Page 8 - Motoring Winter 2022

CAR OF THE YEAR

2022 South African

CAR OF THE YEAR

winners announced

OTY 2022 will always hold a special From a personal perspective, I am grateful to my fellow members of the SAGMJ for honouring
place in my memory when looking me by placing me on the jury. Then there are the manufacturers who invited me to launches and/
Cback on my motoring career. This or provided test vehicles in abundance, enabling me to be in a position to score entrants and to
competition marked my first year as a member play a (small) part in determining the final winners in the catagories, as well as the overall SA Car
of the full jury, having done my apprenticeship of the Year for 2022.
as a trainee last year. I consider this to be an Introduced in 1986, the prestigious South African Car of the Year (COTY) competition is the
honour - to be included in the small group of country’s most highly respected and sought-after motoring competition. This year again saw top-
25 judges deemed to be suitably qualified to quality entrants participating for this coveted award.
perform the task. “Although we saw the competition develop and grow over the past 36 years, with the
Since the onset of COVID, many changes introduction of category winners, as well as extra categories, automated scoring, the public’s
have taken place in the structure of the favourite and Juror’s Excellence Award added, one thing did not change – the exceptional
competition. Test days have no longer been contenders and their proud makers,” says Carl Wepener, Chairman of the South African Guild of
possible as in the past when demos of all Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ).
the finalist vehicles would be assembled and This year’s COTY competition was particularly exciting, with the 2022 COTY jurors selecting
put through their paces by the jury. Instead, 25 semi-finalists from more than 49 entrants, with some hotly contended category rivalries adding
it’s now the duty of the judges to implement extra excitement.
ongoing scoring of both test cars and cars After a four-week scoring process, the superb Toyota Corolla Cross was voted the 2022 South
appraised on media launches. African Car of the Year.

2022 Car of
the Year, plus winner
of the Compact Family
and New-energy
categories

MOTORING | Winter 2022 | 6