The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

Toyota Retains Title of World’s Best-Selling Automaker in 2022

Japanese firm Toyota was again the world’s best-selling automaker in 2022. But just how far ahead of its 2nd-placed rival was it? Let’s examine the sales figures…

Toyota held its title as the world’s best-selling automaker in 2022, registering in excess of 10 million units around the globe last year. That means it has held the crown for 3 years straight.

According to figures released by the Japanese firm, worldwide sales for the full year came in at 10 483 024 units (a slight year-on-year decline of 0.1%). For the record, this number includes sales from subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino.

Toyota (including Lexus) finished on 9 566 961 units, with Daihatsu contributing 766 091 units and the Hino truck division a further 149 972 units. Interestingly, the group’s total production (as opposed to sales) numbers increased 5.3% year on year to 10 610 604 units, with 6 957 592 of those vehicles build outside of Japan (and 114 989 of them at Prospecton here in South Africa, despite a 3-month production interruption courtesy of the KwaZulu-Natal floods).

“Despite the impact of production constraints caused by the spread of COVID-19, increased demand for semiconductors, and other factors, global sales were at the same level year-on-year as a result of solid demand centred around Asia,” Toyota said.

In South Africa, Toyota was again the best-selling automaker in 2022 with 132 035 units, meaning the Japanese firm has led the local new-vehicle market for 43 years straight. That represents 12.22% year-on-year growth, though the company’s market share in SA fell slightly, from 25.33% to 24.96%.

www.cars.co.za

Toyota Retains Title of World's Best-Selling Automaker in 2022

Japanese firm Toyota was again the world’s best-selling automaker in 2022. But just how far ahead of its 2nd-placed rival was it?
www.cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
 
Toyota tops global sales charts once again

Toyota was the world's top-selling carmaker in 2022, retaining its lead over German rival Volkswagen for the third year, company data showed on Monday.

In comparison, Volkswagen Group - which held the top spot until 2020 when it was overtaken by Toyota - sold 8.3 million units last year, an annual drop of seven percent.

Toyota did not state which models were its best sellers in 2022, but in 2021 the Rav4 was the company’s top model, narrowly outselling the Corolla with 1.13 million sales versus 1.10m. Following the rollout of the Corolla Cross in 2022, it will be interesting to see if the Corolla nameplate clawed back its traditional position at the top.

"Despite the impact of production constraints caused by the spread of Covid-19, increased demand for semiconductors, and other factors, global sales were at the same level year-on-year as a result of solid demand centred around Asia," the Japanese car giant said.

 
SA’s Best-Selling Cars in January 2023: VW Polo Vivo Slips

South Africa’s new-vehicle market kicked off the year on a generally positive note, with sales growing 4.8% in January 2023. Here’s a look at the best-selling vehicles, most popular brands and more…

In January 2023, South Africa’s new-vehicle industry grew 4.8% to 43 509 units, resulting in the 13th consecutive month of year-on-year sales growth. The final figure for the opening month of the year furthermore represented a 4.1% improvement over December 2022’s effort of 41 783 registrations.

Though this constitutes relatively minor growth, it’s nevertheless encouraging considering the multiple headwinds facing the local industry right now. Naamsa, however, described the performance as “weak”, adding it was “in line with expectations of a depressed economy along with ongoing structural problems and cost of living increases”.

So, let’s take a closer look at the figures. Out of the total reported industry sales of 43 509 vehicles, Naamsa says an estimated 36 353 units (or 83.6%) came courtesy of the dealership channel, with 12.1% representing sales to the rental industry, 2.2% to government and 2.1% to industry corporate fleets.

South Africa’s new passenger-vehicle market finished the reporting period on 31 072 units or a marginal year-on-year gain of 2.9%. Yet again, the rental industry ably supported this section of the market, accounting for a healthy 16.2% of sales. The light-commercial vehicle segment enjoyed even stronger growth than its passenger-car counterpart, with 10 622 units (up 10.4%) registered in January 2023.

However, the vehicle-export market recorded a year-on-year decline of 1.8% to 20 536 units. In this regard, Naamsa expressed “serious concern” about the load-shedding crisis, saying the “destructive higher stages of load-shedding have amplified the negative impact on vehicle production and component manufacturing in South Africa”.

New vehicle sales summary for January 2023

- Aggregate new-vehicle sales of 43 509 units increased by 4.8% (2 006 units) compared to January 2022.
- New passenger-vehicle sales of 31 072 units increased by 2.9% (873 units) compared to January 2022.
- New light-commercial vehicle sales of 10 622 units increased by 10.4% (998 units) compared to January 2022.
- Export sales of 20 536 units decreased by 1.8% (-367 units) compared to January 2022.

10 best-selling vehicles in South Africa for January 2023

1. Toyota Hilux – 2 769 units

2. Toyota Corolla Cross – 2 042 units

3. Toyota Starlet – 2 037 units

4. Suzuki Swift – 1 499 units

5. Toyota Hi-Ace – 1 294 units

6. Isuzu D-Max – 1 273 units

7. Ford Ranger – 1 269 units

8. Volkswagen Polo Hatch – 1 144 units

9. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 1 054 units

10. Nissan NP200 – 886 units

www.cars.co.za

Volkswagen Polo Vivo Slips: SA's Best-Selling Cars in January 2023

South Africa's new-vehicle market kicked off the year on a positive note, with January 2023 sales growing 4.8%. Here’s what you need to know.
www.cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
 
New SA-built Ford Ranger sets sail for over 100 export markets

Like its predecessor, the new Ford Ranger is one of South Africa’s export heroes, with around two thirds of local production setting sail for markets all around the globe.

Ford South Africa recently kicked off its export programme for the new-generation model, which will be shipped to over 100 global markets. Europe is currently the bakkie’s biggest export market, and this has proven to be a big success story for Ford as the Ranger is the best selling bakkie in that region.

Production of the new Ford Ranger for local consumption as well as export comes as a result of a R15.8 billion investment in modernising the local facility in Silverton, east of Pretoria.

“Having modernised the local production and increased the installed capacity to a record 200 000 units per year, we remain committed to delivering quality Next-Gen Rangers from our Silverton Assembly Plant and Struandale Engine Plant,” said Ockert Berry, VP of Operations at Ford SA.

Ford says its two-port strategy, which includes Durban as well as Gqeberha, is instrumental in achieving its higher export ambitions, and the Eastern Cape route is set to play a more instrumental role as soon as a more efficient and reliable rail corridor is set up for that route.


Ranger 1.PNGRanger 2.PNG
 
South Africa’s best and worst selling bakkies in January 2023

Although January’s record load shedding put a damper on all industries, South Africa’s bakkie market kicked the year off on a relatively positive note.

According to Naamsa, light commercial vehicle sales last month grew by 10.4% versus January last year, with 10 622 units finding homes. By contrast, the passenger car market grew by just 2.9% to 30 199 units, while the total vehicle market gained 4.8% year-on-year.

As you might have expected, the Toyota Hilux was South Africa’s No.1 selling bakkie in January 2023, with a total volume of 2 769 units. The battle for second place was closely fought, with the Isuzu D-Max, at 1 273 sales, narrowly beating the Ford Ranger, which managed a volume of 1 269.

The Mahindra Scorpio also enjoyed an exceptionally strong month, with 886 sales putting it in fifth place overall, while the Toyota Land Cruiser Pik-Up also recorded a better-than-usual volume of 468. Good harvest this season? The ‘Cruiser beat the Nissan Navara (351) and GWM P-Series (286).

Among the lower-volume double cabs, the Mitsubishi Triton emerged victorious with 65 sales, followed by the JAC X-Series (55) and outgoing Volkswagen Amarok (51).

The Jeep Gladiator managed a not inconsiderable 32 sales, followed by its Stellantis cousin the Peugeot Landtrek, at 19. The Mazda BT-50 managed just 7 unit sales last month.

SOUTH AFRICAN BAKKIE SALES RANKING: JANUARY 2022

1. Toyota Hilux - 2 769
2. Isuzu D-Max - 1 273
3. Ford Ranger - 1 269
4. Nissan NP200 - 886
5. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 819
6. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 468
7. Nissan Navara - 351
8. GWM P-Series - 286
9. Hyundai H100 Bakkie - 171
10. Suzuki Super Carry - 144
11. GWM Steed - 87
12. Kia K2700 - 85
13. Mitsubishi Triton - 65
14. JAC X-Series - 55
15. Volkswagen Amarok - 51
16. Mahindra Bolero - 47
17. JAC T-Series - 32
18. Jeep Gladiator - 32
19. Peugeot Landtrek - 19
20. Kia K2500 - 8
21. Mazda BT-50 - 7
22. Volkswagen Transporter PU - 6

 
South Africa’s top 10 best-selling brands for January

Top 10 best-selling brands for January 2023

Toyota – 12 532
Volkswagen Group SA – 5 081
Suzuki Auto – 4 357
Nissan – 2 927
Hyundai – 2 525
Renault – 2 051
Kia South Africa – 1 686
Ford – 1 565
Haval Motors SA – 1 527
Isuzu Motors SA – 1 327

www.carmag.co.za

South Africa’s top 10 best-selling brands for January

Here are the top 10 performers from South Africa's new car market for the month of January after registering a total of 43 059 sales.
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za
 
South Africa’s best and worst selling bakkies in January 2023

SOUTH AFRICAN BAKKIE SALES RANKING: JANUARY 2022

1. Toyota Hilux - 2 769
2. Isuzu D-Max - 1 273
3. Ford Ranger - 1 269
4. Nissan NP200 - 886
5. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 819
6. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 468
7. Nissan Navara - 351
8. GWM P-Series - 286
9. Hyundai H100 Bakkie - 171
10. Suzuki Super Carry - 144
11. GWM Steed - 87
12. Kia K2700 - 85
13. Mitsubishi Triton - 65
14. JAC X-Series - 55
15. Volkswagen Amarok - 51
16. Mahindra Bolero - 47
17. JAC T-Series - 32
18. Jeep Gladiator - 32
19. Peugeot Landtrek - 19
20. Kia K2500 - 8
21. Mazda BT-50 - 7
22. Volkswagen Transporter PU - 6

 
10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa: January 2023

We’ve sorted through January 2023’s sales figures and identified South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies for the opening month of the year…
South Africa’s new-vehicle market posted 4.8% of year-on-year growth in January 2023 to end the month on 43 509 units. The light-commercial vehicle segment, meanwhile, grew 10.4% to 10 622 units, which much of the volume coming courtesy of bakkies.

So, what happened on the list of SA’s best-selling bakkies? Well, there was a little movement. At the summit, however, the Prospecton-built Toyota Hilux picked up right where it left off in 2022, comfortably securing the top spot with 2 769 registrations in the opening month of the new year. As a reminder, the Japanese bakkie was the country’s most popular new vehicle last year, with a whopping 32 203 units sold (despite a 3-month production stoppage in KwaZulu-Natal).

The Struandale-produced Isuzu D-Max (1 273 units) improved its tally month on month to climb a position to 2nd, squeezing past the Ford Ranger (1 269 units), which fell to 3rd. It seems the Blue Oval brand’s gradual switchover to the new-generation Ranger – the single- and extended-cab derivatives will launch locally only in March, for instance – continued to impact its performance.

1. Toyota Hilux – 2 769 units

2. Isuzu D-Max – 1 273 units

3. Ford Ranger – 1 269 units

4. Nissan NP200 – 886 units

5. Mahindra Pik Up – 819 units

6. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 468 units

7. Nissan Navara – 351 units

8. GWM P-Series – 286 units

9. GWM Steed – 87 units

10. Mitsubishi Triton – 65 units

www.cars.co.za

South Africa's 10 best-selling bakkies in January 2023

We’ve sorted through January 2023's figures and identified South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies for the opening month of the year…
www.cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
 
Top 5 automotive exporters from January 2023

Prospects for vehicle export growth remain optimistic on the back of further new model introductions by major exporters in the domestic market. The January 2023 export sales number at 20 536 units reflected a decline of 367 vehicles or 1,8%, compared to the 20 903 vehicles exported in January 2022. The top 5 brands that exported a good number of vehicles this past month are the known industry giants, Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Ford and Mercedes-Benz. Here’s how each of them performed and how many units produced here, left our shores for homes across the world:

- Toyota: 7 352
- Volkswagen Group: 5 315
- BMW: 4 700
- Ford Motor Company: 1 682
- Mercedes-Benz: 773

www.carmag.co.za

Top 5 brands with the most exports for January 2023

With the statistics for the month in, we take a look at the data to determine who South Africa's largest vehicle exporters were and how many units their numbers comprise.
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za
 
South Africa’s 30 best-selling cars and SUVs in January 2022

Despite being the worst month ever in terms of load shedding, the motor industry once again rose above the economic uncertainty.

In total, 43 509 vehicles were sold in January 2022, representing year-on-year growth of 4.8%. Of these, 31 199 were traditional cars and SUVs and this sector gained a mere 2.9% versus January last year, while the light commercial vehicles climbed by 10.4%.

SOUTH AFRICAN CAR AND SUV SALES RANKING: JANUARY 2022

1. Toyota Corolla Cross - 2 042
2. Toyota Starlet - 2 037
3. Suzuki Swift - 1 499
4. Volkswagen Polo - 1 144
5. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 1 054
6. Volkswagen T-Cross - 874
7. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro - 850
8. Toyota Urban Cruiser - 839
9. Nissan Almera - 785
10. Nissan Magnite - 756
11. Haval Jolion - 715
12. Toyota Fortuner - 710
13. Renault Kwid - 657
14. Suzuki Baleno - 652
15. Kia Picanto - 640
16. Renault Kiger - 632
17. Renault Triber - 606
18. Hyundai Grand i10 - 569
19. Suzuki Dzire - 510
20. Hyundai i20 - 509
21. Haval H6 - 475
22. Toyota Corolla Quest - 433
23. Suzuki S-Presso - 432
24. Volkswagen Tiguan - 396
25. Suzuki Vitara Brezza - 387
26. Kia Sonet - 357
27. Hyundai Venue - 343
28. Ford EcoSport - 336
29. Toyota Rumion - 334
30. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro - 320

 
10 Top-Selling Vehicles to SA’s Rental Industry in January 2023

Which vehicles benefitted most from sales to South Africa’s rental industry in January 2023? Let’s take a look at the fleet favourites…

While a sale is a sale, it’s worth noting some models rely more heavily on new-vehicle registrations in the rental industry than others. For the record, the rental channel represents a considerable portion of South Africa’s monthly new-vehicle sales, accounting for 12.1% of the total reported figure of 43 509 units sold in January 2023.

The influence of rental-fleet buyers is even more significant in the passenger-vehicle space, with sales through this channel accounting for 16.2% of 31 072 registrations in the opening month of the year. In short, there are sizeable volumes to be had in this part of the market.

So, which vehicles were most popular with SA’s rental industry in January? Well, we’ve sorted through Naamsa’s sales statistics and picked out the 10 top-selling vehicles to rental companies last month. Interestingly, Suzuki had 3 models in the top 10 … or 4, if you count the Starlet the company builds for Toyota.

10 top-selling vehicles to SA’s rental industry in January 2023

1. Toyota Starlet – 777 units (out of 2 037)

2. Nissan Almera – 511 units (out of 785)

3. Suzuki Swift – 456 (out of 1 499)

4. Toyota Corolla Cross – 425 units (out of 2 042)

5. Renault Kwid – 342 units (out of 657)

6. Volkswagen Polo Hatch – 283 units (out of 1 144)

7. Kia Picanto – 256 units (out of 640)

8. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 252 units (out of 1 054)

9. Suzuki Dzire – 250 units (out of 510)

10. Suzuki Celerio – 170 units (out of 285)

www.cars.co.za

10 Top-Selling Vehicles to SA's Rental Industry in January 2023

Which vehicles benefitted most from sales to South Africa’s rental industry in January 2023? Let's take a look at the fleet favourites…
www.cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
 
Despite a sluggish economy the SA government bought 11 500 new cars in 2022

While the majority of new cars in South Africa are sold to private buyers, a significant portion also goes to the rental industry as well as corporates and, of course, our government.

Government sales make up the smallest portion, but it’s still a significant number, with an estimated 11 500 vehicles being bought by the state in 2022, which represents 2.1 percent of the total sales pie.

But what kind of cars are our government buying at the moment? We analysed the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) sales numbers from the whole of 2022 and added them up until we had a list of the cars bought most often by the powers that be.

Unfortunately, Mercedes did not submit any data on government sales during 2022, while BMW only reported those numbers in three of the months, which at least gave us a taste of what luxury cars are being snapped up by the state.

The best-selling vehicle to government overall in 2022 is perhaps not something you might have expected, with the Isuzu D-Max taking the honours with 1 784 sales to government, which is a monthly average of just under 150 units. The Isuzu narrowly beat the Toyota Hilux, which managed 1 731 government sales. Had Toyota not been hindered by its factory flood last year, it could very well have led the race.

Government Vehicle Sales: 2022

  • 1. Isuzu D-Max - 1 784
  • 2. Toyota Hilux - 1 731
  • 3. Volkswagen Polo Sedan - 1 129
  • 4. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 683
  • 5. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 571
  • 6. Ford Ranger - 429
  • 7. Renault Kwid - 368
  • 8. Nissan Navara - 314
  • 9. Nissan Almera - 288
  • 10. Suzuki Dzire - 225
  • 11. Toyota Quantum - 222
  • 12. Toyota Urban Cruiser - 219
  • 13. Suzuki Vitara Brezza - 204
  • 14. Toyota Starlet - 187
  • 15. Toyota Hiace - 176
  • 16. Nissan NP200 - 164
  • 17. Toyota Corolla Quest - 150
  • 18. Suzuki Swift - 118
  • 19. Suzuki Ertiga - 103
  • 20. Honda Ballade - 99
  • 21. Volkswagen Amarok - 94
  • 22. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 78
  • 23. BMW 3 Series - 75
  • 24. Volkswagen Transporter - 74
  • 25. Toyota Fortuner - 67
  • 26. Volkswagen Golf GTI - 65
  • 27. Volkswagen Polo - 65
  • 28. Audi A4 - 58
  • 29. Suzuki Ciaz - 58
  • 30. Mahindra Scorpio - 44
 
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