The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) has announced the finalists for the 2017 WesBank South African Car of the Year competition.
The announcement follows a voting process by a 28-member jury from the SAGMJ.
The finalists for the 2017 WesBank South African Car of the Year competition are the Audi A4, Honda Civic, Hyundai Tucson, Jaguar F-Pace, Mazda CX-3, Opel Astra, Renault Kadjar, Toyota Fortuner, Volkswagen Passat and Volkswagen Tiguan.
The next phase of the competition takes place in February next year, when the jury will put the cars through their paces.
The vehicles will be judged on affordability; cabin styling layout and ergonomics; the engine; engineering integrity and build quality; exterior design; overall excellence; ride quality; steering and handling; technology; transmission; and value for money.
The 2017 WesBank South African Car of the Year winner will be announced on March 15, 2017.
The winner of the 2016 competition was the Volvo XC90, followed by theFord Fusion, with the Mazda2 taking third place.
“We continue to work very closely with the guild and are very proud of this long-standing partnership that supports the automotive industry and, in turn, fuels the South African economy,” notes WesBank Motor Retail CEO Simphiwe Nghona.
“None of this would be possible without the manufacturers’ continued innovation and passion to bring ground-breaking models to our market.”