JOHANNESBURG: It was recently announced that Cars.co.za and Absa have partnered to take South Africa’s most authoritative automotive industry awards, the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – often referred to as #CarsAwards – into a bold and innovative future. For the first time ever, a South African motoring awards programme will seek to actively promote and facilitate sales by taking all 39 finalist vehicles “to the people” with a first-of-its-kind Consumer Awards Roadshow.
The gala event on 29 February will announce the winners in the 13 product categories but will also be the kick-off for the new 4-day Consumer Awards Roadshow in Sandton City Mall from 29 February to 3 March. All 39 vehicles selected as finalists will go on display under one roof, giving over 50 000 visitors per day at the Mall the unique opportunity to inspect and test drive the country’s best cars for themselves. More importantly, dealers representing the finalist brands, and which are taking part in the activation, will be able to sell right there and then, too.
“We’re incredibly excited to be working with Absa – as well as our dealer and OEM partners – to put together this incredible event,” says Amasi Mwela, Managing Director of Cars.co.za. “Our collaboration with Absa reinforces our dedication to providing consumers with a platform that is not just about making informed purchasing decisions but also about delivering a remarkable automotive experience. With this project we give consumers everything they need to make a decision, and connect dealers and consumers in a way never seen before.”
“At Absa we pride ourselves on being a bank that plays a supportive role across the breadth of the automotive industry, with our deep understanding of the sector’s opportunities, enabling us to serve beyond the financial transactions we facilitate,” says Charl Potgieter, Managing Executive: Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance. “We recognise the importance of fostering strong partnerships with like-minded stakeholders and we are thrilled to offer South Africans the Consumer Awards Roadshow, in partnership with Cars.co.za. Our approach is collaborative and this initiative is a key point of alignment between ourselves, innovators and leaders across the automotive value chain to drive positive change for consumers. Together, we can navigate the complexities of today’s market and pave the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future.”
This Cars.co.za Consumer Awards Roadshow builds on a similar event Cars.co.za hosted at the Mall of Africa during November last year. Following 2 days of intensive testing by 20 respected judges at the Gerotek test facility in Gauteng, all 39 vehicles were driven into the Mall of Africa and put on display. “The success of the Mall of Africa activation laid the foundation of this new Awards Roadshow,” says Mwela. “The video footage shows how consumers appreciated the opportunity to inspect and, most importantly, compare cars at the Mall.”
