Industry body naamsa | The Automotive Business Council has announced the finalists for the upcoming naamsa Accelerator Awards. The winners will be announced at an inaugural event at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, on Friday, October 18.

The awards, which are sponsored by WesBank, are centred on fact-based recognition, celebrating excellence and contributions that drive innovation, growth and sustainability in the South African automotive industry.

naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa says the organisation will use independently audited datasets to determine top-performing brands across several categories within the automotive value chain.

These categories include Passenger Car of the Year; Light Commercial Vehicle of the Year; Medium, Heavy, and Extra-Heavy Commercial Vehicle of the Year; as well as New Energy Vehicle of the Year across battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and traditional hybrid models.

Other categories will recognise the Top Locally Manufactured, Exported, and Imported Vehicles of the Year.

"Selection of finalists and winners is based on objective data that has been independently audited," Mabasa confirmed.

Additionally, naamsa will give out awards to dealerships by volume, identifying the Dealer of the Year and the Dealer Achiever of the Year for 2024. Audited data from June 2023 to July 2024 will be used to ensure fairness in the adjudication process, Mabasa said.

He adds that special awards will also be presented, including Job Creator of the Year, Women and Youth Empowering Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the Year, and WesBank Transformation Performance awards, which will include Most Improved and Compliant Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) OEM of the Year.

Reflecting on South Africa's automotive history, naamsa plans to celebrate key partners who have significantly contributed to the industry's growth since 1924.

"For the longest time, naamsa has been collecting new vehicle sales data which has become the country’s leading economic indicator, closely correlating with GDP performance numbers. Our production, exports, imports, and new vehicle sales data are relied upon by local and international organisations to aid their decision-making," Mabasa reaffirms.

naamsa will also recognise individuals and media contributors to the industry, with awards for Top Auto and Business Journalist, Top Emerging Auto Journalist, Top Media House, Long Service, Value Creator of the Year, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The brand finalists are as follows:

New-Vehicle Sales category:

Passenger Car of the Year: Suzuki Swift; Toyota Corolla Cross; Toyota Starlet; VW Polo; VW Polo Vivo.

Biggest Achiever of the Year | Passenger Segment: Citroen C3; Ford Everest; Renault Clio V; Volvo XC60; VW Golf 8.

Light Commercial Vehicle of the Year: Ford Ranger; Isuzu D-Max; Nissan NP200; Toyota Hi-Ace; Toyota Hilux.

Biggest Achiever of the Year | LCV Segment: Ford Tourneo Custom; JAC T-Series; VW Amarok; VW Transporter Cr-Bus; VW Transporter PU.

Medium Commercial Vehicle of the Year: Hino 300 Series; Isuzu N-Series; Iveco Daily; Toyota Coaster; VW Crafter.

Heavy Commercial Vehicle of the Year: FUSO HCV; Hino 500 Series; Isuzu F-Series; TATA LPT; UD Trucks Croner.

Extra-Heavy Commercial Vehicle of the Year: MAN TGS; Mercedes-Benz Actros; Scania G-Series; UD Trucks Quester; Volvo FH.

Bus of the Year: MAN Bus; Mercedes-Benz Bus; Scania Bus; Volvo Bus; VW Volksbus.

Other Commercial Vehicle Achiever of the Year: Isuzu FX-Series; Iveco S-Way; MAN TGM; Scania Bus; UD Trucks Kuzer.

New-Energy Vehicle of the Year:

Battery Electric Models: BMW iX; BMW X1; BMW X3; Volvo EX30; Volvo XC40.

Plug-in Hybrid Models: BMW X1; BMW X5; BMW XM; Volvo XC60; Volvo XC90.

Traditional Hybrid Models: Haval H6; Haval Jolion; Lexus NX; Toyota Corolla Cross; Toyota RAV4.

Manufacturing category:

Top Locally Manufactured Vehicle of the Year: BMW X3; Ford Ranger; Toyota Hilux; VW Polo; VW Polo Vivo.

Top Exported Vehicle of the Year: BMW X3; Ford Ranger; Isuzu D-Max; Toyota Hilux; VW Polo.

Dealership category:

Dealer of the Year | Passenger: Durban South Toyota; Hyundai Pinetown; Renault Bryanston; Suzuki Bassonia JHB; Suzuki Boksburg.

Dealer Achiever of the Year | Passenger: Autowagen Bronkhorstspruit; BB Mount Fuji Louis Trichardt; Gobabis Toyota; Haval Northcliff; Hyundai Harbour View.

Importers category:

Top Imported Vehicle of the Year: Chery Tiggo Pro 4; Hyundai Grand i10; Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up; Suzuki Swift; Toyota Starlet.