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Waterfall Motoring

AutoTrader South African

CAR of The YeAR

finalists announced for 2020

The top 14 finalists for the 2020 AutoTrader

South African Car of the Year have been

announced – one of these cars will win the

sought-after crown!

T he finalists for the 2020 Premium Car category, the Sports/ win. An electric car and a bakkie

AutoTrader South African Car
Performance category has the
have never won the competition
of the Year awards can win
victory will be truly momentous.
in one of seven categories: Toyota GR Supra as its finalist and either, meaning an I-PACE or Raptor
the Ford Ranger Raptor is the sole
Family, Leisure, Lifestyle, Premium finalist in the Lifestyle category.
Car, Premium SUV, Sport/Performance According to Vivien Natasen, Chairman
or Urban. The most hotly contested A win in the prestigious 2020 of the 2020 AutoTrader South African
category is Leisure, with four finalists: AutoTrader South African Car of the Car of the Year competition and
the Peugeot 5008, Toyota RAV4, Year competition will be significant Honorary Secretary of the South African
Citroën C3 Aircross and Volkswagen for all of the brands involved in the Guild of Motoring Journalists (which
T-Cross. The Premium SUV category contest. For some of the finalists, to organises the competition), there are
is also well populated, with three win would really be one for the history some really strong contenders in this
finalists: the BMW X5, Jaguar I-PACE books. Citroën, for instance, has yet year’s contest. “Right now, there is no
and Mercedes-Benz GLE. There are to win South Africa’s most sought- clear front runner, it’s anyone’s guess
two finalists in the Urban and Family after motoring accolade – and the as to which car will win,” he notes.
categories. The Hyundai Atos and timing could not be better, given the
Suzuki Swift Sport are fighting it out fact that the French manufacturer AutoTrader CEO, George Mienie,
for laurels in the Urban category, has just re-entered the South African reveals that members of the public
while the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla market. Suzuki did exceptionally would like to see a win by the Mazda3.
Hatch are going tooth and nail for well in the 2019 AutoTrader South “It triumphed in the consumer
top honours in the Family category. African Car of the Year, with its Swift vote, where we had hundreds of
and Jimny winning their categories thousands of votes. The consumer
There is one finalist in each of the (Urban Compact and Lifestyle Utility votes act as the 28th Juror in the
remaining three categories: the respectively). However, Suzuki competition. Mazda’s last win was
BMW 3 Series is the finalist in the has never notched up an overall back in 2008, with the Mazda2 1.5

Mazda3 Toyota Corolla Hatch Citroën C3 Aircross

28 Waterfall Issue 1 2020