Performance |
| BMW 128ti | Performance |
| Porsche 911 Carrera GTS | Performance |
| Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid | New Energy |
| Lexus IS | New Energy |
| Honda Fit Hybrid | New Energy |
| Toyota Land Cruiser 300 | Adventure SUV |
| Isuzu MU-X | Adventure SUV |
| Peugeot Landtrek | 4×4 Double Cab |
| Nissan Navara | 4×4 Double Cab |
Toyota has the most finalists in the 2022 contest, with six finalists in five different categories. Next up is Hyundai with five finalists in three categories. At the other end of the scale were vehicles that just missed the cut-off mark by one point, and these include the Haval Jolion, Land Rover Defender V8 and Honda Fit (non-hybrid).
“The Car of the Year committee is extremely pleased with the variety of vehicles that made the Finalist round of this year’s competition. Our jury panel of experts has a tough task ahead of them,” said Graham Eagle, Chairman of the 2022 COTY committee. “The 2022 COTY committee wishes all contenders good luck. The Category Winners and Overall SA Car of the Year Winner will be announced in May,” Eagle added.
And you can vote for your favourite car too as this year will again see a Motor Enthusiast’s Choice award. Posts of each Finalist will be regularly published on social media, and the Finalist with the most likes wins. The official hashtag for this year’s COTY is #2022sacoty. Click here to follow the SAGMJ on Facebook.
“This year’s COTY finalists show us the tremendous speed of research and development in the automotive industry. The finalists represent the best of the best in South Africa, and we are eager to see who the winners of this year’s competition will be,” said Carl Wepener, Chairman of the SAGMJ.
Source: Motoring Staff (IOL Motoring)
