The South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ) recently confirmed their pics for the top 25 South African Car of the Year finalists for 2022. SAGMJ has run this competition every year since 1986 and we’re happy to see many of the vehicles produced by our direct customers on the list.
Formex is a leading manufacturer of automotive components, welded assemblies and steel piping and tubing. Our production facility is located in Qgeberha and we produce various components for global automotive brands, such as Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot, to name a few.
Many of these brands have finalists in the 2022 South Africa Car of the Year competition. Three of the vehicles are manufactured in South Africa and two use components that are made by Formex. This is a huge achievement, not only for our customers but for Formex too. It is a sign of the quality of our products and the commitment of our team to world-class standards and best practices.
Experienced journalists choose the finalists
A panel of the country’s top motoring journalists decides on the finalists and the ultimate winners in a number of segments. “This year’s finalists show us the tremendous speed of research and development in the automotive industry. The finalists represent the best of the best in South Africa and we are eager to see who the winners of this year’s competition will be,” says chairman of the SAGMJ, Carl Wepener.
There are 10 categories in the competition – one for each vehicle segment. An overall winner is then chosen from the top 10 vehicles. These categories include compact, midsize, luxury, performance, SUV, 4×4 double cab and new energy. The most competitive segments this year are the midsize and performance categories, which have five vehicles each.
The new energy category is a new segment that represents a wider range of vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids. The brand with the most vehicles selected is one of our direct customers; Toyota. They have six models in five different categories.
Finalists for the 2022 Car of the Year
Compact:
- Peugeot 208
- Toyota Urban Cruiser
- Kia Sonet
- Hyundai i20
Compact family:
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Hyundai Kona
- Chery Tiggo 4 Pro
Midsize:
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Hyundai Staria
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Audi A3
- Hyundai Palisade
Luxury:
- Mercedes-AMG GLE 53
Performance:
- Toyota GR Yaris
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
- BMW M3 Competition
- BMW 128ti
- Porsche 911 Carrera GTS
New energy:
- Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
- Lexus IS
- Honda Fit Hybrid
Adventure SUV:
- Toyota Land Cruiser 300
- Isuzu MU-X
4×4 double cab:
- Peugeot Landtrek
- Nissan Navara
“The Car of the Year committee is extremely pleased with the variety of vehicles that made the finalist round of this year’s competition. Our jury panel of experts has a tough task ahead of them,” states chairman of the 2022 Car of the Year committee, Graham Eagle. “The 2022 Car of the Year committee wishes all contenders good luck. The category winners and overall SA Car of the Year winner will be announced in May,” adds Eagle.
The final round of scoring is underway and will continue until mid-April. The judges will take into consideration sales volumes and spec-adjusted competitor pricing. This will reflect true and perceived value for money. For more information about our automotive components and products, please contact us today.
Formex Industries is a metal forming and assembly company that supplies a variety of complex products to the local automotive industry and the export market. The company is based in the Nelson Mandela Bay metropole, South Africa’s foremost region for automotive manufacturing and export.
Formex is a supplier with 69% black ownership, of which 37% are black women. The company is owned by Deneb Investments Limited – a subsidiary of Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI) – one of South Africa’s biggest true B-BBEE companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
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