The Car of the Year race is on!

The winner, which will be determined following intensive tests to be conducted by a 29-member jury from the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ), will be announced on 18 March at a Gala banquet in Gauteng.

The eleven finalists in the running for South Africa's premier motoring event are:

• Audi A3 Sedan 1.4TSE S Tronic
  
• BMW M4 Coupe auto
  
• Citroen C4 Picasso E-HDI 115 Intensive
  
• Honda Accord 3.5 V6 Exclusive
  
• Lexus ES 250 EX,
  
• Mercedes Benz C-Class C200 Auto
  
• Nissan Qashqai 1.6DCI Acenta Auto
  
• Porsche Macan diesel
  
• Renault Duster 1.5 DCi Dynamic 4WD
  
• Subaru WRX Premium
  
• Toyota Corolla 1.4 D-4D Prestige

Could Mercedes win the race..?

The finalists is made up of a mixed bag of SUV's, family transporters and sedans as well as two niche mark "expensive hotties"; the BMW, which is priced at more than R1m with the Porsche not too far behind at nearly R870,000.

Predictably, Toyota Corolla, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have made their expected appearance on the list and as a former jury member, I will stick my neck out and predict that the Merc should win the title - but it is a going to be a hard race with just a few points separating the winner from the runners-up.