The South African Guild of Mobility Journalists’ has announced the list of semi-finalists for the 2022 Car of the Year competition – the oldest car competition in the country, with its inaugural event taking place in 1986.
Over the years, the COTY competition has evolved based on changes in the automotive industry.
“The impact of COVID-19 on the automotive industry has also seen changes in car launches and the allocation of fleet vehicles over the last year, necessitating modifications to the 2022 COTY competition,” says Graham Eagle, Chairman of the 2022 COTY committee.
This year has also seen the increased importance of online scoring by Guild members. As in 2021, this year will also not see a physical event where winners will be announced; the winners will be announced on the Guild’s digital platforms.
Categories
The 39 semi-finalists represent 10 categories launched between March 31 and December 31, 2021. Four contenders tied with identical scores in the final 35th semi-finalist position and were all included.
A total of 65 new vehicles launched in South Africa during this period were considered for this year’s COTY competition.
Energy
For the first time in the competition’s history, the decision was made that vehicles launched with both regular and new energy derivatives would be entered into both their relevant vehicle category and the New Energy Category. Vehicle ranges that only launched a new energy derivative were also included in the ever-growing New Energy Category.
The recently announced 25 juror and trainee juror teams will vote for the 2022 COTY competition finalists in 10 categories.
The categories are: Budget, Compact, Compact Family, Midsize, Premium, Luxury, Performance, New Energy, Adventure SUV and 4X4 Double Cab.
| MAKE | MODEL | CATEGORY |
| Honda | Fit | Compact |
| Hyundai | i20 | Compact |
| Kia | Sonet | Compact |
| Nissan | Magnite | Compact |
| Peugeot | 208 | Compact |
| Toyota | Urban Cruiser | Compact |
| Chery | Tiggo 4 Pro | Compact Family |
| Haval | Jolion | Compact Family |
| Hyundai | Kona | Compact Family |
| Toyota | Corolla Cross | Compact Family |
| Audi | A3 | Midsize |
| Haval | H6 | Midsize |
| Hyundai | Palisade | Midsize |
| Hyundai | Santa Fe | Midsize |
| Hyundai | Staria | Midsize |
| Mercedes-Benz | C-Class | Midsize |
| Subaru | Outback | Midsize |
| Mercedes-AMG | GLE 53 | Luxury |
| Audi | RS 6 | Performance |
| Audi | RS Q3 | Performance |
| Audi | RS Q8 | Performance |
| BMW | 128ti | Performance |
| BMW | M3 Competition | Performance |
| BMW | M4 Competition | Performance |
| Porsche | 911 Carrera GTS | Performance |
| Toyota | GR Yaris | Performance |
| Volkswagen | Golf GTI | Performance |
| Honda | Fit Hybrid | New Energy |
| Jaguar | E-Pace | New Energy |
| Lexus | IS | New Energy |
| Toyota | Corolla Cross Hybrid | New Energy |
| Toyota | Corolla Hybrid | New Energy |
| Toyota | RAV4 Hybrid | New Energy |
| Isuzu | MU-X | Adventure SUV |
| Land Rover | Defender V8 | Adventure SUV |
| Land Rover | Discovery | Adventure SUV |
| Toyota | Land Cruiser 300 | Adventure SUV |
| Nissan | Navara | 4X4 Double Cab |
| Peugeot | Landtrek | 4X4 Double Cab |
Toyota dominates with seven semi-finalists competing in five categories, but there is also strong representation by Audi and Hyundai. Surprisingly, the Performance Category has nine contenders, the most in many years. This year there are no contenders in the Budget category.
Shortly the jurors will narrow the field of semi-finalists to worthy finalists. They are given eight weeks to assess vehicles, after which the final scoring will commence, determining the 2022 SA Car of the Year.
“The overall 2020 SA Car of the Year winner remains the most coveted of all automotive competition titles in South Africa and enjoys international recognition,” concludes Eagle.
