With the winners of the 2023/24 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, sponsored by Absa due to be announced this week, Mzansi’s most authoritative automotive awards programme has achieved even greater significance by being endorsed by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa).
The Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, sponsored by Absa (widely known as the #CarsAwards) is in its 7th – and, to date, most elaborate – iteration. Cars.co.za hosted its first Consumer Awards Roadshow at the Mall of Africa late in 2023 and recently concluded a partnership agreement with Absa, a leading South African Financial Services Provider (FSP), to take the #CarsAwards into the future.
Established by Cars.co.za in 2015 as part of the brand’s mission to help car buyers make informed purchasing decisions, the CarsAwards programme has now been bolstered by the endorsement from Naamsa – the voice and a trusted ambassador for, and on behalf of, the South African motor industry.
Naamsa is an association that represents the South African automotive industry, but not a lot of people know that Naamsa is 89 years old – it was established in 1935 and, at the time, it purely represented vehicle manufacturers, which is why it came to be known as the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (the name has stuck, even though the association’s role has changed).
That’s what Naamsa represented at the time, but the industry body began to incorporate other key stakeholders into its ecosystem because the automotive industry was becoming quite dynamic… South Africa also went into the retailing space in a very, very big way… and started importing quite a lot of vehicles in the 2000s. The biggest volumes of vehicles sold in South Africa country are imported.
In 2023, for example, 77% of all new vehicles sold in South Africa were imported brands. A total of 7 brands manufacture vehicles locally and there are 42 brands in the market.
This week, Naamsa chief executive officer Mikel Mabasa told Cars.co.za video presenter Ciro De Siena that the association had decided to rebrand itself (as the Automotive Business Council) to represent “a multiplicity of different partners; not only brands that manufacture vehicles and those that import vehicles, but also those who have vested interests in the automotive sector”.
Naamsa wants to grow industry through CarsAwards
“Naamsa has evolved and we’re grateful to have Cars.co.za as a partner,” he added. “When Amasi Mwela became the Managing Director of Cars.co.za last year, he said: ‘Look, we can’t afford to be outside of Naamsa’, so we’re very proud that Cars.co.za is one of our members.
“We are working very closely with all our partners to take the automotive industry to greater heights. Although we took a decision a while back that Naamsa would no longer endorse awards events and activities, when we connected with Cars.co.za (to add gravitas to CarsAwards) it was a no-brainer…”
“For us, the CarsAwards represents a number of things that should be going right in the country. If you look at South Africa today, a lot of people are talking about a very subdued sentiment that is going around (because) the economy is not where it’s supposed to be.”
Mabasa added that business leaders and organisations involved in the motor industry could play a progressive role in turning the negative sentiment in the market into positivity.
“In the last 3 years, Naamsa has noted a downward trajectory in terms of new vehicle sales and we are now associating ourselves with products, brands and also with partners that can help us to bring this ‘mood’ back up because that’s what South Africa needs,” Mabasa said.
“I think South Africans are pretty much exhausted about hearing negativity and I think Cars.co.za can really play a very important role in lifting that mood,” Mabasa concluded.
“Naamsa endorsed the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, powered by Absa because our company is committed to using the programme to grow the motor industry,” said Cars.co.za’s managing director, Amasi Mwela, “and because we have worked hard to earn the trust of consumers, as well as invested in building the digital- and media capabilities to deliver the vision of the CarsAwards.”
“This endorsement is a big win for Cars.co.za. It gives us a voice in the industry,” he added.
Drawing on input from car owners, rigorous test drives by a panel of 20 judges, plus extra data provided by Lightstone Consumer, the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, sponsored by Absa, recognises the best vehicles in 13 categories of the new-car market. Its unique scoring system involves extensive testing at Gerotek and real-world input from car owners about product quality, reliability and after-sales service.
The winners of the 2023/24 #CarsAwards will be announced at a gala event in Sandton on 29 February 2024, where the prestigious Brand of the Year award will be presented by none other than Mikel Mabasa.
In addition to announcing the winners via traditional media platforms, Cars.co.za and Absa will present the second Consumer Awards Roadshow of the 2023/24 #CarsAwards at the Sandton City Mall from 1 to 3 March 2024. With all 13 category winners and 26 other finalist vehicles on display under one roof. Visitors will have the opportunity to inspect Mzansi’s most highly recommended new-car derivatives for themselves – and one lucky roadshow visitor will win R500 000 to buy a new or used car of their choice.
Read more about the Consumer Awards Roadshow at Sandton City Mall
Follow the #CarsAwards on Cars.co.za, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
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