Porsche, who have won this title for the second time in succession, is the only second manufacturer in the history of COTY to do so.
General Motors – Opel Kadett 140’s won it in 1994 and Opel Astra 160iS in 1995.
The Cayman S follows in the footsteps of its sibling, the Porsche Boxster, which in 2013 became the first Porsche model in the history of the competition to win the title.
And yes, guests were pinning their hopes on something different and last year, the same reaction filled the room when the German made came out tops.
“The Porsche brand is not just experiencing a phenomenal increase in popularity in South Africa, but there is also a consistently increasing demand for these vehicles across all spheres of society,” said Christo Valentyn, Chairperson of the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists.
“Local Porsche sales increased by almost 68 percent in 2013 to total 2516 units — a figure that until recently would have been considered nearly impossible for a brand that is largely considered aspirational, expensive and exclusive. But when the perceived popularity of such a brand translates into such notable sales figures, it proves that they are truly competitive against its segment rivals, that they are within reach of more people than one would think, and that there is significant acceptance of the products in the market,” he added.
“That the company manages to position each of its products so competitively without compromising on giving customers a complete Porsche experience, is testimony to the excellence the Car of the Year competition aims to reward.”
Although the evening belonged to Porsche, it must be noted that some dissatisfied Jury Members promised to look into the judging criteria.
“While consumers will be under pressure due to rising inflation, higher interest rates, record fuel prices and e-tolls, they are in a much better shape entering the current cycle than in previous cases,” says Wesbank CE Chris De Kock.
De Kock said this is largely the result of the National Credit Act, which has brought about significantly better credit assessment and affordability criteria.
“The levels of debt relative to income, are therefore not as high as at the peak of previous cycles and given that interest rates are unlikely to reach historic highs, the all important debt service ratio, should not reach previous levels.”
In addition, a large percentage of consumer debt, across all financing categories is at fixed interest rates.
A 100% of the unsecured debt market is fixed and a high proportion of the vehicle finance book is also fixed. WesBank’s motor book for example sits at 62%, and even a fair percentage of the mortgage book is fixed.
This offers the consumer some protection against rising interest rates,” he said.
Here are the results:
1. Porsche Cayman S – 199 points
2. Volkswagen Golf 7 1.4 TSI 90kW Comfortline DSG – 192
3. Audi A3 Sportback 1.4T FSI Manual – 168
4. Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG – 143
5. Jaguar F-TYPE 3.0 V6 S – 136
6. Renault Clio 4 66kW Turbo Dynamique – 133
7. Lexus IS 350 F-Sport – 123
8. Volvo V40 D3 Geartronic Excel – 106
9. Peugeot 208 GTi – 100
