The HyundaiElantra 1.8 GLS has been named as the 2012 South African Car of the Year. The award was chosen by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists and WesBank following the announcement last year of the top 10 finalists. This notes the first time that a Korean car has won this award and even more surprising, the runner up was also a Korean manufacturer.

Hyundai Elantra comes out tops

The Hyundai Elantra is having quite an impressive run, as it was previously named as the North American Car of the Year as well the overall winner in the Canadian Car of the Year. The Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS starts at R224 900 and was released in Aug 2011 in South Africa.

Here is the top 10 list for the South African Car of the Year

• Hyundai Elantra 230

• Kia Picanto 155

• Volkswagen Jetta 141

• Suzuki Kisazhi 49

• Alfa Romeo Guilietta 48

• Audi A6 30

• Ford Focus 27

• Citroen DS4 22

• Peugeot 5008 20

• Mercedes-Benz SLK 3