The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

June vehicle sales wrap and Top 50: Election jitters, VW bounces back, Ranger runs Hilux close

Pre-election uncertainty pulled the handbrake on new vehicle sales in May, with the market declining by a significant 14.2% versus the same month last year, according to Naamsa - The Automotive Business Council.

A total of 37,105 new vehicles found homes in Mzansi last month, with 89.4% of these sales taking place through the traditional dealer channels, versus 4.5% through the rental industry and 3.1% via corporate fleets, while government accounted for 3.0%.

Passenger car sales, at 24,367 units, lost 11.7% year-on-year, while light commercial vehicles and bakkies declined by a more significant 19.5% to settle at just 10,334 units. The medium and heavy commercial vehicle sectors declined by 7.3% and 17.1%, respectively.

Among the vehicle brands, Toyota took its usual top spot in the overall rankings with 8,795 sales, but Volkswagen bounced back to second spot with a healthy volume of 4,939 after being beaten to the post by Suzuki in April. The latter settled for third place with 4,101 sales ahead of a resurgent Ford (2,860), Hyundai (2,185), Isuzu (1,626) and Chery (1,609).

The Toyota Hilux led the bakkie sales race by a narrower margin than usual, with a volume of 2,367 that was run close by Ford’s Ranger at 2,216, while Isuzu’s D-Max took a distant third with 1,282 sales.

50 best-selling vehicles in South Africa: May 2024

1. Toyota Hilux - 2,367
2. Ford Ranger - 2,216
3. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 1,817
4. Toyota Corolla Cross - 1,543
5. Isuzu D-Max - 1,282
6. Suzuki Swift - 1,239
7. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro - 1,101
8. Hyundai Grand i10 - 1,072
9. Toyota Starlet - 1,047
10. Volkswagen Polo - 888
11. Nissan Magnite - 774
12. Toyota Fortuner - 763
13. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 716
14. Suzuki Baleno - 578
15. Haval Jolion - 572
16. Suzuki Fronx - 474
17. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 459
18. Volkswagen T-Cross - 451
19. Nissan Navara - 423
20. Toyota Vitz - 423
21. Renault Kiger - 406
22. Toyota Hi-Ace - 393
23. Kia Sonet - 379
24. Toyota Rumion - 370
25. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro - 342
26. Hyundai i20 - 337
27. Renault Kwid - 330
28. Volkswagen Amarok - 325
29. Suzuki Grand Vitara - 324
30. Suzuki Ertiga - 314
31. Suzuki Jimny - 309
32. Toyota Urban Cruiser - 301
33. Nissan NP200 - 297
34. Haval H6 - 272
35. Suzuki S-Presso - 266
36. Ford Territory - 264
37. Volkswagen Polo Sedan - 234
38. Toyota Corolla Quest - 227
39. Ford Everest - 220
40. Kia Seltos - 219
41. GWM P-Series - 205
42. Hyundai H100 Bakkie - 199
43. Renault Triber - 192
44. Toyota Land Cruiser 300 - 175
45. Chery Tiggo 8 Pro - 166
46. Citroen C3 - 163
47. Hyundai Venue - 161
48. Suzuki Eeco - 161
49. Suzuki Super Carry - 154
50. Volkswagen Tiguan - 141

 
Bakkie manufacturing milestone for South Africa as Ford builds millionth local Ranger

Imagine a straight railway line from Pretoria to the edge of Egypt’s southern border 5,300 kilometres away.

That’s quite a stretch and if you had to line up one million Ford Ranger bakkies bumper to bumper that’s the distance it would cover.

In an impressive milestone for Ford, that’s the number of bakkies their plant in Silverton, Pretoria have produced over the past 24 years of building the Ranger which is now in its third generation.

The Ranger remains one of the most popular options for South African consumers and as part of Ford Global, it’s also helped elevate the country’s automotive industry on the global stage.

“It’s fitting that we celebrate reaching and now rapidly surpassing the one-millionth locally produced Ranger during Ford’s Centenary year in South Africa,” said Neale Hill, president, Ford Motor Company Africa.

 
10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa: May 2024

Here’s your look at South Africa’s best-selling bakkies for May 2024. It was another close race at the top, while a refreshed contender impressed…

In May 2024, South Africa’s new-vehicle market suffered a significant year-on-year decline, with total sales falling 14.2% to 37 105 units. The usually robust light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment was even worse off, recording a hefty 19.5% year-on-year fall to 10 334 units last month.

So, what happened on the list of South Africa’s best-selling bakkies? Well, while just 21 units separated the top 2 models in April 2024, that gap extended to 151 registrations in May. As such, the Prospecton-built Toyota Hilux range – which recently welcomed the long-awaited widebody GR Sport III – again took the title of Mzansi’s most popular bakkie line-up, with sales increasing 13.0% month on month to 2 367 units.

10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa for May 2024

1. Toyota Hilux – 2 367 units

2. Ford Ranger – 2 216 units

3. Isuzu D-Max – 1 282 units

4. Mahindra Pik Up – 716 units

5. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 459 units

6. Nissan Navara – 423 units

7. Volkswagen Amarok – 325 units

8. Nissan NP200 – 297 units

9. GWM P-Series – 205 units

10. GWM Steed – 105 units

 
FiestaST said:
10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa: May 2024

Here’s your look at South Africa’s best-selling bakkies for May 2024. It was another close race at the top, while a refreshed contender impressed…

In May 2024, South Africa’s new-vehicle market suffered a significant year-on-year decline, with total sales falling 14.2% to 37 105 units. The usually robust light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment was even worse off, recording a hefty 19.5% year-on-year fall to 10 334 units last month.

So, what happened on the list of South Africa’s best-selling bakkies? Well, while just 21 units separated the top 2 models in April 2024, that gap extended to 151 registrations in May. As such, the Prospecton-built Toyota Hilux range – which recently welcomed the long-awaited widebody GR Sport III – again took the title of Mzansi’s most popular bakkie line-up, with sales increasing 13.0% month on month to 2 367 units.

10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa for May 2024

1. Toyota Hilux – 2 367 units

2. Ford Ranger – 2 216 units

3. Isuzu D-Max – 1 282 units

4. Mahindra Pik Up – 716 units

5. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 459 units

6. Nissan Navara – 423 units

7. Volkswagen Amarok – 325 units

8. Nissan NP200 – 297 units

9. GWM P-Series – 205 units

10. GWM Steed – 105 units

Click to expand...
If Ford had continued to manufacture and sell a base model Ranger single cab workhorse in the R350k-R380k Hilux/KB owned market slot, they would easily be leading over the Hilux in overall sales.

I would still love to find out the business thinking behind the cheapest single cab Ranger being priced at R514k! As someone who manages a fleet of previous gen Ranger workhorses, aint no way I'm giving staff a 10inch touch screen and paying half a bar for something that is going to have a hard life every single day.

Also, I wonder why the Toyota Urban Cruiser doesn't sell in higher numbers - but it is probably because it is priced not too far off from the Corolla Cross crossover sales king.
 
RIP: Nissan Qashqai axed in South Africa

Another Nissan model exits Mzansi. Yes, the Nissan Qashqai has been quietly discontinued in South Africa, ending the nameplate’s nearly 17-year run on the local market…

The Nissan Qashqai is no more in South Africa. Yes, Cars.co.za can confirm that the Japanese company’s local division has discontinued the crossover, quietly bringing down the curtain on this well-known nameplate’s nearly 17-year run in Mzansi.

From what we understand after speaking to multiple sources, stock of the 3rd-generation Qashqai – which was priced at a significant premium compared with its exceedingly more popular predecessors – has almost run dry in South Africa, with this model having already been removed from Nissan’s local website.

We’ve asked Nissan South Africa’s communications department for official comment on the matter and will update this article should we receive any additional information. However, considering the Qashqai is imported from United Kingdom (where it’s built in Sunderland), we’d speculate that exchange-rate woes might have something to do with the decision.

For the record, our figures suggest Nissan sold just 879 units of the Qashqai in 2023, which translates to a monthly average of only 73 units. After moving around 150 units every month in 2024’s opening quarter (150 in January, 151 in February and 157 in March), local Qashqai registrations fell to a mere 10 units in April 2024, before zero sales were reported in May 2024.

 
Yeah, most likely going to see the X-trail leave soon as well. None of these guys can compete with the Haval and Chery prices. Honda will most likely be next with that heavy price on the CRV.
 
Tiggo 4 Pro hits new high! SA’s 10 best-selling cars and crossovers

The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro put in its best sales performance yet in May 2024, cracking 4 figures. Here are South Africa’s 10 best-selling cars and crossovers for last month…

Since we’ve already brought you a list of Mzansi’s most popular bakkies for May 2024, we’re now turning our attention to the passenger-vehicle segment. So, which models were South Africa’s best-selling cars and crossovers last month?

Well, we’ve managed to lay our hands on the (unaudited) figures submitted to Naamsa, allowing us to compile a list of the top-selling passengers vehicles. As a reminder, South Africa’s new-vehicle market suffered a significant year-on-year decline in May 2024, with total sales falling 14.2% to 37 105 units. The new passenger-vehicle market, meanwhile, dropped 11.7% year on year to 24 367 units.

SA’s 10 best-selling cars and crossovers in May 2024

1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 1 817 units

2. Toyota Corolla Cross – 1 543 units

3. Suzuki Swift – 1 239 units

4. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 1 101 units

5. Hyundai Grand i10 (excluding LCV) – 1 072 units

6. Toyota Starlet – 1 047 units

7. Volkswagen Polo (hatch) – 888 units

8. Nissan Magnite – 774 units

9. Toyota Fortuner – 763 units

10. Suzuki Baleno – 578 units

 
Toyota South Africa squashes rumours of KZN exit in wake of election result

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) says it remained committed to its local manufacturing base in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) despite having faced numerous challenges in the past few years.

Following the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s surprise performance in the recent elections, where it gained over 45% of the KZN vote, there have been rumours that TSAM is considering moving its local manufacturing base to another province, such as the Eastern Cape.

However Toyota SA’s corporate communications manager Lelo Ndzimela has fervently denied these claims.

“This is just a rumour. Toyota South Africa Motors remains committed to its investment in the community in and around Prospecton, KwaZulu-Natal,” Ndzimela said.

At the time of writing it remained unclear which direction KZN would take in terms of a coalition government for the province, although the MK Party would need to have a much firmer hand in national government to enact any of its nationalisation policies or change the constitution for that matter. The party achieved 14.5% of the national vote.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X