The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

Suzuki SA’s sales surge: is VW’s 2nd place under threat in 2024?

January 2024 saw Suzuki Auto South Africa finish a mere 287 sales behind Volkswagen Group SA. So, is the German firm’s 2nd position really under threat this year? Let’s examine the figures…

Though South Africa’s new-vehicle industry kicked off 2024 with its 6th consecutive month of year-on-year decline, a certain Japanese automaker continued to buck the trend, putting in its best sales performance yet. Yes, Suzuki Auto South Africa finished January 2024 on a record 5 235 units, a mere 287 registrations behind the 2nd-placed Volkswagen Group (5 522 units).

This impressive haul furthermore represented the 1st time the Hamamatsu-based company’s local division had breached the 5 000-unit mark in a month, besting its previous record of 4 734 registrations achieved back in July 2022. So, while alliance partner Toyota – which has led Mzansi’s new-vehicle market for 44 years on the trot now – remains far out of reach for Suzuki, the VW Group is now seemingly within touching distance.

Will 2024 be the year Suzuki leapfrogs the German company in South Africa? Or was January’s record performance simply an anomaly, perhaps brought about by differing year-end reporting strategies? Let’s take a closer look at the recent sales figures in a bid to find out…

Stepping back: Suzuki Auto SA’s sales figures in 2023

Before we delve into January 2024’s fascinating statistics, let’s take a step back and consider Suzuki Auto SA’s performance across 2023. Last year, the budget-car specialist made 3rd place very much its own, finishing every single month on the final step of the podium and wrapping up the reporting period on 49 438 units (up 4.8% year on year and translating to its highest ever market share of 9.3%).

 
FiestaST said:
2024 vehicle market off to a slow start: these were the 50 top sellers in January

South Africa’s sad state of economic affairs continues to reflect in the new vehicle market, with January seeing a 3.8% year-on-year decline.

According to Naamsa last month’s vehicle sales totalled 41,636 units, down from 43,294 in January 2023, marking a fifth consecutive monthly decline for the industry.

This downturn was driven by passenger car sales, which fell by 6.7% year-on-year, while the light commercial vehicle market saw a welcome gain of 2.3%. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles gained 13.3% and 7.9% respectively.

84.3% of all vehicle sales took place through the dealer channels last month, while the rental industry accounted for 11.5% (a healthy 15% of passenger car sales). Corporate fleets and government accounted for 2.2% and 2.0% of the pie respectively.

It was business as usual on the sales charts, with the Toyota Hilux taking the bakkie lead with 2,645 units finding homes, while the Ford Ranger managed an impressive 1,914 units and the Isuzu D-Max trailed with 1,336.

50 best-selling vehicles in South Africa: January 2023

1. Toyota Hilux - 2,645
2. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 2,034
3. Ford Ranger - 1,914
4. Toyota Corolla Cross - 1,660
5. Suzuki Swift - 1,566
6. Toyota Starlet - 1,479
7. Isuzu D-Max - 1,336
8. Toyota Hi-Ace - 1,194
9. Volkswagen Polo - 1,079
10. Toyota Fortuner - 974
11. Nissan NP200 - 969
12. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro - 914
13. Nissan Magnite - 843
14. Hyundai Grand i10 - 766
15. Suzuki Ertiga - 657
16. Suzuki Baleno - 625
17. Toyota Vitz - 622
18. Toyota Urban Cruiser - 589
19. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 578
20. Haval Jolion - 567
21. Kia Sonet - 510
22. Volkswagen T-Cross - 502
23. Renault Kiger - 483
24. Suzuki Jimny - 445
25. Suzuki S-Presso - 434
26. Haval H6 - 421
27. Suzuki Fronx - 391
28. Renault Triber - 388
29. Hyundai i20 - 379
30. Toyota Rumion - 372
31. Renault Kwid - 356
32. GWM P-Series - 351
33. Volkswagen Polo Sedan - 346
34. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro - 330
35. Ford Everest - 329
36. Suzuki Celerio - 300
37. Nissan Navara - 296
38. Beijing X55 - 278
39. Hyundai Tucson - 274
40. Toyota Corolla Cross - 274
41. Suzuki Grand Vitara - 265
42. Volkswagen Tiguan - 257
43. Volkswagen Amarok - 222
44. Kia Picanto - 208
45. Chery Tiggo 8 Pro - 181
46. Hyundai Venue - 176
47. Hyundai H100 Bakkie - 173
48. Toyota Land Cruiser 300 - 171
49. Kia Pegas - 164
50. Volkswagen T-Roc - 159

Click to expand...

Ahhh yes,

When the same car can be 4th and 40th.
 
Seems discounts are starting to roll out thick and fast to challenge the monthly sales drops.

Rangers are up to R100k off. Puma allegedly also has R100k deal assist. And if you look carefully, you can get 10% off of a Toyota.
 
FlashSA said:
Seems discounts are starting to roll out thick and fast to challenge the monthly sales drops.

Rangers are up to R100k off. Puma allegedly also has R100k deal assist. And if you look carefully, you can get 10% off of a Toyota.
Click to expand...
Discounts are great.

They just are a big “F U” to the loyal ones who bought at sticker.
 
Here’s how many EVs and hybrids were sold in SA in 2023

Just how many traditional hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles were sold in South Africa in 2023? Let’s take a closer look at the official sales figures…

According to figures released by Naamsa, sales of electric vehicles (EVs), traditional hybrids and plug-in hybrids – or, to put it another way, new-energy vehicles (NEVs) – in South Africa increased 64.6% year on year to 7 693 units in 2023. It’s worth noting this growth came off the back of a year-on-year surge of 431.7% achieved in 2022.

Of course, 2023’s NEV sales tally isn’t quite as impressive when expressed as a percentage of the overall market total, which came in at 532 098 units (0.5% up, year on year). Indeed, NEVs accounted for just 1.45% of total new-vehicle sales last year, though this was at least the first breach of the 1% mark (2022’s figure was 0.88%). For the record, mild hybrids don’t appear to be included in this exercise.

According to the industry representative body, 931 fully electric vehicles were registered locally in 2023, up 85.46% year on year. Volvo Car South Africa says its XC40 Recharge was the country’s top seller in this space last year, capturing 16.6% of the EV market.

Meanwhile, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were again considerably less popular than fully electric models, with only 267 examples sold in Mzansi during 2023. That said, local PHEV sales at least grew at a faster rate than EVs, surging 118.85% year on year. According to Volvo, the XC60 Recharge plug-in hybrid was the top seller here, followed by the XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid.

 
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