The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

Polo Vivo slips, Sonet returns: SA passenger-car sales for April 2025

The Volkswagen Polo Vivo found itself in an unfamiliar 4th place on the list of SA’s best-selling passenger cars in April 2025, while the Kia Sonet made a return to the top 10…

In April 2025, sales in South Africa’s new-vehicle market increased 11.9% year on year to 42 401 units. Drilling down further, the nation’s new passenger-car segment enjoyed 16.9% year-on-year growth to finish on 30 101 units, with the rental channel accounting for 8.9% of that figure.

So, what happened on the list of Mzansi’s best-selling passenger vehicles last month? Well, after placing 1st in this segment in Q1 2025, the Suzuki Swift continued its strong showing in April 2025, ending the month on 2 053 units. For the record, some 28.8% (or 591 units) of the Indian-made hatchback’s total represented sales to the rental industry.

Meanwhile, the Prospecton-built Toyota Corolla Cross (1 584 units) climbed a ranking to 2nd, with the Hyundai Grand i10 (1 425 units, including 370 units sold via the rental channel) likewise moving up a position to 3rd. Note that the Grand i10’s figure – which is its highest in recent memory – excludes the 38 units of converted Cargo-badged panel vans registered in the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) space last month.

That left the Volkswagen Polo Vivo down in an unfamiliar 4th position, with local registrations of the German firm’s most affordable hatchback falling 19.8% month on month to 1 366 units. However, we should keep in mind that VW halted production of the Polo and Polo Vivo at its Kariega plant on 14 April (and is set to ramp back up again from 12 May) to continue upgrading the facility.

SA’s 10 best-selling passenger cars in April 2025

1. Suzuki Swift – 2 053 units

2. Toyota Corolla Cross – 1 584 units

3. Hyundai Grand i10 (excluding LCV) – 1 425 units

4. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 1 366 units

5. Suzuki Fronx – 1 186 units

6. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 1 133 units

7. Haval Jolion – 973 units

8. Toyota Starlet – 905 units

9. Toyota Starlet Cross – 834 units

10. Kia Sonet – 812 units

 
Top 5 Vehicle Exporters – April 2025

South Africa’s vehicle export market delivered a mixed performance in April 2025. While some automakers saw gains, others experienced sharp declines. Here’s a breakdown of the top five vehicle exporters for the month…

Export sales saw a welcome surge in March 2025, rising by 9 354 units to reach 39 477 vehicles. That figure is also 15.7% higher than March 2023’s total, marking the first growth in exports in ten months and hinting at a rebound in South Africa’s trade performance. This upswing suggests renewed momentum in the automotive sector despite a challenging global environment. The recovery signals how export-led growth remains a vital pillar for South Africa’s industrial output and employment. Here is a closer look at the data provided by naamsa.

SA’s Top 5 Vehicle Exporters in April 2025

Toyota – 7 399 (+ 310 units)
Mercedes-Benz SA – 6 600 (- 100 units)
Ford – 6 492 (+ 774 units)
Volkswagen – 5 331 (- 6131 units)
BMW – 5 200 (- 925 units)

www.carmag.co.za

Top 5 Vehicle Exporters - April 2025

Despite uncertainty with tariffs, South Africa has experienced its first export increase in 10 months. Here is how many locally produced vehicles found homes abroad during April 2025.
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za
 
The common theme still remains that simple NA cars sells better, they are cheaper and more reliable, the reason Chery Tiggo 4 sell better that the Jolion is that they have the NA 1.5l while Jolion only has turbo engines. Even VW is still carried by the NA Vivos compared to the TSI.

So anyone planning to enter the local market must have NA entry level models in their lineup.
 
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Chery Group Confirms R&D Centre for South Africa

Chinese automotive giant underlines commitment to SA, with the aim of establishing local manufacturing in the future.
At a press conference held at Chery’s headquarters in Wuhu, Anhui province, China, Mark Ma Deputy General Manager of SA Chery

Group, Guibing Zhang President of Chery International, and Tony Liu CEO Chery Group SA shared insights and trends specific to our market.

One point mentioned was confirmation for the establishment of a research and development centre in South Africa. The Chery Group has numerous R&D centres around the world, focusing on quality and adapting products to better suit the specific market conditions.

Currently, there are eight major R&D facilities in locations such as Shanghai, Singapore, Europe, North America, South America, and Central Asia. On top of that are over 300 laboratories and a total talent pool of 30 000 staff.

With such an investment, the next logical progression and assumption would be the discussion around the formation of local manufacturing, something we put to our hosts. While there was no definitive answer, Tony Liu, the local CEO confirmed that feasibility discussions and analysis were underway.

 
Nissan to close 40% of its factories in shock restructure: will SA’s Rosslyn plant survive?

Nissan is set to implement an even more severe turnaround plan than previously envisaged, with seven factories now facing closure and 20,000 jobs on the line.

This follows an annual net loss of 671 billion yen (R82 billion) announced on Tuesday for the financial year to March 2025.

The company announced on the same day that it planned to reduce the number of vehicle production plants in its global network from 17 to 10, by fiscal year 2027, while also reducing the workforce by 20,000. It had previously planned to cut around 9,000 jobs.

Further to that, Nisan said it plans to streamline its powertrain plants and cancel its planned Lithium Iron Phosphate battery plant in Kyushu, Japan.

"We wouldn't be doing this if it was not necessary to survive," said Nissan’s newly appointed CEO Ivan Espinosa.

"In the face of challenging FY24 performance and rising variable costs, compounded by an uncertain environment, we must prioritise self-improvement with greater urgency and speed, aiming for profitability that relies less on volume,” he added.

But where does this leave Nissan South Africa’s Rosslyn plant, located outside Pretoria?

Nissan has not named the seven plants which face closure, although its Indian and UK facilities appear to be safe, given recently announced production plans for those.

IOL has approached Nissan South Africa for comment, but a response had not been received at the time of writing.

 
Nissan considering Rosslyn plant closure – report

Nissan is reportedly considering closing its Rosslyn plant in South Africa, with the brand’s local division telling us it’s currently “conducting a detailed assessment” of the situation…

Nissan’s Rosslyn plant in South Africa is on the beleaguered automaker’s list of 7 production facilities set to close over the next 2 years, according to a fresh report out of Japan. However, Nissan SA says it’s not able to confirm whether the Gauteng-based plant will indeed be affected.

Earlier in May 2025, Nissan announced a worldwide “recovery” plan that includes 20 000 job cuts as well as the closure of 7 production plants over the next 2 years. Now, citing unnamed sources, Reuters reports that the list includes 2 factories in Japan and 2 in Mexico, along with plants in South Africa, India and Argentina.

Cars.co.za asked Nissan SA to comment on the future of its Rosslyn plant and the company told us it’s “currently conducting a detailed assessment regarding the announced plant closures”, adding in its statement that this process is “internal”. As such, the Japanese firm’s local division says it is unfortunately not able to confirm which plants “will be affected”.

Nissan’s global cost-cutting drive is built around reducing its workforce by 20 000 employees (including the previously announced 9 000 job cuts) and “consolidating” its production plants from 17 to 10 by fiscal year 2027 (which starts in April 2027).

In addition, Nissan says it will switch to a more “market-specific approach”, positioning the United States, Japan, China, Europe, the Middle East and Mexico as “key markets” and adopting a “customised approach to other markets”.

As a reminder, in October 2023, Nissan South Africa entered a “formal consultation phase to restructure the business“. This followed the news that the NP200 half-tonne bakkie – which went out of production at Rosslyn in March 2024 – would not receive its planned replacement.

 
Nissan considering closing its South African plant, Japanese source says

Nissan dropped a bombshell on its workforce last week with the announcement that it planned to expand its ‘turnaround plan’ to include more plant closures and layoffs than previously envisaged.

Following an annual net loss of 671 billion yen (R82 billion), the company announced on Tuesday that it planned to close seven of its 17 factories by fiscal year 2027, while reducing the workforce by around 20,000.

Unfortunately, it appears that Nissan’s Rosslyn plant in Gauteng could be a casualty of this significant restructure, if the latest international reports are anything to go by.

International news agency Reuters, citing a single unnamed source, reported over the weekend that the South African plant was among those being considered for closure by the parent company in Japan.

Also facing possible closure are Nissan’s plants in India and Argentina, one of its Mexican factories and two Japanese facilities, with the latter also mentioned by a second source.

However, Nissan said in a statement that these reports, on the specific plant closures, were speculative and not based on any official information from the company.

“At this time, we will not be providing further comments on this matter," Nissan said.

“We are committed to maintaining transparency with our stakeholders and will communicate any relevant updates as necessary."

However, the South African plant does appear to be in a vulnerable position in terms of its volumes, with current production levels averaging around 1,200 units per month in the first four months of 2025.

This includes production of the Navara single cab and double cab bakkies for South African consumption and exports into Africa.

The Navara is currently the only vehicle produced at Rosslyn, following the discontinuation of the NP200 compact bakkie in 2024, after its Russian-developed replacement was cancelled due to the war with Ukraine.

 
Hilux vs Ranger vs D-Max: sales by body style in 2025 so far

Which models are leading the single-, extended- and double-cab bakkie charts in South Africa after the first 4 months of 2025? Here are the sales by body style…

With the opening 4 months of 2025 gone, it’s time to look at which models are leading the single-, extended- and double-cab bakkie sales charts in South Africa. We’ll focus on the top 3 sellers for each body style.

As a reminder, Naamsa’s monthly sales report unfortunately doesn’t include a breakdown of the 3 bakkie body styles. However, the helpful folks over at Lightstone Auto have once again assisted us by providing these fascinating registration figures.

For the record, the Toyota Hilux (10 943 units) is currently winning the overall bakkie sales race in SA, year to date at the end of April 2025. The Ford Ranger (7 933 units) and Isuzu D-Max (6 695 units) are in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

South Africa’s best-selling double-cab bakkies

However, according to Lightstone Auto, the Ford Ranger is leading Mzansi’s double-cab bakkie sales race after the first 4 months of 2025, with 6 600 units sold locally. That translates to a considerable 83.2% of the Silverton-built contender’s overall tally.

The Toyota Hilux double cab is thus 1 416 sales off the pace after 4 months of the year, with 5 184 units registered. According to our maths, the double-cab body style thus accounts for 47.4% of the Prospecton-produced stalwart’s total.

 
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