The Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) walked away with the top honour, as the Double-cab Ford Ranger was the overall winner at the 2015 Standard Bank People’s Wheels Awards held at Montecasino in Johannesburg.
The online poll not only saw the Double-cab Ranger as the winner, by more than 60 000 online votes, but it also took the award for the Double-Cab Bakkie category. The Ranger is fast becoming a popular choice as can be seen from this year’s favourable sales figures which display a 38% growth year-to-date, as of October.
Mark Kaufman, Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service at FMCSA said the company was ecstatic with the award and that it shows South Africans continue to recognise and buy Ranger. He further mentioned that the award is testament of the sheer quality of their product.
Ford also took the winning title for the Small SUVs and Crossovers category with the EcoSport. The vehicle is no stranger to winning as its 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine has taken the International Engine of the Year award three times already between 2012 and 2014.
Many other Ford vehicles were recognised by the voting public in a broad spectrum of categories: the Figo for Budget Buys; the Fiesta in Compact Commuters; the Focus in Compact Executive Cars; the Fiesta ST and the Focus ST for Hot Hatches/Sedans/Coupés; the Kuga in Compact SUVs and Crossovers; and the Transit Custom for Light Delivery Vehicles.
The People’s Wheels Awards was initiated by the Future Group in association with Standard Bank, TNS South Africa and Sunday Times. South Africans were encouraged to vote over a three-month period between June and August for their favourite cars. More than 60 000 online votes were registered for the 22 categories.