The 2021 South African Car of the Year (Coty) trophy was on Monday awarded to the striking Peugeot 2008 that launched locally earlier this year with extrovert styling and impressive utility. Organised by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) since 1986, this is the country’s most respected and sought-after motoring accolade.
Second place overall went to the Toyota Hilux Double Cab and third to the BMW 4 Series. Given the lockdown regulations, the award ceremony was conducted online via live streaming.
Overall winners aside, the competition also acknowledged the following category winners:
Budget category: Toyota Starlet
Compact category: Hyundai Venue
Compact Family category: Peugeot 2008 SUV
Family category: Audi A4
Premium category: BMW 4 Series
Adventure category: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
Double Cab category: Toyota Hilux Double Cab
Performance category: Porsche 911 Turbo S
New Energy category: Porsche Taycan
Motor Enthusiast’s Choice: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Jurors' Excellence Award: Peugeot 2008 SUV
Additional honours the SAGMJ instituted at their annual general meeting held on June 26 2021 were the Most Admired OEM, which was presented to Stellantis, and the Lifetime PR Achiever’s Award, which was presented to Lindsay Pieterse from BMW. Although these two awards are not officially part of the Coty competition, they are just as prestigious.