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Question of the Day: Which compact crossover would you choose?
The SA Vehicle Industry Thread
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FiestaST
Honorary Master
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.
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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A shitstorm erupted on Facebook yesterday when someone stated that they are out on strike at BAIC: "because the Chinese are paying their workers below minimum wage"
Supplies, supplies!
Strike at Chinese carmaker BAIC’s Coega plant will set a precedent, says union
Unlike other manufacturers, BAIC is not part of the National Bargaining Forum.
Supplies, supplies!
Strike at Chinese carmaker BAIC’s Coega plant will set a precedent, says union
Unlike other manufacturers, BAIC is not part of the National Bargaining Forum.
Last edited:
NarrowBandFtw
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
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.
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.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Why Are Cars So Expensive In South Africa???
FiestaST
Honorary Master
COVID Broke The Car Market - Here’s Why Cars Never Got Cheap Again.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Chery Group’s Big Bet on South Africa – Factory, Skills & AI Future - Cars.co.za
FiestaST
Honorary Master
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
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.
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...
www.carmag.co.za
FiestaST
Honorary Master
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.
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.