The SA Vehicle Industry Thread

Vitz grabs 4th! SA’s best-selling passenger cars in January 2026

In January 2026, the Toyota Vitz broke into the top 5 on the list of SA’s best-selling passenger vehicles for the first time, while the Corolla Cross fell from the top 10…

- Polo Vivo reclaims first position in January
- Resurgent Swift right on Polo Vivo’s tail
- reaches new sales high to grab 4th
- Rumion cracks top 10 as Corolla Cross falls
In January 2026, sales in South Africa’s new vehicle-market increased 7.5% year on year to 50 073 units. The local new passenger-vehicle market’s performance, meanwhile, was largely in line with the overall industry, growing 7.1% year on year to 37 190 units. But which passenger cars were most popular with Mzansi’s buyers last month?

Before we examine the figures, it’s worth pointing out the rental channel accounted for 13.3% of South Africa’s total passenger-vehicle sales in the opening month of 2026. That translates to a considerable 4 956 units.

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

1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 2 060 units

2. Suzuki Swift – 2 029 units

3. Chery Tiggo 4 (including Cross) – 1 625 units

4. Toyota Vitz – 1 514 units

5. Toyota Starlet – 1 372 units

6. Hyundai Grand i10 (excluding LCV) – 1 320 units

7. Haval Jolion – 1 172 units

8. Suzuki Fronx – 1 161 units

9. Toyota Starlet Cross – 1 119 units

10. Toyota Rumion – 1 049 units

 
Top 5 best-selling Chinese car brands in SA – January 2026

We have rounded up the best-selling Chinese car brands in South Africa in January 2026. Here’s the breakdown.

Naamsa reported a strong new-car sales performance in the first month of the year, with 50 073 new vehicles sold in January 2025. Of the latter figure, the passenger-car segment accounted for 74.2% of sales in the first month of 2026. We take a closer look at how the Chinese automakers fared in the first month of the year. (It is worth noting that, for this list, we’ve listed the subsidiaries of each company individually. For example, GWM and Haval, and Chery and Omoda & Jaecoo.)

5. ⁠GWM – 892

4. Omoda & Jaecoo – 1 413

3. Jetour – 1 550

2. Haval – 1 629

1. Chery – 2 258

 
Performance-driven success: how BMW Plant Rosslyn celebrated a record year

BMW Group Plant Rosslyn has been making cars for 50 years, and despite being the first plant ever outside of Germany, when it comes to producing world-class vehicles, performance is the only thing that matters in a modern world of globalisation.

Reflecting on a record-breaking year, plant director Danny Bester noted that over that time, they had built multiple models and embedded themselves deeply in the Pretoria community.

Some current employees, he said, attended BMW-supported preschools and are now working on the production line. That continuity has helped create what he describes as a strong family culture.

A global network

Rosslyn operates within BMW’s global manufacturing footprint of more than 30 plants. That brings flexibility, but it also brings pressure. Production is allocated based on performance, not geography.

The BMW X3 is built in three locations worldwide: South Africa, China and the United States. “We’re not only competing with other OEMs,” Bester explained, “we also compete amongst ourselves. If a plant doesn’t deliver on cost, quality and reliability, production volume simply moves elsewhere.”

For Rosslyn, the challenge is even bigger. The current-generation X3 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is produced exclusively in South Africa for global markets, the first time the plant has been the sole producer of a BMW model worldwide.

“We have to deliver; customers don’t care about load shedding or port issues. They expect their car on time.”

 
South Africa's auto industry at a crossroads: VW's unanswered letter to President Ramaphosa

When Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) chairperson and managing director Martina Biene wrote directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa just before Christmas, it was an attempt to inject urgency into a process that she says has been dragging on for too long, with very real consequences for South Africa’s automotive future.

“I wrote a letter to the President prior to Christmas,” Biene said at the annual VW Media Indaba at the company’s plant in Kariega. “I mainly outlined that for us as VWGA, this year is crucial for getting an investment decision from VW head office for the next project that’s on the way.”

Essentially, she asked for clarity. Not only for the economics of future projects, but also on whether South Africa’s policy environment is moving in the right direction to justify long-term capital investment.

Need a good business case

“For getting this investment decision, they look at the economics and the business case,” she said, “but also, headquarters look at what happens in this country. And another non-negotiable they stressed is that we need to see some improvement in South African policies.

“You might have a business case,” Biene warned, “but there are better business cases elsewhere because we don’t know whether that is a sustainable way to spend money.”

“This year for us is make or break,” she admitted.

Industrial graveyard

That warning was echoed by Professor Adrian Saville, economist and strategy specialist at GIBS. Responding to the broader question of whether a major manufacturer could realistically leave South Africa, Saville was unequivocal.

“Could a specific business leave? Absolutely. Capital can go anywhere,” he said. “There are 200 markets that you can choose to allocate capital to. There’s nothing special about South Africa.”

Saville said that South Africa’s industrial history is littered with examples of once-significant manufacturers that have disappeared. “South Africa is an industrial graveyard, no company is too big, too established or too important to walk away if conditions deteriorate.”

 
Top 5 vehicle exporters in SA – January 2026

We’ve compiled a list of the top five vehicle exporters in South Africa in January 2026. See the list below.

According to naamsa, a total number of 24 568 new vehicles were exported from South Africa in January 2026 – this figure representing a 136-unit increase compared to the 24 594 units exported in January 2025. However, the first month of the new year saw a decrease of 2 284 units exported compared to the 26 852 units exported in December 2025.

In January 2026, Volkswagen came out on top as South Africa’s largest exporter of new vehicles, with naamsa reporting 7 941 units were exported from the firm’s Kariega plant in the Eastern Cape, where the Polo and Polo GTI are exclusively produced, for local and overseas markets. Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) placed second, posting 5 500 units exported from the Japanese automaker’s Prospecton plant in Durban, where popular models such as the Hilux, Fortuner and Corolla Cross are produced.

Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s exports decreased by 600 units in January 2026 compared to December 2025. Ford Motor Company recorded the largest decline in exports, with shipments down by 4 577 units compared to December 2025.

SA’s top 5 vehicle exporters in January 2026

Volkswagen Group Africa – 7 941
Toyota SA – 5 500
BMW Group – 5 000
Mercedes-Benz SA – 3 800
Ford Motor Company – 928

 
Why Volkswagen tests its cars to the limit before they hit the road

Before a new Volkswagen reaches a South African showroom, it has already endured a harder life than most owners will ever put it through. Thousands of kilometres, tough road surfaces, extreme heat, altitude, dust and heavy loads are all deliberately heaped on.

Problems must be identified long before customers experience them, according to Siphesihle Notyena, senior endurance engineer at Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA).

“Our responsibility is to ensure that the vehicle delivered to the customer is robust, reliable and fully compliant,” Notyena said at the recent VW Indaba in Kariega. “By the time it reaches production, it must meet our internal requirements, regulatory standards and customer expectations.”

What validation testing means

According to Notyena, validation and endurance testing are central to VWGA’s vehicle engineering operation. Every system, from drivetrain and suspension to electronics and safety systems, is evaluated before a car is approved for local production or sale.

“Our job is to make sure that when parts, systems and complete vehicles reach the production line, they’ve already passed through the correct processes and meet all requirements,” Notyena explained.

Vehicles are physically driven across South Africa in conditions that mirror and often exceed real customer use.

Years into months

Endurance testing is designed to compress a vehicle’s lifespan into a short, punishing timeframe. One test vehicle recently completed 100,000 kilometres in just 30 weeks, the equivalent of a full three-year warranty cycle.

“Through continuous driving, we accelerate the vehicle’s entire lifespan. The goal is to identify issues early, validate new components and technologies, and confirm that the vehicle remains safe, comfortable and reliable over time.”

Testing covers engine and transmission performance, suspension durability, braking behaviour, electronic systems, structural integrity and comfort-related factors such as noise, vibration and harshness.

 

Make or break for Volkswagen​

This year is “make or break” for Volkswagen in South Africa, says Martina Biene, MD of Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA). The government must act immediately to close automotive policy loopholes that encourage imports, or the company, which is celebrating 75 years of vehicle manufacture in South Africa, may have to reconsider its future.
Click to expand...
 
South Africa's used car sales soar by 11% in January, led by Toyota's dominance

South Africa’s used car market continues to show resilience, with the latest figures for January showing positive growth according to used car data from AutoTrader.

There’s a notable month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) growth across the board, continuing the trend set in 2025.

A total of 34,452 vehicles were sold in January 2026, well ahead of December 2025 (30,742) and January 2025 (30,961). This represents a strong MoM increase of 12.07% and a YoY increase of 11.28%.

Toyota still tops

The most popular brands remain unchanged, with Toyota maintaining its position as the best-selling automaker on the used car market. A total of 5,876 vehicles were sold, up from December 2025 (5,039) and January 2025 (5,330).

Toyota accounts for 40% of the top 10 best-selling used cars, highlighting the marque’s strong hold on the used car market.

Volkswagen, in second place, registered 4,733 units, while Ford delivered 3,577 (with more than 50% of those being the Ranger).

Toyota recorded one of the highest MoM increases, up 17% compared to December 2025, and up 10% YoY.

Suzuki however, saw the biggest MoM improvement at 25%, while Hyundai achieved the strongest YoY growth at 45%.

The only brand to post an MoM decline was BMW, down 4% compared to December 2025, though it still managed a 5% YoY increase. The biggest YoY declines came from Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, both down 10% year-on-year.


1770802812654.png
 
VW celebrates 30 years of Polo production in SA

Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) is celebrating three decades of Polo production at Plant Kariega.

In 2026, VW is celebrating its 75th year in South Africa. However, that’s not the only milestone the German marque’s local arm is celebrating. Indeed, 2026 also marks 30 years of Polo production at the automaker’s Kariega assembly facility in the Eastern Cape.

Since local Polo production kicked off in 1996 with the Polo Classic sedan, the Kariega plant has manufactured four generations of Polo, including the sixth iteration (from 2021), of which the 500 000th example rolled off the Kariega assembly line in October 2025. Overall, over two million Polos have been produced at Plant Kariega, which, since 2024, is the sole manufacturer and exporter of the Polo for Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Of the two million Polos built at Plant Kariega, 1 421 960 (around 70%) were exported.

In addition, the Polo GTI has been produced in SA for 20 years, and exclusively built here since 2021. To celebrate this milestone, VWGA recently announced the Polo GTI Edition 20 for our market.

Said Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director at VWGA, “2026 is a year of celebration for Volkswagen Group Africa. Reaching 75 years in South Africa and 30 years of Polo production is not only a proud milestone for our company, but also for our Kariega plant and our employees. This milestone is a testament to the dedication, skill, and passion of our employees, whose commitment has made the Polo a success story both locally and internationally. Their contribution has been the driving force behind the Polo’s success.”


1770802929226.png
 

SA carmakers warned: ‘Do not compete with China’​


There are two possible reactions to the news of Morocco overtaking South Africa for the number of cars made in 2025. One is to believe that the Mzansi automotive industrial complex is, as the younger Daily Maverick readers would say, cooked… Actually, that’s the only way to react.

The secret to the kingdom’s success? Morocco grants automotive firms a five-year corporate tax exemption, or a 25-year exemption if most production is exported.
Click to expand...

www.dailymaverick.co.za

SA carmakers warned: ‘Do not compete with China’

Seeing local automotive sector representatives at Mining Indaba conversing about critical minerals is always odd – and more so given the precarious position the steel industry is in. There were harsh …
www.dailymaverick.co.za www.dailymaverick.co.za
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X