The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

Mercedes-Benz vs. BMW: the sales race after the first quarter of 2020

So, to the figures. The BMW brand registered 411 809 units in the first three months of 2020, representing a year-on-year decline of 20,1 percent. The Mercedes-Benz brand sold 477 378 units over the reporting period, falling 14,9 percent. By our maths, that sees the Stuttgart-based automaker ahead by 65 569 units.

Meanwhile, the BMW Group (comprising the BMW brand, Mini, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad) hit 477 111 registrations in the first quarter, with Mercedes-Benz Cars (which includes both the Mercedes brand and Smart) managing 483 241 units. Add Mercedes-Benz Vans to the mix and the Daimler-owned group’s sales increase to 547 829.

www.carmag.co.za

Mercedes-Benz vs. BMW: the sales race after the first quarter of 2020... - CAR Magazine

The first quarter of 2020 has come and gone, allowing us to take a look at the race for the title of the world’s best-selling […]
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These used cars are the top 10 most-searched-for vehicles you could buy for under R200 000

Most searched cars under R200k*

1. Volkswagen Polo
2. BMW 3 Series
3. Volkswagen Golf
4. Toyota Hilux
5. Volkswagen Polo Pivo
6. Ford Fiesta
7. BMW 1 Series
8. Mercedes-Benz C-Class
9. Kia Rio
10. Ford EcoSport

*AutoTrader, February 2020

www.wheels24.co.za

These used cars are the top 10 most-searched-for vehicles you could buy for under R200 000 | Life

While South Africa enters lockdown, one of the sectors of the economy where there is currently demand, is the used car market, where consumers are searching for cars in the sub-R200 000 category.
www.wheels24.co.za www.wheels24.co.za
 
inanabhay said:
Attention:

I hereby withdraw all recommendations made in the past regarding Suzuki vehicles, as my Suzuki Ertiga is rusting all over (externally and internally), after only 2 years.

i had previously reported on this site that rust was noticed within the first few months, which the dealership had repaired, however, the repair did not last long. and, other parts of the vehicle started showing rust.

according to the dealer, Suzuki SA (warrantee division) doesn't want to have the vehicle repaired.
Click to expand...

In Durban, the Honda dealerships also have the Suzuki franchise.

Strangely, Honda owners also seem to have issues with rust. The Honda Ballades have a very weak body - like tin. The fuel consumption of these Hondas are therefore economical. Bolts in the engine compartment of my Ballade has already started rusting. The paint is also so thin that a panel beater advised a friend of mine to be cautious when machine polishing his car.

https://www.hellopeter.com/honda-um...brv-rusting-tin-fish-can-poor-quality-2919748

https://www.hellopeter.com/honda-south-africa/reviews/new-car-rust-issues-2141920
 
OPINION | Don’t believe the hype: The South African passenger vehicle car parc in 2030 and beyond

If any of the world's respected motoring oracles are to be believed, private vehicle ownership will, over a debatable time frame, ultimately die off in favour of mobility services.

In the future, you will no longer leave on daily journeys in the comfort of your own vehicle. Instead, you'll hail a ride-sharing pod, probably electrically-powered and driverless, to get wherever you're going. Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared (ACES) transportation concepts make for great headlines and fantastical reading, but is this really where we're headed?

I'm not so sure… Especially considering that many projections use utopian locales such as Los Angeles or Tokyo as the basis of research and forecast. In these idyllic places, a near-complete mobility shift isn't so far-fetched, and the masses may welcome the idea of shared and possibly cheaper transportation solutions. I fear, however, that some industry experts may be viewing the future in rose-tinted crystal balls.

Here in South Africa, and many other regions where mobility cultures are worlds apart from those in the locations mentioned above, I predict a much different future – or at least for the next 10 to 20 years.

While there's no doubt that services such as Uber and Bolt have proven successful business models and foreshadow what could come of ride-sharing as even smarter technologies are introduced, I see these as supplementary to private vehicle ownership, not in competition with it.

www.wheels24.co.za

Motoring | News24 Life

Motoring is packed with new car news, reviews, videos, new models and bikes, and motorsport. Find complete road tests, tools, and new and used vehicle listings.
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#WithYouAlways - Mahindra SA celebrates essential workers during lockdown

One can't stress it enough, but the real heroes of the coronavirus pandemic are essential workers.

These men and women are sacrificing their lives on a daily basis to ensure that the rest of South Africa is taken care of during this time of need. Petrol attendants, grocery store workers, and emergency personnel.

Mahindra South Africa took it upon themselves to host a ceremony in celebration of these essential personnel. As such, the automaker's local arm will host a candlelight ceremony on April 14 at 20:00.

Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa, said: "Throughout this lockdown period we have heard countless stories of South Africans who have sacrificed time with their families and faced personal risk to support their fellow countrymen. This is true for all our healthcare workers, but also for the many essential services that help to keep us safe and our food shelves stocked.

www.wheels24.co.za

Motoring | Life | News24

Motoring is packed with new car news, reviews, videos, new models and bikes.
www.wheels24.co.za www.wheels24.co.za

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Apparently they allowed to sell cars now lol
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Toyota's South African unit sees 15-20% hit to production due to virus

The South African unit of Toyota could see its production drop by around 15-20% in 2020, its president and CEO Andrew Kirby said on Wednesday.

South Africa’s auto industry is the continent’s most developed, but with only a very small local market for new cars it relies heavily on global demand.

Kirby told a virtual media briefing that Toyota South Africa, which produces between 135,000 and 150,000 units per year, had seen an around 15% cut in export orders from its biggest market, Europe, as well as an around 10% cut in orders from Africa, which it expects to increase.

“I think by and large somewhere around the 15% and 20% mark is probably where it’s going to end up for the year,” he said when asked how production would be impacted in 2020, adding South African sales had also declined.

The division had already lost production of around 13,500 units due to a nationwide lockdown in the country, set to last five weeks, he said.

www.iol.co.za

Toyota's South African unit sees 15-20% hit to production due to virus

The South African unit of Toyota could see its production drop by around 15-20% in 2020, its president and CEO Andrew Kirby said on Wednesday.
www.iol.co.za www.iol.co.za
 
Feeling the pinch? Kia offers owners vehicle servicing from R999

Kia South Africa launched a special on its vehicle servicing programme. Participating dealers from across the country are participating in the programme that allows vehicle owners to service their vehicles from affordable rates.

The campaign, priced from R999, follows Kia's announcement that no customers with active manufacturer warranties or prepaid service plans will be compromised due to the national lockdown.

Suraiya Naidoo, aftersales director at Kia Motors South Africa, says: "While restrictions on movement and business operations remain in place for the foreseeable future, we understand that vehicles will still need to be serviced once South Africans are able to resume with their daily lives.

"Through this campaign, customers can easily book that service online, and even pay for it now for redemption at the appropriate time."

Kia says that the campaign is aimed directly at customers whose vehicles are out of warranty or who not have a prepaid service or maintenance plan in place. It was explicitly designed to bring relief to cash strapped consumers.

www.wheels24.co.za

Motoring | Life | News24

Motoring is packed with new car news, reviews, videos, new models and bikes.
www.wheels24.co.za www.wheels24.co.za

www.kiaservice.co.za

Movement that Inspires

Explore KIA South Africa's range of new cars, SUVs, MPVs and Commercial Vehicles. Book a Test drive at your closest KIA dealer and read the latest news about KIA South Africa.
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Global vehicle sales fell by 39 percent (year-on-year) in March

It’s no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic is having a catastrophic effect on the motor industry in all corners of the globe, but we now have a better picture of the extent of the damage.

According to Jato Dynamics, global vehicle sales amounted to 5.55 million units in March 2020, which is 39 percent down on the same month last year. This, says the automotive data specialist, is the largest year-on-year drop on record, or at least since it started collecting data in 1980, surpassing even the November 2008 global financial crisis - in which a 25 percent drop was recorded.

And strict lockdowns are not the only thing to blame for the sales tumble, Jato’s global analyst Felipe Munoz explains:

On the local front, South African vehicle sales declined by 29.7 percent in March, versus the same month in 2019, according to Naamsa. However, with the strict lockdown only having begun three days before the end of March, the true devastation would have taken place in April.

www.iol.co.za

Global vehicle sales fell by 39 percent (year-on-year) in March

This downward trend is not simply due to the restrictions of free movement, with market sentiment also playing a key role.
www.iol.co.za www.iol.co.za
 
Lockdown bites: Just 574 vehicles sold in South Africa in April 2020

Naamsa has released its new vehicle sales report for April 2020, confirming that just 574 vehicles were registered in South Africa during the month.

Of course, the country has been on lockdown since March 26 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with factories and dealerships having been shuttered for the whole of April. Under the new level 4 regulations, however, dealers have started to open their doors again.

According to the figures released by Naamsa (note, the organisation has opted to no longer show SA’s individual model sales figures, instead putting out only aggregate sales and export numbers), new vehicle sales fell a whopping 98,4 percent in April. For reference, 36 787 units were sold locally in the same month of 2019.

Of the 574 units registered during April 2020, 318 were light commercial vehicles and 105 were passenger vehicles. The medium commercial vehicle segment added 64 units, while the extra-heavy commercial vehicle (47), bus (32) and heavy commercial vehicle (eight) segments made up the numbers.

www.carmag.co.za

Lockdown bites: Just 574 vehicles sold in South Africa in April 2020... - CAR Magazine

Naamsa has released its new vehicle sales report for April 2020, confirming that just 574 vehicles were registered in South Africa during the month. Of […]
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New Car Sales in SA Hit Rock Bottom

The lockdown in South Africa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the automotive sector to a grinding halt and figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) have revealed a depressing, but expected, decline in new car sales and exports.

The South African economy has been hit hard in the month of April 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic forced a nationwide lockdown.

Few sectors have been spared and the automotive industry has suffered a crushing blow as production lines came to a stop and dealerships closed their doors.

The result makes for sad reading.

Passenger car sales for the month of April 2020 totalled just 105 units (down by 99.6% compared to April 2019) while Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sales racked up a meagre 318 units (down by 96.8% compared with April 2019).

Exports totalled 901 units, which represents a decline of 97.3% compared with April 2019.

www.cars.co.za

New Car Sales in SA Hit Rock Bottom

The lockdown in South Africa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the automotive sector to a grinding halt and figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) have revealed a depressing, but expected, decline in new car sales and...
www.cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
 
LaraC said:
This is not good news for the Eastern Cape. :eek:
Click to expand...
I was in the Merc plant today. They are only allowed to do 1x 8hr shift a day from next week because of level 4 (normally 3x 8hr daily). Nevertheless, orders worldwide have been cancelled because of the pandemic and buyers having second thoughts. It's very bad.
 
Naamsa predicts ‘slow recovery’ for South Africa’s automotive industry

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) says the country's automotive industry will likely see a “slow recovery in coming months” but cautions “a lot of manufacturing capacity will remain idle for some time”.

The organisation made the comments after releasing its new vehicle sales report for April 2020, confirming that just 574 vehicles (a 98,4 percent year-on-year decline) were registered in South Africa during the month.

Of course, the country has been on lockdown since March 26 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with factories and dealerships having been shuttered for the whole of April.

“The 98,4 percent drop in new vehicle sales is a true reflection of the South African economy at the back of a 35-day hard lockdown where economic activity was not possible because the country prudently elected to support the imperative to contain the COVID-19 virus and save lives,” said Michael Mabasa, CEO of Naamsa.

The organisation said vehicle and automotive component production, as the “bedrock of the country’s manufacturing sector”, was expected to “gradually ease back” under strict risk-adjusted measures.

www.carmag.co.za

Naamsa predicts ‘slow recovery’ for South Africa’s automotive industry - CAR Magazine

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) says the country’s automotive industry will likely see a “slow recovery in coming months” but […]
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za
 
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