SAGMJ announces new sponsor for Car of the Year

The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists are elated to announce that AutoTrader will be the official headline sponsor for the 2019 South African Car Of The Year Competition. The Guild, and the media as a whole, is adjusting to the movement and trend away from print media towards digital platforms. The merging of print and digital is something the SAGMJ insists on integrating into COTY moving into the future.
After a 32-year sponsorship the relationship for the foreseeable future between WesBank and the iconic South Africa Car Of The Year (COTY) has ended. We thank them for more than 3 decades of sponsorship and we part amicably.
A number of meetings and workshops were held with many different stakeholders on the innovative changes that are required in the format of the competition to amplify the prestige, excellence and cutting-edge technology represented by COTY. The South African Car Of The Year Competition enjoys international recognition and there is no doubt that COTY remains the most advanced competition in South Africa, and in most of the World. It has set the benchmark in the automotive industry for more than 3 decades. Through the Guild’s well thought out strategic planning, this competition remains the ultimate measureof excellence and is not simply a “popularity contest”.
AutoTrader’s overall innovative and creative input into their tender for the COTY 2019 sponsorship left little doubt that we had found more than a sponsor. We have found a company that is capable, dynamic and enthusiastic to be our partner and journey with us into the future.