BMW iX3 crowned World Car of the Year 2026 as EVs lead the way
The BMW iX3 has been named World Car of the Year 2026, with the announcement made at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
- Industry News
- 2 April 2026
Xolani Magukwe (39) is the winner and now the proud owner of a brand-new Renault Kiger 1.0 Energy Zen.
Magukwe took delivery of the Kiger in Radiant Red from the flagship Renault Bryanston showroom recently after winning it in a nationwide test-drive competition. He was joined by a friend who accompanied him on the taxi ride from their home in Daveyton on the East Rand after his current car broke down.
The Renault Kiger was the main prize of a recent test-drive campaign by Renault and Absa in support of the Absa Wildeklawer Sport Tournament for high schools.
To qualify for the prize, South Africans were invited to visit their nearest Renault showroom and test drive the Renault of their choice. After doing so, they could enter for the Kiger draw, which took place about a month after the completion of the Wildeklawer Tournament.


This year, the number of fans who test drove a Renault more than doubled to over 7 000 people, making it the most successful competition in the Tournament’s history.
The Absa Wildeklawer Tournament is hosted annually in Kimberley, and it has become the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Schools from across the country send their top under-19 teams in rugby, hockey, soccer and netball to compete for the ultimate title as the Best in South Africa.
Talking about the Best in South Africa: Grey College took the honours as the top rugby school, Paarl Gimnasium reigned supreme in netball, and Virginia High beat all comers in soccer. In the newly added hockey tournament, the boys from Sentraal High School and the girls’ team from Northern Cape High School won their respective divisions.
Before driving away in his new Renault Kiger, Magukwe was selected as one of the three lucky finalists. He and two other potential winners (both from the Eastern Cape) were transported to Renault Bryanston to pick a lucky key from a whole bag of Renault keys. The first person to pick the key that opened the new Renault Kiger was declared the winner by the independent auditors present.
“I still can’t believe it. Ever since I test drove the Kiger in May this year, I have been thinking about the car. It truly is a dream come true,” says Magukwe.

The BMW iX3 has been named World Car of the Year 2026, with the announcement made at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
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