The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

Why local vehicle manufacturing matters more than ever in South Africa

As South Africa navigates economic pressure, shifting global supply chains, and the transition toward new energy mobility, the importance of local vehicle manufacturing has never been more critical.

The automotive sector remains one of the country’s most significant economic drivers, contributing approximately 5.3% to South Africa’s GDP and accounting for over 22% of total manufacturing output. In 2023 alone, the industry generated nearly R290 billion in new vehicle revenue, while vehicle and component exports reached over R270 billion, reinforcing South Africa’s position as a key player in the global automotive value chain.

However, beyond headline economic figures, the real impact of local manufacturing lies in its ability to drive employment, industrial growth, and long-term economic resilience.

South Africa’s automotive industry directly employs more than 115,000 people, with tens of thousands more supported across component manufacturing, logistics, retail, and aftersales sectors.

Local production creates a powerful multiplier effect, supporting supplier and component manufacturing industries, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), logistics and transport networks, as well as skills development in engineering, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.

Industry targets under the South African Automotive Master Plan 2035 (SAAM 2035) aim to increase local content in vehicles to 60%, while expanding production and employment across the value chain.

 
SA crowned a new best-selling passenger vehicle in April 2026

The Chery Tiggo 4 claimed the title of South Africa’s best-selling passenger vehicle in April 2026, pushing ahead of the locally built VW Polo Vivo. All the details here…

- Tiggo 4 crowned SA’s top-selling passenger car in April
- Swift returns to the podium as Corolla Cross slips to 6th
- Jetour T2 & Omoda C5 break into passenger-car top 10

In April 2026, South Africa’s new-vehicle market grew 13.0% year on year to 47 979 units, with the local passenger-car segment improving an even more robust 14.3% to 34 414 units. So, which passenger vehicles were most popular with local buyers last month?

Before we dive into the numbers, it’s worth noting the rental channel accounted for just 5.7% of Mzansi’s total passenger-vehicle sales in the 4th month of 2026 – the lowest percentage of the year thus far. For the record, that means 1 965 units were sold to rental companies in April.

SA’s 10 best-selling passenger vehicles in April 2026

1. Chery Tiggo 4 (including Cross) – 1 871 units

2. Volkswagen Polo Vivo (excluding LCV) – 1 847 units

3. Suzuki Swift – 1 556 units

4. Hyundai Grand i10 (excluding LCV) – 1 347 units

5. Haval Jolion – 1 277 units

6. Toyota Corolla Cross – 1 144 units

7. Suzuki Fronx – 1 113 units

8. Jetour T2 – 1 004 units

9. Omoda C5 – 884 units

10. Suzuki Ertiga – 874 units

 
South Africans are buying very basic cars: 20 top-selling model derivatives revealed

There is a long-standing perception that South African vehicle buyers have a preference for higher-specification vehicles.

In 2026, well-equipped Chinese offerings appear to be gaining ground against established premium marques, as a growing number of feature-rich models enter the market at prices well below the million rand mark.

However, a closer look at more granular sales data presents a more nuanced picture of what South African buyers are actually purchasing in the largest numbers.

Sales data shared with IOL by Lightstone Auto reveals the most popular model derivatives in South Africa during the first quarter of 2026.

It shows that the country’s favourite individual model is Volkswagen’s Polo Vivo 1.4 base model, followed by the Hyundai Grand i10 1.0 Motion and the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5 CVT.

Notice something? They’re all entry-level variants. It is also telling that of the 20 best-selling derivatives in the country, 14 represent the lowest specification grade in their respective model ranges.

Interestingly, in the case of the Suzuki Swift, it is the mid-spec GL+ CVT grade that sells the best, while the only flagship specification on the list is Toyota’s Urban Cruiser XR auto.

Another notable observation is that although the Toyota Hilux is the top-selling vehicle in South Africa by a considerable margin, only one of its derivatives appears in the top 20 — and it is not a double cab, but rather the ‘S’-badged single-cab workhorse model.


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Toyota retains sales lead as best-selling car brand in SA in April 2026

In April 2026, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) maintained its sales lead as the best-selling car brand in SA.

Retaining its lead as the best-selling car brand in SA, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) presented steady monthly sales figures in April 2026. The Japanese automaker’s local arm sold 10 188 new vehicles. Despite the latter figure signifying a decline of 3 135 units compared to March 2026, TSAM holds a 21.2% market share.

In April 2026, 5 873 new Toyota passenger cars left showroom floors. The firm’s strongest sellers were the Corolla Cross (1 144 units), Vitz (772 units), Rumion (747 units), Starlet (733 units) and the Fortuner (664 units). Lexus, Toyota’s luxury arm, shifted 78 new cars in April. 37 units of the NX were sold, with the GX and LX following closely with 22 and 10 units, respectively.

www.carmag.co.za

Toyota retains sales lead as best-selling car brand in SA in April 2026

In April 2026, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) maintained its sales lead as the best-selling car brand in SA...
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za
 
Chery Group brands overtake Volkswagen in 2026 SA sales, and they're sneaking up on Suzuki

South Africa’s automotive leaderboard is changing at a rapid pace.

Although Toyota’s dominance remains unchallenged, the past year has seen Suzuki overtake Volkswagen for second place, with its vast line-up of affordably priced Indian-built vehicles resonating with real-world budgets.

Chinese brands are also gaining ground rapidly and, although not major players in the entry-level space, their mid-range SUVs are slowly taking the market by storm, with the Chery Group by far the biggest player in this segment.

Although Chery, Omoda & Jaecoo, and Jetour are marketed as separate entities in South Africa—with the former two falling under the same corporate umbrella locally—internationally they are all owned by the Chery Group, meaning they are essentially part of the same family.

And here’s where it gets interesting from a local perspective.

According to our calculations, the three Chery Group entities—Chery, O&J, and Jetour—sold a combined total of 21,743 vehicles during the first four months of 2026 in South Africa.

While this still falls significantly behind Toyota’s 47,147 total, it came close to Suzuki’s volume of 23,382 units, while also overtaking Volkswagen, which managed 20,002 units from January to April.

When it comes to local production, Chery is also putting its money where its mouth is, having recently purchased Nissan’s plant in Rosslyn, Gauteng, where it will produce Jetour’s T-Series SUVs as well as a Chery-branded pick-up model.

The production plans are ambitious, with the group aiming to build 50,000 units annually from mid-2027, while creating 3,000 jobs across the manufacturing and supply chain sectors.

 
No sweet spot found yet as govt, auto industry mull shoring up local manufacturing

The South African automotive industry and government have not yet found “that sweet spot” that would shore up the local manufacturing sector as it faces declining local parts content and increasing competition from imports, says naamsa | The Automotive Business Council president and BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen.

Government is reviewing the second iteration of its Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP 2) this year, amid a rapidly changing global automotive industry.
Click to expand...

 
Exactly how many cars did China ship to SA in 2025?

Though India was again the top country of origin for light vehicles imported into SA in 2025, China increased its share to 23.3%. Here’s exactly how many units were shipped over…

- Light-vehicle imports into SA surged 28.6% in 2025
- India was again top country of origin for SA imports
- China grew share of light-vehicle imports to 23.3%

In 2025, light-vehicle imports – that is, new passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles (LCVs) shipped to South Africa – increased a considerable 28.6% year on year to 391 287 units, according to Naamsa. But exactly how many of those came from China?

Well, before we dive in, it’s worth noting light-vehicle imports as a percentage of total light-vehicle sales (566 427 units) increased from 62.8% in 2024 to 69.1% in 2025. Passenger-car imports accounted for a significant 82.8% of total passenger car sales (422 463 units), while LCV imports made up 28.7% of total LCV sales (143 964 units) in 2025.

SA imports dominated by India and China in 2025

SA’s imported light vehicles in 2025: top countries of origin

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN IMPORTS SHARE OF IMPORTS
1 India 219 796 units 56.2%
2 China 91 326 units 23.3%
3 Germany 17 755 units 4.5%
4 Japan 13 978 units 3.6%
5 Spain 10 282 units 2.6%
6 Thailand 6 450 units 1.6%
7 Portugal 6 249 units 1.6%
8 South Korea 6 175 units 1.6%
9 United States 3 587 units 0.9%
10 Mexico 2 421 units 0.6%

 
Made in Mzansi: SA’s top vehicle-export markets revealed

South Africa’s automotive manufacturing industry exported a record number of new vehicles in 2025. So, which markets bought the most “Made-in-SA” cars and bakkies?

- 70.5% of light vehicles built in SA in 2025 were exported
- Countries in Europe dominate top 10 export destinations
- VW was yet again SA’s biggest vehicle-exporter in 2025

In 2025, South Africa’s automotive manufacturing industry increased its new-vehicle export figure 5.9% year-on-year to a record 414 271 units, according to Naamsa. So, which markets – out of the 109 countries served last year – were the biggest export destinations for SA-built light vehicles?

Well, before we look at exactly where the majority of SA’s locally built cars and bakkies ended up in 2025, it’s worth noting passenger-car exports comprised 258 655 units (or 62.5%) of the total, while light-commercial vehicle (LCV) exports numbered 153 858 units (or 37.1%). The remaining 0.4% represented medium- and heavy-commercial vehicle and bus exports.

SA-built light vehicles in 2025: top 10 export destinations

DESTINATION COUNTRY EXPORTS SHARE OF EXPORTS
1 Germany 77 890 units 18.9%
2 United Kingdom 70 798 units 17.2%
3 France 36 082 units 8.7%
4 Belgium 27 643 units 6.7%
5 Italy 23 041 units 5.6%
6 Spain 23 026 units 5.6%
7 Poland 13 045 units 3.2%
8 Australia 12 036 units 2.9%
9 Turkey 9 127 units 2.2%
10 Austria 8 846 units 2.1%

 
SA new vehicle sales continue to surge: These were the top 15 carmakers in April

Despite the many economic headwinds facing South Africa, as rising fuel prices filter through to the economy, the country’s new vehicle market continues to outperform expectations.

According to Naamsa, new vehicle sales rose to 51,071 units in May, an increase of 12.8% versus the same month last year. It was also the best May performance since 2013. Dealer sales made up the bulk of local volume, accounting for 90.1% of domestic sales, followed by rental sales (5.3%), corporate fleets (2.5%) and government sales (2.1%).

Passenger car sales led the way at 36,871 units, representing year-on-year growth of 16.3%, while light commercial vehicle and bakkie sales, at 11,251 units, grew by 2.5% versus the same month in 2025. Medium and heavy commercial vehicle sales grew by 13.6% and 12.9%, respectively.

Exports remained under pressure, however, declining by 4.8% year-on-year to 30,859 units.

Toyota topped the manufacturer charts in May, followed by Suzuki and Volkswagen. The Chinese brands found themselves firmly in the top 10, with GWM in 6th, Chery in 7th and Jetour in 8th.


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