The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

Suzuki dethrones Volkswagen as South Africa's second best selling car company in April

Suzuki Auto overtook Volkswagen Group SA to become South Africa’s second best-selling car company in April.

Although Suzuki edged past the Volkswagen brand in February this year, it still fell short of the Volkswagen Group’s overall sales that also includes Audi figures.

The April saw the Japanese carmaker take second spot overall with 4,891 sales, narrowly beating the VW Group’s tally of 4,758.

However both were still far behind Toyota’s total of 8,541 sales for the month.

Despite the gloomy economic times, South African vehicle sales ticked slightly upwards in April, gaining 2.2% versus the same month in 2023.

 
SA’s best-selling cars and crossovers in April 2024

It was a tight race at the top in April 2024! We’ve sorted through the sales figures and identified South Africa’s best-selling cars and crossovers for last month…

We’ve already identified the country’s most popular bakkies for April 2024, but what about South Africa’s best-selling cars and crossovers? Well, we’ve managed to lay our hands on the (unaudited) figures submitted to Naamsa, allowing us to list the top-selling passengers vehicles for the month.

For the record, South Africa’s new-vehicle market ended its 8-month streak of year-on-year declines in April 2024, with total sales climbing 2.2% (compared with April 2023) to 38 172 units. Mzansi’s new passenger-vehicle market outpaced the broader market in terms of year-on-year growth, increasing 6.1% to 25 972 units.

SA’s best-selling cars and crossovers in April 2024

1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 1 766 units

2. Suzuki Swift – 1 725 units

3. Toyota Corolla Cross – 1 573 units

4. Toyota Starlet – 1 148 units

5. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 976 units

6. Nissan Magnite – 849 units

7. Hyundai Grand i10 (excluding LCV) – 825 units

8. Volkswagen Polo (hatch) – 822 units

9. Suzuki Baleno – 659 units

10. Haval Jolion – 620 units

 
FiestaST said:
1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 1 766 units

...

8. Volkswagen Polo (hatch) – 822 units
Click to expand...
I'll never understand the continued success of the Polo, at R260k for the Vivo and R360k for the Polo which are both quite dated there are better value options out there

can only imagine it is some misguided VW brand loyalty which is quite prevalent in South Africa
 
Where do most of South Africa’s imported cars come from?

Imported vehicles made up nearly 60% of total light new-vehicle sales in South Africa in 2023. So, which countries ship over the majority of Mzansi’s imported cars? We have the numbers…

In 2023, imported cars represented 59.3% of South Africa’s total light new-vehicle sales, with 295 817 units (out of 498 880 units) shipped into Mzansi from 24 countries, according to Naamsa. Though that’s down on the 64.8% share achieved in 2022, it’s nevertheless a significant number.

Drilling down into the data, we see that passenger-vehicle imports accounted for 76.9% of total passenger-car sales in South Africa last year, while light-commercial vehicle (LCV) imports represented 18.8% of that segment’s sales total in 2023. So, which countries sent over the majority of SA’s imported vehicles in 2023?

Top 10 countries of origin for SA’s imported light vehicles in 2023

1. India – 157 326 units

2. China – 39 308 units

3. Japan – 21 507 units

4. Germany – 21 017 units

5. South Korea – 13 771 units

6. Spain – 13 650 units

7. United Kingdom – 4 506 units

8. United States – 3 908 units

9. Thailand – 3 784 units

10. France – 2 228 units

 
South Africa has five car export heroes, but will the industry survive the EV era?

What does South Africa give to other parts of the world? Wine and gold are probably what come to mind for most of us, and let’s not forget the embarrassing pakslae handed out on the Rugby World Cup field every four years.

But what many don’t realise is that Mzansi exports a significant number of cars and bakkies to over 150 countries around the world.

A record of just over 396,000 vehicles set sail from our harbours last year, which is not a huge number in world terms but still a very significant contribution to the country’s manufacturing output and GDP.

South African exports have grown by 20 percent since 2014, and Naamsa, the Automotive Business Council, predicts the number will grow by six percent this year to around 420,000 units.


IMG_9338.jpeg
 
FiestaST said:
Paywall:

Powering down? South Africa's EV market hits bumpy sales, echoing global slowdown trend

www.news24.com

SA electric vehicle sales hit a speed bump, echoing global slowdown trend | Life

EV sales are slowing globally and in South Africa as costs soar and market trends shift. What's behind this green tech slowdown?
www.news24.com www.news24.com
Click to expand...
I'm starting a myBB petition - all News24 articles must be posted in full here when posting. I refuse to subscribe to their propaganda machine
 
Stellantis aiming to ultimately build 50,000 bakkies a year in SA as Coega plant forges ahead

Stellantis has put the finishing touches on a deal that will see it building bakkies in South Africa from late 2025.

The automotive giant has concluded the key milestones that will lead to a venture with South Africa’s largest development funder, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

This paves the way for the imminent construction of a brand new factory at the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ) near Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) has begun preparing the site for construction to commence and the plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Stellantis previously announced that it would produce the Peugeot Landtrek one-tonne bakkie at the local facility, following the R3 billion investment that is expected to directly create 1,000 new jobs.

The carmaker is aiming to achieve a local content level of 35% at launch. While initial volume projections have not been disclosed, Stellantis is aiming to ultimately produce 50,000 units a year at the local facility, most of which will be exported.

 
SA’s best-selling double-cab bakkies in April 2024

Which bakkie was the best-seller in South Africa’s double-cab segment in April 2024 and year to date? We have the figures, plus a look at single- and extended-cab sales…

By now, you’ve likely seen our list of South Africa’s best-selling bakkies for April 2024. So, it’s time to turn our attention to the double-cab bakkie sales race.

Yes, since Naamsa’s monthly sales figures unfortunately don’t include a breakdown of the 3 available bakkie body styles (single cab, extended cab and double cab), we’ve again turned to the folks over at Lightstone Auto for help identifying SA’s best-selling 1-tonne double-cab bakkies for April 2024.

For the record, with all 3 body styles included, the Toyota Hilux led the charge in April, selling a total of 2 094 units last month. The Ford Ranger, however, was close behind in 2nd on 2 073 units, with the Isuzu D-Max some way off in 3rd on 1 202 units. Year to date, the Hilux (10 943 units) leads overall, ahead of the Ranger (8 128 units) and D-Max (6 373 units).

South Africa’s top-selling double-cab bakkies in April 2024

 
INTERVIEW: Stellantis SA CEO Mike Whitfield on the group’s future as a local manufacturer

Stellantis has been on a mission to make their name heard as loud as possible and if it has anything to do with South African managing director Mike Whitfield, the time is now.

Not everyone is aware of the holding company but as a reminder they are the world’s fourth largest manufacturer by volume and the parent company to a host of iconic brands.

Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat (Abarth), Jeep, Opel and Peugeot are all under their wing in South Africa and globally they also include Chrysler, Dodge, DS, Lancia, Maserati, Ram and Vauxhall.

Stellantis also recently announced a R3 billion investment into a new plant in the Coega Special Economic Zone in the Eastern Cape with the first soil set to be turned in a few weeks time, and the start of assembly scheduled for 2026.

The company will be building the full range of Landtrek Peugeot bakkies for local consumption and export into Africa and the Middle East.

 
VW grabs back 2nd! SA’s best-selling brands in May 2024

After brief relief in April, South Africa’s new-vehicle market again suffered a year-on-year decline in May 2024. Here’s your overview, including Mzansi’s most popular brands, with VW returning to number 2…

After South Africa’s new-vehicle market finally broke its 8-month streak of year-on-year sales declines in April, the industry unfortunately returned to negative territory in May 2024. Indeed, the market total suffered a significant 14.2% year-on-year drop last month, ending on 37 105 units. That figure furthermore represents a 2.8% month-on-month decline.

According to Naamsa, “national election jitters applied a handbrake on purchases of big-ticket items such as vehicles” in May 2024 (with the month thus also featuring an additional public holiday), bringing the April’s brief but “welcomed uptick in new-vehicle sales” to a grinding halt.

New-vehicle sales summary for May 2024

Aggregate new-vehicle sales of 37 105 units decreased by 14.2% (6 137 units) compared to May 2023.
New passenger-vehicle sales of 24 367 units decreased by 11.7% (3 212 units) compared to May 2023.
New light-commercial vehicle sales of 10 334 units decreased by 19.5% (2 498 units) compared to May 2023.
Export sales of 24 235 units decreased by 19.1% (5 712 units) compared to May 2023.

10 best-selling automakers in South Africa in May 2024

1. Toyota – 8 795 units

2. Volkswagen Group – 4 939 units

3. Suzuki – 4 101 units

4. Ford – 2 860 units

5. Hyundai – 2 185 units

6. Isuzu – 1 626 units

7. Chery – 1 609 units

8. Nissan – 1 522 units

9. GWM – 1 205 units

10. Renault – 1 110 units

 
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