Written by: Vuyi Jabavu, the Best Driver in Heels

Date: April 2013

MODEL RANGE

• Honda Brio 1.2 Comfort five-speed manual
• Honda Brio 1.2 Comfort five-speed automatic

MODEL TEST DRIVEN

Honda Brio 1.2 i-VTEC Comfort five-speed manual

The WesBank SAGMJ Car Of The Year is South Africa’s most coveted accolade in the motor industry with a complex judging process by respected professionals. Sponsored for the past 28 years by WesBank, in association with Total and Hollard Insurance it is unique in that three rounds of voting determine the ultimate winner.

The first round of voting is open to all full members of the SAGMJ and yields the semi-finalists, where after a second round of voting, open to only the jury, determines the finalists. There were 27 semi-finalists, and the entries have now been whittled down to 12 finalists.

The testing is done at Gerotek, an internationally acclaimed facility which allows the vehicles to be evaluated under the conditions individual vehicles would be expected to perform under in everyday / ordinary driving scenarios, with routes designed to test the vehicles in a similar way the average consumer would use them. The test days offer the Jury the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the vehicles and specific aspects such as aesthetics, build quality, ergonomics, fuel consumption, environmental friendliness, safety features and value for money.

The winning car reflects value for money, safety, dynamics, technology, aesthetics, innovation and ingenuity, and evokes automotive passion and excitement.

While all of the models are deemed to represent examples of outstanding automotive engineering, there can be only one winner and, in the eyes of the COTY Jury, that model will epitomize all-round automotive excellence. The winner of the 2013 WesBank / SAGMJ Car the Year will be revealed at a gala banquet on 6th March 2013

The twelve finalists for the 2013 WesBank / SAGMJ Car of the Year competition, South Africa’s premier motoring event, are (in alphabetical order):

2012 BMW 3 Series 320i Automatic

The new BMW 3 Series Sedan:

• Dynamic capability, efficiency and comfort are given the perfect stage.
• New BMW face emphasizes dynamic and elegant design.
• BMW 3 Series now available in three different equipment lines.
• Full-colour Head-Up Display for the sports sedan.
• Sporty suspension tuning with enhanced ride comfort.
• All engines with the latest BMW TwinPower Turbo technology.
• All engines can be combined with an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
• Driving Experience Control with Eco Pro mode
• Auto Start-Stop function included as standard.

2012 Ford Ranger 3.2 XLT 4X4 Double Cab Diesel AT

2012 Hyundai i30 1.8 Executive

2012 Kia Rio 1.4 TEC Hatch MT

2012 Lexus GS 350 EX

2012 Mercedes-Benz B 180 CDI Blue EFFICIENCY

2012 Nissan Juke 1.6 DIG-T Tekna (Leather)

2012 Opel Meriva 1.4T Cosmo

2012 Porsche Boxster

2012 Range Rover Evoque Si4 Dynamic 5-door

2012 Toyota 86 High Spec 6MT

2012 Toyota Yaris 1.5 HSD Xs

Issued on behalf of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists.

Following the two-day test sessions at Gerotek, a final allocation of points by the jury is tallied and audited before an overall winner is announced.

The next step in the process is to determine the winner from a two-day test session to be held in February 2013 at the Gerotek test facility near Pretoria, where the Jury members will assess the cars independently.

South Africa’s Car of the Year competition

A significant change to this year’s competition is the manner in which the COTY Jury was determined. Following a Car of the Year workshop held earlier this year, the Jury is no longer compiled from those SAGMJ members who had the greatest exposure to the eligible model ranges (by means of launch events and test cars). Instead, after casting a vote in the first round, each member had the opportunity to vote for 25 of his or her peers to serve on the Jury. The members with the most votes – to a maximum of 30 members – were co-opted onto the COTY Jury.

.

The announcement of the COTY finalists follows a vote cast by a 29-member jury, elected by their peers, on the 27 Semi-finalists.

How it works – The Judging Process

The full working membership of the Guild are supplied with a list of eligible models (in categories / market segmentations) provided by the Validation Committee and are invited to vote for models which they believe should be considered by the Guild’s COTY Jury for nomination. Each full member is given a specific number of “votes” with which they indicate which models they believe should go forward for consideration for nomination by the Jury.

The Validation Committee, where necessary, calls upon manufacturers / importers / distributors for suitably verified numbers of vehicles made and sold or intended to be sold if required.

The manufacturers / distributors / importers may inform the SAGMJ in writing of any particular models they do not wish to have considered in the competition. Such notice must be fully motivated, and this information is taken forward to the Validation Committee. These submissions must be received at the SAMGJ office before the closing date.

The members of the Validation Committee (who have been selected for their expert knowledge of the South African passenger market and road testing) convene to address the input from the manufacturers, other sources and the votes from the full working membership to produce a list for final consideration by the Jury members.

At the Jury Meeting the Jury are presented with the full list of the finalists and the votes these vehicles received when voted upon by the Jury, and a decision is then taken as to how many of the finalists make the final testing days based purely on the number of votes received during this process. The only discussion and debate is around at which point in the list provided the cutoff for the entry into the finals takes place.

The announcement of the finalists takes place at a special function.

During the Test Days, Guild Evaluators, who must be Jury Members, carry out a series of dynamic and static assessments to each of the nominated models.

Static and dynamic evaluation takes place over the test period. The evaluation takes place within a controlled test environment and is geared towards testing all facets of the driving experience relevant to the particular vehicle and the competition in order to determine a winner.

To assist in the evaluation processes, Evaluators are provided with comparative information charts drawn from the entry forms, information supplied by the participants and by the Guild. A basket of parts comparative prices list is also made available.

The Car Of The Year is selected by the collective assessment of the Guild Evaluators as reflected in the combined number of points scored during this process.

A Jury member is allocated 25 points to use in the judging of the finalists.

A Jury member is not allowed to allocate more than 10 points to any one vehicle, and may not vote for less than three vehicles and no more than a maximum of five vehicles.

The vehicle with the maximum number of points and the end of the Test Days is deemed the winner.

The outcome, so achieved, is final.

The name of the overall winner, the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists WesBank Car Of The Year for that year, is announced at a function hosted by WesBank.

Kkkkkkkkkkkkk

BMW 3 Series 320i Automatic

Toyota revealed the Corolla Furia Concept at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This exciting compact sedan concept hints at the styling cues consumers can expect to see on the next-generation Corolla*. The concept represents an exterior styling study by Toyota designers, and it builds on the brand’s product development priority to develop more dramatic, expressively designed vehicles.

While very definitely just a concept, the Corolla Furia Concept is an early indicator of where compact car design will lead Toyota in the future. According to Bill Fay, Group Vice President and General Manager of the Toyota Division, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A, “it blends a heightened emphasis on dramatic design and modern elements of high technology to generate curb appeal that will surprise a lot of people.”

The Furia is designed around a theme of “Iconic Dynamism,” which uses pure and simple surface elements to create a confident, decisive and recognisable appearance appealing to more youthful consumers. It features a more provocative, dynamic interpretation of a compact sedan that displays a more stable, athletic stance with 19-inch allow wheels pushed to the vehicle’s corners with short overhangs to help emphasize its long wheelbase.

The Corolla Furia design includes a swept windshield, with a sloped roofline and pronounced fender flares, to help communicate a sense of motion even when the car is stationary. The aggressively styled front fascia, with a blacked-out grille treatment, helps highlight a pair of sculpted front LED headlamps that combine with the rear composite LED taillight assemblies to add a sense of advanced technology to the Furia’s impactful exterior. Carbon fibre accents adorn the Corolla Furia Concept’s wheel wells, rocker panels, and rear valance, which includes ornate metal exhaust outlet surrounds to add a sense of modern athleticism.

According to Calvyn Hamman, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Toyota SA Motors, “the Furia Concept offers the world a sneak preview of what people can expect from our next best-selling sedan, you could call it a high-tech take on classic Corolla values. As one of South Africa’s all-time favourite vehicles it has achieved iconic status and there is still something reassuringly Corolla in this concept.”

*The next generation Toyota Corolla will not make its South African debut in 2013.

Launched at the Paris Motor Show in 2012, Jaguar’s two-seater sports car promises to be one of the uber sexy cabriolets headed to SA. We hope; it will be available in a 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine in the model line-up

2. Hyundai Velostar

With its asymmetrical door configuration, (one large door on the driver’s side and two smaller ones on the passenger side), Hyundai’s Velostar could be described as one of the most quirky looking Hatch’s we can ever expect to see on our roads!
We hope it will ;

3. Renault Clio RS

South Africa has been eagerly awaiting Renault’s fourth-generation Clio, which was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.
We hope it will include ; Renault Sport aggressiveness, style, agile handling, turbocharged power, performance, everyday type driver/passenger comfort and sporty bucket seats.

4. Fiat Qubo

The Fiat Qubo is a useful mini-MPV.  Its looks might be off putting to image conscious South Africans, but don’t be too quick to write it off.
We anticipate; it will feature clever use of space, versatility, standard features and offer a decent and capable driving experience.

5. Nissan Leaf

Finally making its way to South Africa, is the Nissan Leaf, a five-door electric hatchback.  Positioned as the ‘electric car for the masses,’ overseas, it will be interesting to see how it will be received by the South African market; and what it’s price point will be.
We hope ; that Nissan will engage in an extensive communications / educational campaign about the Leaf.

6. Peugeot 208

Another much anticipated addition to Peugeot SA’s model offering, which lands hot on the (w)heels of the launch of the new Peugeot 208, in the last quarter of 2012.
We hope ; it will include a 1.6 Litre petrol engine with ‘supermini’ power/performance qualities; a 6 speed manual gearbox,  compact design, energetically aggressive styling, sporty roof spoiler, chrome twin exhaust pipes, racer feel interior and layout.

7. Suzuki Splash

Making a splash onto South African shores, is Suzuki’s Splash, a 5-door city car, which has already been on the overseas market for a few years.
We think ; it will be available in at least 2 models – entry level & top-of-the-range, an that both will have an enviable list of standard features found as extras in its competitors.

8. Ford Eco Sport

Unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the Ford EcoSport is a mini-SUV, which combines small-car/city driving agility with SUV style, look and feel. We anticipate ; it will be a combination of sedately city driving with the ability to deliver a punchy performance when needed.

9. Mitsubishi Mirage

The Mirage is a 5-seater B-segment hatch, which could compete against  the Nissan Micra, Ford Figo, Honda Brio, and Toyota Etios.
We anticipate ; that the Mirage will be a refreshing option for customers on the market for something adequate and compact.

10. Opel OPC

Ever since the launch of the Astra GTC, car enthusiasts have been impatiently awaiting the arrival of the OPC in South Africa, and finally the wait is all but over.  A ‘racer’ car all would be proud to be seen in, the Opel OPC will live up to its reputation for exciting technological advancement and a thrilling drive experience.
We anticipate ; that the OPC will not only revive strong emotions among brand loyal customers, but also appeal to a new generation of

Toyota’s next-generation RAV4 was unveiled at the LA Motor Show this week and the good news is that will make its South African debut in 2013.

The boldly redesigned RAV4 features a sophisticated, dynamic and strong exterior and a spacious, high-quality interior.

When it arrives in South Africa next year, expect the trend-setting mid-size SUV to offer improved dynamic performance*, greater refinement, smart packaging, outstanding convenience technologies and even better value for money. In a significant break with RAV4 heritage, the spare tyre will be placed under the cargo floor and the new tailgate is hinged at the roof.

Internationally, the newcomer bows in with three new fuel-efficient engines*. On the menu are two four-cylinder petrol engines as well as a brand new torquey, four-cylinder common-rail diesel.

A Quickpic Media Solution

All the engines for the next-generation RAV4 have impressive fuel economy and emissions performance. The new 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine is a stand-out, with combined-cycle fuel economy dipping below 6.0 litres/100km and CO2 emissions below 150g/km when mated to a manual transmission. It has a strong, flat torque curve with more than 200Nm available from just above idle and a peak well in excess of 300Nm.

They incorporate Toyota’s dual variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) for high performance, good fuel economy, low emissions and smooth, quiet operation. All three engines are mated to six-speed manual transmissions as standard. The 2.2-litre diesel and 2.5-litre petrol engines can be specified with six-speed automatic transmissions while the 2.0-litre engine is available with Toyota’s advanced MultiDrive Sport CVT with seven-speed sequential manual mode.

A Quickpic Media Solution

New RAV4 moves the goal posts further with driver-oriented improvements including an advanced all-wheel drive system, a better driving position, improved front and rear vision, and the safety of a more rigid body and seven airbags. An array of premium features on high-grade variants includes a power-operated tailgate, blind-spot monitor, rain-sensing wipers and electro-chromatic rear-view mirror.

*Please note that details of the South African engine- and transmission line-up as well as spec levels will only be revealed closer to the launch date.

A Quickpic Media Solution

Toyota was recognised as the world’s best-selling vehicle brand after recording nearly 9.75 million sales in 2012. This means that the company last year sold one new vehicle every 3 seconds to a customer somewhere in the world.

Total group sales, including Hino trucks, Lexus luxury vehicles and Daihatsu, reached a new record of 9 748 000 units, which is 22.6% better than the production-interrupted 2011 and also surpasses the previous Toyota sales record of 9 367 000 units recorded in 2007.

In addition, Toyota also saw increases in production and market share in its major markets. Production increased for the first time in two years as a result of increases in virtually all regions. Exports from Japan to North America, Latin America, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa, which was severely interrupted by the March 2011 tsunami in this country, also increased dramatically which added to the overall increase.

In South Africa Toyota improved its market share to 19.4% after selling 121 276 cars and trucks in 2012. In doing so it was crowned market leader for the 33rd consecutive year.

A Quickpic Media Solution

“In 2011 we launched our new global vision, which built on Toyota’s strengths of quality, durability and reliability and put our ultimate focus on customer satisfaction. I believe that our sales success in 2012 proves that we are on target, but in the spirit of kaizen (continuous improvement) we will work hard to improve it in 2013,” says Dr Johan van Zyl, President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors.

A Quickpic Media Solution

Toyota aims to sell 9.91 million vehicles group-wide globally in 2013, which is an improvement up 1.6% over 2012. The company believes that its exciting next generation of products, including the Toyota 86, new Auris, forthcoming RAV4 and new Lexus IS will support this goal.