Toyota voted SA's favourite car brand

The winning brands are voted for by consumers and business decision makers who rank them as being the best in their category in a nationwide survey. According to Times Media, parent company of the Sunday Times, current trends among SA's top brands indicate that the tough economic climate has pushed consumers away from trying new things, back into the products they trust.

The consumer sample for the 2016 Sunday Times Brands Awards comprised 3,500 interviews, of which 2,500 were in the SA metros while the remaining 1,000 were in the non-metro areas. The sample also consisted of 502 C-level business decision makers - including CEOs, CFOs and COOs - from organisations of all sizes across the country.

Tough economic climate

"Winning a Sunday Times Top Brand award in the Car category is a significant accomplishment for the Toyota brand. The ability to maintain a strong position and forge ahead in a rather challenging economic climate is what distinguishes Toyota from other brands. We are eternally grateful to the South African market for their unwavering support, and it remains our philosophy and mission to create smiles whenever we interact with our customers," says Kerry Roodt, general manager of marketing communications at TSAM.

Roodt adds that while TSAM's sales and marketing teams find the recognition most rewarding, none of the organisation's achievements would have been possible without everyone rallying behind the Toyota brand. "I would also like to acknowledge all the traditional custodians of our brand - including Toyota Motor Company in Japan, all the departments at the head office, colleagues at the Prospecton plant and dealer network across the country. It's always amazing to see what can be achieved when we work together as a team," she says.