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The Porsche Boxster has been named 2013 South African Car of the Year, the first Porsche to win since the competition began in the 1980's.
The SA competition has for the past few years been based on the European Coty points-based scoring system but is unique in that each finalist, 12 vehicles in 2012, is also put through a series of tests at the Gerotek Vehicle Testing Facility west of Pretoria.
FIRST PORSCHE TO WIN
The competition claims to reward automotive excellence and the winning vehicle must score highly in its own class, not against the other finalists.
A parallel Wheels24 Coty voting poll open to the public and eventually taking a total of 19 431 votes was won by the Ford Ranger.
Wheels24 reader PIETER ROUX shares his thoughts...
"Boy, am I glad the COTY Award is not based on the opinions of the 'average motorist'. We’d all be driving spam cans or Ford Rangers. So, good for the populist competitions run by CAR, Wheels24 and the like. Let the “average motorist” express his or her mediocre insights and opinions there.
But let the COTY Award continue to identify and award ground breaking technological advancement and design excellence in new motor vehicles. If a spam can scores the highest marks for best answering to the description of, and need for a spam can, and can outperform other entrants against the description of their niche, let the spam can win.
So I am sure we can look forward to many Hyundais, Toyotas and Fords winning the competition again sometime in the future.
Once in a while, however, a manufacturer comes up with a product that re-writes the rules for a segment. Even though I do not own a Porsche, and am unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future, the Boxster has been top of my wish list since I first saw it and read about it.
Anyone in his or her right mind has to agree that an iconic car has never been so affordable, compared with its peers. So it also serves as an inspiration for other manufacturers to up their game.
Most true petrolheads will admire a specific car not for its utility to them personally but for what it represents in terms of technology and design, and will appreciate an iconic car for what it is and not for whether it is within their financial reach.
And while we are on the topic of price, if I look around me every day and look what people are prepared to pay for real junk for the sake of being in fashion, the price of the Boxster makes even more sense. Agreed: to each his own, but in my own opinion acknowledging the achievement of Porsche with the design and positioning of the new Boxster, has enhanced the credibility of COTY.
Well done to the panel for their judgment, and well done to Porsche for this well-deserved award."
The SA competition has for the past few years been based on the European Coty points-based scoring system but is unique in that each finalist, 12 vehicles in 2012, is also put through a series of tests at the Gerotek Vehicle Testing Facility west of Pretoria.
FIRST PORSCHE TO WIN
The competition claims to reward automotive excellence and the winning vehicle must score highly in its own class, not against the other finalists.
A parallel Wheels24 Coty voting poll open to the public and eventually taking a total of 19 431 votes was won by the Ford Ranger.
Wheels24 reader PIETER ROUX shares his thoughts...
"Boy, am I glad the COTY Award is not based on the opinions of the 'average motorist'. We’d all be driving spam cans or Ford Rangers. So, good for the populist competitions run by CAR, Wheels24 and the like. Let the “average motorist” express his or her mediocre insights and opinions there.
But let the COTY Award continue to identify and award ground breaking technological advancement and design excellence in new motor vehicles. If a spam can scores the highest marks for best answering to the description of, and need for a spam can, and can outperform other entrants against the description of their niche, let the spam can win.
So I am sure we can look forward to many Hyundais, Toyotas and Fords winning the competition again sometime in the future.
Once in a while, however, a manufacturer comes up with a product that re-writes the rules for a segment. Even though I do not own a Porsche, and am unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future, the Boxster has been top of my wish list since I first saw it and read about it.
Anyone in his or her right mind has to agree that an iconic car has never been so affordable, compared with its peers. So it also serves as an inspiration for other manufacturers to up their game.
Most true petrolheads will admire a specific car not for its utility to them personally but for what it represents in terms of technology and design, and will appreciate an iconic car for what it is and not for whether it is within their financial reach.
And while we are on the topic of price, if I look around me every day and look what people are prepared to pay for real junk for the sake of being in fashion, the price of the Boxster makes even more sense. Agreed: to each his own, but in my own opinion acknowledging the achievement of Porsche with the design and positioning of the new Boxster, has enhanced the credibility of COTY.
Well done to the panel for their judgment, and well done to Porsche for this well-deserved award."