The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

Double-cab bakkie sales in SA: H1 2026 leaderboard

Which model is leading SA’s double-cab bakkie sales race after H1 2026? Here’s a look at the double-, extended- and single-cab figures for opening half of the year…

- Ranger leads SA’s double-cab sales charts in H1 2026
- Hilux again dominates single- and extended-cab space
- Mahindra Pik Up retains 3rd spot on single-cab charts

At the year’s halfway mark, the Toyota Hilux remains South Africa’s runaway bakkie-sales leader, more than 6 000 units clear of the Ford Ranger and nearly 9 000 units ahead of the Isuzu D-Max. But do the rankings change when we break down the figures by body style? Well, let’s take a closer look and reveal the most popular single-, extended- and double-cab bakkies for the opening half of 2026.

Based on figures kindly supplied by Lightstone Auto, we can confirm the Ford Ranger still leads the race for the title of SA’s most popular double cab (a crown it secured for the 3rd consecutive year in 2025). In H1 2026, some 10 075 units have been registered, which our maths suggests forms 80.8% of the Ranger’s overall tally for this 6-month period.

After the opening half of 2026, the Toyota Hilux – remember, the local range currently comprises a mix of 8th- and 9th-generation derivatives, with the latter variants having launched in June 2026 – ranks 2nd on the double-cab leaderboard, with 7 887 units registered. Based on our calculations, that represents 41.8% of the Prospecton-built model’s overall total.

 
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South Africa’s best-selling double-cab bakkie in the first half of 2026 was not a Hilux!

It’s a well-known fact that South Africa’s best-selling vehicle is the Toyota Hilux. It trumps Volkswagen’s evergreen Polo Vivo and its biggest bakkie rival, the Ford Ranger, by a considerable margin.

But when sales are broken down by body style, the picture changes completely.

According to sales data for the first half of 2026, released by Cars.co.za in conjunction with Lightstone Auto, South Africa’s top-selling double cab bakkie is actually the Ford Ranger.

Lightstone’s data showed that 10,075 Ranger double cabs were sold between January and June, comfortably ahead of the Toyota Hilux DC (7,887) and Isuzu D-Max DC (4,415).

However, Ford falls sharply behind in the single cab market, with just 707 workhorse models sold during that period. The Hilux leads the way here with 8,101 units, while Isuzu’s D-Max SC also outsold its DC equivalent with 4,849 units sold. Toyota also led the extended cab bakkie race, with 2,598 sales, compared with Ford’s 1,740 and Isuzu’s 804.

When all three body styles are tallied, the Toyota Hilux still leads the way with a total of 18,862 units in the first half of 2026. This is despite the previous model having been in its “run-out” phase for most of this period. Runner-up was the Ranger with 12,472 units, followed by the Isuzu D-Max with 10,068.

 
VW South Africa Plant Kariega sets new monthly production record in July 2026

Volkswagen’s Plant Kariega manufacturing facility has set a new monthly production record in July 2026, with 17 009 units rolling off the assembly line.

Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has set a new record for the number of vehicles built at Plant Kariega in a single month. In July 2026, 17 009 new VW vehicles rolled off the German marque’s Plant Kariega production line; surpassing the firm’s previous monthly record of 16 670 units in July 2025. This record is yet another achievement for the local arm of the Wolfsburg automaker, which is also celebrating its 75th year in South Africa on 31 August.

The majority (79%) of VWs that rolled off the Plant Kariega assembly line in the seventh month of the year were sixth-generation Polos, with 13 490 units built for local and global consumption. As a reminder, VW South Africa placed first among the top five vehicle exporters in SA in July 2026. Exclusive to the SA market, the remaining 3 519 VW units built were Polo Vivos.

The Polo has been an important model for Plant Kariega, with the sixth generation exclusively produced at this manufacturing facility for local and export markets. The one-millionth sixth-generation Polo, a Smoky Grey GTI for the local market, rolled off the assembly line in June 2026, and the two-millionth Polo produced at Plant Kariega was built in November 2025. Local Polo production kicked off in 1996 with the Polo Classic sedan, and four generations have been built here since.

www.carmag.co.za

VW South Africa Plant Kariega sets new monthly production record in July 2026

VW's Plant Kariega facility has set a new monthly production record in July 2026, with over 17 000 units rolling off the line...
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Volkswagen South Africa built more cars last month than it used to in a year

The Volkswagen Polo is one of South Africa’s export heroes, and last month it helped set a production record at the local plant in Kariega in the Eastern Cape.

In July, the VWSA plant produced 17,009 vehicles, beating its previous record of 16,670 units set in July 2025. This is likely also the highest number of vehicles ever produced by a single South African manufacturer in a month .

To put that number into context, that is more vehicles than the plant produced each year during the first 15 years of its existence, from 1948 until 1963, when it churned out Studebakers, Austins and, of course, the evergreen Beetle. In fact, in its first full year, the plant produced just 977 units.

Since opening its doors 78 years ago, the Kariega, formerly Uitenhage, plant has produced a total of 4,836,371 vehicles, comprising 40 different vehicle models.

Of the record 17,009 vehicles produced last month, 13,490 were latest-generation Polos, the vast majority of which were earmarked for export. The remaining 3,519 vehicles were Polo Vivos, which is a previous-generation Polo produced primarily for the local market.

Currently, Kariega is the Volkswagen Group’s main production site for Polo hatchbacks and the sole supplier for the European and Asia-Pacific markets.

However, VWSA’s future as a high-volume exporter is uncertain, given that the petrol-engined Polo faces potential discontinuation in the coming decade ahead of Europe’s ban on internal combustion-engined vehicles in 2035. The plant has not yet secured another high-volume export contract to replace it, and its leadership has previously stated that the company will not build an electric car at the plant for the foreseeable future.

 
Hilux grabbed SA’s double-cab sales crown from Ranger last month

Ranger in July 2026, though the latter still leads year to date. Here’s a look at the figures…

- Hilux grabs double-cab sales crown in July 2026
- Ford Ranger still leads the DC race, year to date
- Toyota rules single- and extended-cab segments

While the Toyota Hilux has long reigned as South Africa’s best-selling bakkie overall, the Ford Ranger has made a habit of topping the double-cab sales charts, having secured that crown for a 3rd straight year in 2025. Interestingly, however, the Hilux managed to push ahead of its Silverton-built rival in the double-cab rankings for July 2026.

Yes, according to figures kindly supplied to Cars.co.za by the folks over at Lightstone Auto, Toyota SA Motors registered as many as 1 922 units of its Hilux Double Cab last month (out of the nameplate’s lofty total of 4 189 units, as reported to Naamsa), making it Mzansi’s most popular dual-cab bakkie in July.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company of SA registered 1 599 units of the Ranger Double Cab (out of a 2 063-unit total), putting it some 323 units behind its Prospecton-built competitor for the month. Though it was the 2nd time this year the Hilux ranked ahead of the Ranger on the double-cab charts (after March, when 1 795 units played 1 729 units), the Blue Oval bakkie still leads year to date at the end of July.

According to Lightstone Auto, the Ranger Double Cab’s 7-month tally sits at 11 674 units, while the Hilux Double Cab comes in at 9 809 units – some 1 865 units off the pace. For the record, the Struandale-made Isuzu D-Max Double Cab ranks 3rd, with 5 304 units registered (including 889 units in July), year to date.

 
Base models still big in South Africa: These were the 20 top-selling derivatives in Q2 2026

South Africans are looking for maximum value, and this is evident not only in the growing sales of affordable vehicles from Chinese and Indian manufacturers, but also in the specific models they are choosing.

But which vehicles are South Africans buying the most?

Sales data for the second quarter of 2026, released to IOL by Lightstone Auto, reveals the model derivatives that are proving most popular among local buyers.

While the Toyota Hilux is South Africa’s best-selling model range, its most popular derivative only ranks 12th on the list of top-selling derivatives.

Topping the list is the Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.4 base model, which found 3,982 homes during the second quarter, equating to a monthly average of more than 1,300 units.

It is followed by the Hyundai Grand i10 1.0 Premium, Chery Tiggo 4 Cross 1.5 LiT CVT, Suzuki Ertiga 1.5 GA and Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR auto.

Notice any trends?

Four of the top five derivatives, and six of the top 10, are base-specification models. The first assumption might be that this is largely down to fleet sales, but that doesn't tell the full story, as rental sales typically account for between 5% and 11% of total sales, while corporate purchases generally account for less than 3%.


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VW celebrates 75 years in South Africa

VW has celebrated its 75th anniversary in South Africa at Plant Kariega in the Eastern Cape.

Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) celebrated 75 years in South Africa at its local assembly location, Plant Kariega in the Eastern Cape yesterday. The event, which also introduced the new VW Tengo compact SUV to be built at the plant and launched in 2027, highlighted the some of the milestones of the German automaker’s history in the country.

The factory originally belonged to the South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors (SAMAD). The first VW product to be manufactured locally was the Beetle, which rolled off the production line on 31 August 1951. The Type 2 Kombi was built there four years later. 1956 then saw Volkswagenwerk in Germany buy a controlling share of the factory, making it their first plant outside Germany. The SAMAD plant was renamed to Volkswagen of South Africa in 1966, and eight years later, Volkswagen AG owned it outright as a subsidiary. The company was then renamed VWGA in 2025 to expand across Africa and is currently the sole exporter of the Polo globally.

To date, Plant Kariega has produced nearly 40 models, including the Beetle, Kombi, Golf, Citi Golf, Jetta, Polo to the Polo Vivo and a number of Audi models. To date, more than 4.8 million vehicles have rolled off the assembly line, of which just over three million have been built for local consumers. Leading into this year, the company placed first among the top five vehicle exporters in SA in July 2026 and also set a new monthly production record in the seventh month of the year.

www.carmag.co.za

VW celebrates 75 years in South Africa

Volkswagen Group Africa has celebrated its 75th anniversary in South Africa at Plant Kariega in the Eastern Cape...
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za

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