• The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) have announced the BMW 7 Series as the 2024 SA Car of the Year.
• The Bavarian carmaker’s vehicle also took home the prize in the Luxury sub-category.
• It beat out 18 other vehicles that were part of the final judging earlier in the year.

Last night jurors from the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ) announced the winner of the SA Car of the Year for 2024 – the BMW 7 Series.

Among 18 finalists, it emerged as a standout contender, the Car of the Year jurors explained, with the Suzuki Fronx secured second place overall, and the BMW M2 claiming third spot on the night.

The aforementioned finalists were evaluated after being whittled down from a pool of 80 qualifying vehicles. Along with the overall judging, the competition also featured eight different sub-categories, with one from last year falling away too.

“With a greater representation of EVs across the different categories, the previous New Energy category was dropped in this year’s competition,” highlighted the SAGMJ in a press release shared with Hypertext.

The winners of the other sub-categories are as follows:

“Another accolade for the BMW brand, which clinched the overall COTY victory plus three category wins, is the COTY Jurors Excellence Award granted to the 7 Series, recognising the jurors’ admiration for its exceptional driving experience, vehicle quality, and craftsmanship based on the jurors’ input scores,” the SAGMJ.

It was therefore a very good night for the Bavarian carmaker. In fact, this competition has proved quite fruitful indeed for BMW as it now holds the record for the most overall wins SA Car of the Year, having triumphed in 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, and 2011 previously.

“Congratulations to the overall victor and category winners of the 38th annual COTY competition. With ever-heightening competition levels year on year, and with new technology and better value-for-money offerings from the different brands, the winners of this year’s contest should feel immensely proud of achieving top honours,” noted Charles Nortje, MD of Old Mutual Insure, which has been the main sponsor for the competition over the past two years.

“We extend our gratitude to all participating manufacturers in the 2024 COTY competition and express heartfelt appreciation to our sponsors, partners, and dedicated Guild members for upholding the esteemed reputation of our nation’s premier car competition,” added Mabuyane Mabuza, chairperson of the SAGMJ.

If you have not been fortunate enough to test drive the latest BMW 7 Series, check out this deep dive video of all its features below.