TopGear South Africa is proud to announce the first-ever TopGear South Africa Awards event in partnership with WesBank. The event will honour the achievements of remarkable individuals, iconic cars, and innovative companies. The night will be filled with anticipation, excitement, and the crowning of the automotive world’s finest.
The inaugural Awards event is a fresh approach to not only honouring remarkable cars but also the individuals and companies behind them. The event will shine a spotlight on the achievements and contributions made by visionary people within South African OEMs as well as some of the service providers who continue to propel the South African automotive industry forward.
The TopGear South Africa Awards are unlike any other in the region with accolades going to various cars that compete on the local automotive stage. Additional awards are also on the bill that will honour those individuals or companies in ways that they’ve never observed before.
Publishing Partner at TopGear South Africa, Avon Middleton says that the Awards are the culmination of a vision to celebrate the automotive industry in true TopGear style.
“We are thrilled to introduce the TopGear SA Awards, a unique celebration that reflects the spirit and ethos of TGSA. We’re going to be honouring exceptional people, cars, and companies. We aim to inspire innovation, ignite a sense of healthy competition, and have a big celebration of the automotive industry from which we all identify and make a living.”
The TopGear SA Awards will recognize excellence in 20 categories, including Best Luxury Car, Best Budget Car, Best Hot Hatch and Best Family Car. Other TopGear SA Awards will honour the Noise of the Year, the Instant Icon Award as well as the Motoring Moment of the Year. Awards for excellence will also be given to those individuals in the industry that are exceptional in their respective fields including the PR of the Year and the Driving Academy of the Year.
Judging for the TopGear SA Awards is a process that takes place throughout the year as the TopGear SA team evaluates cars through its review process. The finalists are then selected before another process of evaluation and judging takes place before determining the winners for each category. Winners must score highly using TopGear SA’s evaluation system that measures cars on all aspects of performance, ownership, quality, design, and innovation.
“Realising these Awards is a testament to the recognition of excellence in the automotive space. We aim to commemorate those going beyond the call of duty, pushing the envelope in their area of expertise to inspire others to do the same. In essence, this will help elevate the standards of excellence across the automotive spectrum,” says Lerato Matebese, Publishing Editor at TopGear SA.
The inaugural TopGear Awards are Powered by WesBank, South Africa’s leading asset-based finance provider for personal and business financial needs. WesBank’s partnership is a sign of their commitment to the South African Automotive industry and the alignment of brands to bring this event to the fore.
“We value the opportunity to partner with TopGear South Africa in what is set to be another innovative step by the trailblazing publication, following the landmark launch of its own vehicle testing track earlier this year – a first for any motoring title in South Africa and for the magazine outside of its native UK,” says WesBank CEO Ghana Msibi.
“As a leader in the vehicle and asset finance space, we are aware of the financial commitment made by South Africans when purchasing a vehicle. It is important, therefore, to support initiatives like the TopGear South Africa Awards that empower consumers with the information required to make a sound decision when choosing which vehicle to buy. This underscores our position as a partner to our customers throughout their ownership journey,” says Msibi.
The prestigious TopGear SA Awards ceremony will be held in Northern Johannesburg on 7 December 2023, bringing together industry partners, peers and distinguished guests, making it a true celebration of the South African automotive industry and perhaps, the event to bring the year to a close on a high.
