A South African Car Of The Year Juror's Diary: How The Winner Is Determined

The South African Car of the Year COTY competition is sometimes misunderstood.

How can you compare Luxury Sedan X with Compact SUV Y?, many will shout from their social media soap boxes when they see the wide array of finalists being tested together. Or why didnt an affordable car win this year?

Although there are many consumer-focused automotive awards out there, which certainly have their place, the SA COTY competition is primarily focused on the overall excellence and innovativeness of newly launched vehicles.

Only vehicles launched in the preceding year qualify to enter, which is why they call it Car of the Year and not Car of the Last Few Years.

COTY is seen as a badge of honour among car manufacturers, a sign that theyve pushed the boundaries and reset the benchmark in a particular segment, be it the entry-level market or luxury car realm.