The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

BMW vs Mercedes-Benz: 2024’s premium sales winner crowned!

BMW and Mercedes-Benz both suffered sales declines in 2024. But which of these German giants won the global premium sales race last year? Here are the figures…

With 2024 now firmly in the rearview mirror, it’s time to find out which automaker won the global premium sales race last year. As has been the case for some time now, it was a relatively close-fought affair between the 2 top dogs: BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

That said, both of these German automakers suffered year-on-year sales declines worldwide, with Munich blaming delivery stops related to a massive recall (as well as “subdued demand in China”) and Stuttgart pointing to “global macro-economic challenges”. But which company ended 2024 on top?

Well, the BMW Group – which, as a reminder, comprises the BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad brands – reported a worldwide sales figure of 2 450 804 units for 2024. For the record, that represents a 4.0% year-on-year decline.

Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz Group (which includes the Mercedes-Benz brand and the Smart marque as well as Mercedes-Benz Vans) ended the same 12-month reporting period on 2 389 000 units, likewise representing a 4.0% decrease compared with 2023. By our maths, that puts the Stuttgart-based group 61 804 units behind its Munich-based foe.

 
SA’s single-digit sellers: the cars hardly anyone bought in 2024

Across the whole of 2024, as many as 21 models on South Africa’s new-vehicle market each sold fewer than 10 units. Meet Mzansi’s single-digit sellers: the cars hardly anyone bought last year…

We’ve already examined South Africa’s best-selling cars and crossovers for 2024, as well as identified the country’s most popular bakkies. Now it’s time to turn our attention to the other end of the market: yes, the new-vehicle market’s single-digit sellers from last year.

Before we dive into the figures, we should point out there are several potential reasons vehicles might have ended up on this list. For instance, some had technically not yet launched (with the handful of registered units arriving for homologation purposes), while others had been completely discontinued (therefore hardly any stock was available).

In addition, highly exclusive, multi-million-rand supercars tend to be low volume by design. However, for relevant models mentioned on this list (which, for the record, is based on figures reported to industry representative body Naamsa), we’ll try our best to provide some sort of context. Right, let’s take a closer look, from the top down…

Last year, just 9 units of the Fiat Tipo were sold in South Africa, falling from 87 examples in 2023. The last time a Tipo was registered new in Mzansi was August 2024, which leads us to believe this C-segment model – which was offered in both hatchback and sedan guise – has been quietly discontinued locally (in fact, it’s not currently listed on Fiat SA’s website).

 
South Africa’s best-selling ladder-frame SUVs of 2024

Which ladder-frame SUVs did South Africans buy in droves in 2024 and which ones proved a tougher sell? We’ve tallied up the local sales figures for body-on-frame SUVs…

While unibody crossovers (alongside budget hatchbacks) tend to dominate South Africa’s passenger-vehicle sales charts, there’s clearly still a place for rugged ladder-frame SUVs in our market. So, which models were most popular in Mzansi in 2024?

Well, we’ve sorted through the statistics and tallied up the sales figures to see exactly how well – or otherwise – the various body-on-frame SUVs that are available in SA sold last year (as an aside, likely new entrants to this segment in 2025 include the LDV D90, the Lexus GX and the latest Haval H9).

As always, there are a few caveats. For instance, keep in mind that since Mercedes-Benz doesn’t report sales figures to Naamsa, we don’t know how many G-Class units were registered locally in 2024. And it’s a similar case with Ineos and its Grenadier.

That said, we picked out as many as 15 ladder-frame SUVs from Naamsa’s sales figures for 2024, each ostensibly offering extra ruggedness and loftier off-road abilities than the typical monocoque crossover. So, let’s see how well they sold…

Ladder-frame SUV sales in South Africa for 2024

1. Toyota Fortuner – 10 666 units

2. Suzuki Jimny – 3 753 units

3. Ford Everest – 3 109 units

4. Toyota Land Cruiser Prado – 2 106 units

5. Toyota Land Cruiser 300 – 1 547 units

6. Mahindra Scorpio-N – 977 units

7. Isuzu MU-X – 912 units

8. GWM Tank 300 – 526 units

9. Mitsubishi Pajero Sport – 305 units

10. Jeep Wrangler – 290 units

11. Toyota Land Cruiser 76 – 244 units

12. Lexus LX – 157 units

13. BAIC B40 Plus – 124 units

14. Nissan Patrol – 81 units

15. GWM Tank 500 – 70 units

 
Donald’s Trump’s presidency and how it could affect the auto industry - are there positives for SA?

Newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump has 'hit the ground running', making a slew of executive orders within hours of taking office, including a clampdown on undocumented immigrants and withdrawing from both the Paris Climate Agreement and World Health Organisation.

But the changes under his leadership promise to be far more sweeping and have the potential to affect industries around the world, including the automotive sector.

Trump’s promise of higher tariffs could affect production bases around the world, while his pull-back on electric car incentives and mandates will also disrupt the current motoring landscape.

From a vehicle production perspective, US neighbours Mexico and Canada appear particularly vulnerable at present, with Trump threatening to impose 25% import tariffs on both countries from February 1.

Numerous international car manufacturers currently use Mexico as a base for exporting cars to the US, taking advantage of its lower labour rates. Some, such as Honda, export as much as 80% of their output up north. European and Asian manufacturing bases also stand to lose export business.

South Africa exports a significant quantity of cars to the US and our industry’s biggest risk is the potential loss of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides duty-free access to that market. This policy is up for renewal in 2025 and even if it receives an extension, there is no guarantee that South Africa will remain a beneficiary.

Pretoria’s international relations with Russia and China, as well its legal stand against Israel’s war on Palestine, have proven controversial among US lawmakers and with the Republicans now in charge of both houses of Congress, free access to the US market is no longer something that can be taken for granted.

The upside is that South Africa’s vehicle manufacturing industry is not heavily reliant on the US market, which was the sixth biggest export destination for local manufacturers in 2023. 19,590 vehicles were exported to the US that year, which is just under 5% of that year’s total of 399,594.

 
Chinese giants in SA: 1 grew and the other shrunk in 2024

Chery and GWM (including Haval) were again the 2 dominant Chinese brands in South Africa in 2024, but 1 suffered its 2nd straight year of decline. Here are the figures…

Pop quiz: did the 2 dominant Chinese automotive brands in South Africa – Chery and GWM – both register year-on-year sales growth in 2024? Well, while we certainly wouldn’t blame you for responding in the affirmative (China’s sustained rise is a prevailing industry theme, after all), the answer is actually “no”.

Fascinatingly, as we recently discovered when collating 2024’s local sales figures to identify the best-selling automotive companies of the year, 1 of these Chinese giants recorded strong year-on-year gains while the other actually shrunk compared to 2023 – its 2nd straight year of decline, in fact.

Yes, Chery broke into Mzansi’s top 10 for the very first time (over a calendar year) thanks to a 22.4% year-on-year increase in sales – representing the strongest instance of growth inside 2024’s top 10 – climbing 3 places to seize 8th with a total of 19 971 units.

It’s worth keeping in mind this figure excludes sales from Chery Group subsidiaries such as Omoda, Jaecoo and Jetour. Were Chery to have added sales from these sub-brands to its total, it would likely have risen a further 2 rankings to 6th, above both Isuzu and Nissan (brands with a local manufacturing footprint).

Nevertheless, the Chery brand’s performance alone saw it grab a 3.9% share of the total market and – rather significantly – overtake chief rival GWM, which held onto 9th place (with its market share idling at 3.7%). Remember, the GWM stable includes sales from the Haval, P-Series, Tank and Ora sub-brands.

In the end, GWM – which has admittedly been in the country for far longer than Chery (the latter returned to SA only in 2021), so perhaps a sales plateau of sorts was to be expected – suffered its 2nd straight year of sales decline, with local registrations slipping 4.9% year on year to 18 927 units. That’s a slightly steeper drop than the overall market’s 3.0% year-on-year fall as well as down from 2023’s tally of 19 904 units, which itself was a considerable 12.1% lower than 2022’s effort.

 
Most Hijacked Cars in South Africa

Car hijacking in South Africa is a common crime in major cities and is one of the many risks that local motorists have to contend with. This article sheds light on the most hijacked cars in South Africa and what you can do to avoid becoming a hijacking statistic.

Have you ever wondered what happens to hijacked cars and what car brands and models are most at risk of being stolen?

Sadly, South Africa has a reputation for high crime levels and car crime, including hijacking, is particularly prevalent in major economic hubs such as Gauteng, Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal.

According to the most recent Police Recorded Crime Statistics for the Second Quarter of 2024-2025 financial year (July 2024-September 2024), a total of 5 447 car hijacking incidents were recorded, representing a year-on-year decline of 9.4% (562 incidents) over the same period in 2023. While any decline in any crime category is most welcome, the statistic still amounts to an alarming 60 hijacked cars per day in South Africa!

Wahl Bartmann, CEO of Fidelity Services Group, provides further insight into the latest hijacking trends in South Africa, “The number of hijackings decreased by 27.3% between November and December 2024. This decline aligns with similar trends in other types of organised crime, as syndicate members often take holidays during the festive season.”

“However, despite the reduction in incidents during December 2023 and 2024, a significant number of hijackings were still recorded. This highlights the persistent level of risk that remains during the festive period. Based on existing trends, the number of hijackings is anticipated to rise from late January, with a notable increase expected in February and March 2025. The trend is likely to stabilise and reach a plateau between April and May 2025. Additionally, spikes in hijacking incidents are projected for August and November 2025”, Bartmann concludes.

What are the most hijacked cars in South Africa?

Car hijacking is driven by demand, but generally speaking, criminals target popular car brands and models that can be sold quickly, stripped for parts or smuggled into neighbouring countries. It’s no surprise then that the most popular car models sold are also often the most hijacked cars in South Africa.

However, it must be noted that any car can become a target at any given point in time and criminal trends change as the market demand changes.

The car brands and models highlighted below are known targets for hijackers and are commonly regarded to be at higher risk of theft.

 
These are the key trends shaping the new car market as average purchase price drops

Half a million rand, not too long ago, was the kind of price tag you would have expected to see on a really luxurious premium brand vehicle, but today it buys you South Africa’s average car.

The average purchase price of a new passenger vehicle in 2024 was R490,478, according to industry wide figures released by Toyota at its State of the Motor Industry (SOMI) event held in Johannesburg recently.

However, last year’s figure was 2.27% lower than the R501,901 that the average passenger car retailed for in 2023, indicating a clear buying-down trend as consumers remain constrained by inflated living costs.

At the SOMI presentation, Toyota SA’s CEO Andrew Kirby said the affordability factor was a big influence on the markets in 2024 and will be an even bigger factor in 2025 and beyond.

Kirby also noted a decline in the number of successful credit applications through Toyota’s finance arm, indicating that a great deal of customers are wanting to purchase vehicles but simply are not credit worthy, from an affordability point of view. The carmaker also noted an increase in used car sales through its AutoMark division.

 
Three Chinese brands considering vehicle production in South Africa, Naamsa CEO says

At least three Chinese car manufacturers are considering setting up CKD vehicle production facilities in South Africa, according to Mikel Mabasa, CEO of Naamsa | the Automotive Business Council.

Speaking at the State of the Motor Industry (SOMI) event hosted by Toyota South Africa recently, Mabasa said that Chinese automakers were currently taking their international expansion plans to greater heights.

These comments came in the wake of Toyota SA CEO Andrew Kirby's warning of the slow ‘deindustrialisation’ of the South African vehicle manufacturing industry as well as the “unequal playing field” created by imports from Chinese manufacturers, which are subsidised by the Chinese government.

“You’ll be pleased to hear in regard to that (levelling of playing fields) the Chinese are definitely interested in setting up CKD operations in South Africa.

“We currently have three that are firmly looking at CKD operations in South Africa, and we are working with them to see whether that would be practical for them.”

Mabasa said these manufacturers were currently asking all the relevant questions on the South African market and its policy environment.

The Naamsa CEO did not mention which Chinese brands were considering setting up local production facilities. However, Chery Automobile is surely among the top prospects.

In late 2023, Chery South Africa’s executive deputy general manager Tony Liu said that a local assembly operation was certainly under consideration, however the company would need to look at overall sales volumes and balance that against manufacturing policy, regulations and overall cost, as a first step.

 
Vehicle search data shows boost in South African consumer confidence early in 2025

South African motorists are starting 2025 in top gear, with search data on one of South Africa's top motoring marketplaces showing an increase between January 1 and 14, compared to the same period in 2024.

With optimism of further interest rates cuts buoying South African spirits, many may be finding it easier to consider vehicle ownership.

AutoTrader’s latest “Do It Big” campaign celebrates this renewed optimism, financial relief, and a growing appetite for cars that match evolving lifestyles.

One brand, in particular, has been making waves. Volkswagen emerged as the most searched-for marque in early 2025, with a 13% increase in searches. Toyota followed closely with a 14% rise, and Ford recorded a 15% jump in consumer interest.

Meanwhile, premium brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW also saw increases of 6% and 11%, respectively.

 
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