The Opel Astra has been crowned South Africa’s 2017 Car of the Year, as voted for by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists.
The nine finalists for the 2017 WesBank South African Car of the Year competition were the Audi A4; the Honda Civic; the Hyundai Tucson; the Jaguar F-Pace; the Opel Astra; the Renault Kadjar; the Toyota Fortuner; the Volkswagen Passat and the Volkswagen Tiguan.
The Audi A4 was named the first runner-up in this year’s competition, with the Volkswagen Passat announced the second runner-up.
The vehicles were 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 win is the fourth victory for Opel in the WesBank South African Car of the Year competition.
US carmaker General Motors (GM) in March announced the sale of its Opel/Vauxhall subsidiary to the Peugeot-Citroen (PSA) Group.
GM South Africa currently sells the Opel brand in South Africa. PSA is represented in South Africa through the Peugeot brand, with Citroën withdrawing from the market in 2016.
It is not yet clear how the global sale of Opel will affect the German brand locally.