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The SA Vehicle Industry Thread
- Thread starter FiestaST
- Start date
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Ford hits 5-year high! SA’s new-vehicle sales in August 2026
In August 2026, South Africa’s new-vehicle market recorded its 23rd straight month of year-on-year growth, with Ford climbing to 4th place on the back of its highest sales in over 5 years…
- New-vehicle sales up 11.4% year-on-year in August
- Exports decline 11.9% year on year to 35 091 units
- Ford posts highest total in over 5 years to grab 4th
- Chery hits record figure to again rank ahead of GWM
- Tata Motors PV SA breaks into top 15 for first time
In August 2026, sales in South Africa’s new-vehicle market increased 11.4% year on year to 57 898 units, representing the local industry’s 23rd consecutive month of year-on-year growth as well as the 2nd-highest total of the year (after March 2026). For the record, August’s showing was also 0.3% higher than July 2026’s effort.
In contrast, however, new-vehicle exports from South Africa dropped 11.9% year on year to 35 091 units, a result that industry-representative body Naamsa said reinforced the “need to strengthen industrial competitiveness and translate improving domestic demand into local production, localisation, investment and employment”.
According to Naamsa, an estimated 81.8% of August 2026’s total reported domestic figure of 57 898 units represented sales via the dealership channel, while 13.4% were sales to the new-vehicle rental industry, 2.4% to government and 2.4% to industry corporate fleets.
Registrations in Mzansi’s new passenger-vehicle market increased 11.6% year on year to 41 216 units (with rental sales accounting for a significant 17.2% of that total) in August. Meanwhile, local sales of new light-commercial vehicles (LCVs) grew 11.0% year on year to 13 727 units.
New-vehicle sales summary for August 2026
- Aggregate new-vehicle sales of 57 898 units increased by 11.4% (5 938 units) compared to August 2025.
- New passenger-vehicle sales of 41 216 units increased by 11.6% (4 269 units) compared to August 2025.
- New light-commercial vehicle sales of 13 727 units increased by 11.0% (1 358 units) compared to August 2025.
- Export sales of 35 091 units decreased by 11.9% (4 742 units) compared to August 2025.
10 best-selling automakers in SA in August 2026
1. Toyota – 13 814 units
2. Suzuki – 6 505 units
3. Volkswagen Group – 5 668 units
4. Ford – 3 202 units
5. Hyundai – 3 034 units
6. Chery – 2 763 units
7. GWM – 2 594 units
8. Isuzu – 2 531 units
9. Jetour – 1 952 units
10. Kia – 1 783 units
In August 2026, South Africa’s new-vehicle market recorded its 23rd straight month of year-on-year growth, with Ford climbing to 4th place on the back of its highest sales in over 5 years…
- New-vehicle sales up 11.4% year-on-year in August
- Exports decline 11.9% year on year to 35 091 units
- Ford posts highest total in over 5 years to grab 4th
- Chery hits record figure to again rank ahead of GWM
- Tata Motors PV SA breaks into top 15 for first time
In August 2026, sales in South Africa’s new-vehicle market increased 11.4% year on year to 57 898 units, representing the local industry’s 23rd consecutive month of year-on-year growth as well as the 2nd-highest total of the year (after March 2026). For the record, August’s showing was also 0.3% higher than July 2026’s effort.
In contrast, however, new-vehicle exports from South Africa dropped 11.9% year on year to 35 091 units, a result that industry-representative body Naamsa said reinforced the “need to strengthen industrial competitiveness and translate improving domestic demand into local production, localisation, investment and employment”.
According to Naamsa, an estimated 81.8% of August 2026’s total reported domestic figure of 57 898 units represented sales via the dealership channel, while 13.4% were sales to the new-vehicle rental industry, 2.4% to government and 2.4% to industry corporate fleets.
Registrations in Mzansi’s new passenger-vehicle market increased 11.6% year on year to 41 216 units (with rental sales accounting for a significant 17.2% of that total) in August. Meanwhile, local sales of new light-commercial vehicles (LCVs) grew 11.0% year on year to 13 727 units.
New-vehicle sales summary for August 2026
- Aggregate new-vehicle sales of 57 898 units increased by 11.4% (5 938 units) compared to August 2025.
- New passenger-vehicle sales of 41 216 units increased by 11.6% (4 269 units) compared to August 2025.
- New light-commercial vehicle sales of 13 727 units increased by 11.0% (1 358 units) compared to August 2025.
- Export sales of 35 091 units decreased by 11.9% (4 742 units) compared to August 2025.
10 best-selling automakers in SA in August 2026
1. Toyota – 13 814 units
2. Suzuki – 6 505 units
3. Volkswagen Group – 5 668 units
4. Ford – 3 202 units
5. Hyundai – 3 034 units
6. Chery – 2 763 units
7. GWM – 2 594 units
8. Isuzu – 2 531 units
9. Jetour – 1 952 units
10. Kia – 1 783 units
FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
VW celebrates 75 years in SA by unveiling the Tengo
There are birthdays, and then there are birthdays that double as a statement of intent. Volkswagen’s 75th anniversary celebration in Kariega last night was certainly the latter, and the cherry on the cake was a first look at the all-important Tengo crossover.
Amid the nostalgia and the rows of iconic classics, the evening’s real headline act rolled confidently onto the stage: the Tengo, the compact crossover that VW is betting will carry this plant and this brand’s African ambitions into its next chapter.
It’s worth sitting with the scale of the occasion first. President Cyril Ramaphosa was the guest of honour at the gala dinner, and he didn’t mince his words about what Volkswagen means here. “This brand is so woven into our culture that we sometimes have to remind ourselves that Volkswagen is not South African,” he told the room. It was a line that landed exactly as intended in a town that has built Beetles, Kombis, Golfs and Polos since a South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors (SAMAD) line first assembled a Beetle on 31 August 1951.
Seventy-five years, nearly 40 models and more than 4.8 million vehicles later, Kariega is still turning out cars for South Africa, but also the world.
Meet the Tengo
If you’ve been following the local rumour mill, the name won’t be new to you. VW Group Africa (VWGA) let the public vote on it back in 2025, and “Tengo” (chosen for its resonance across African languages, evoking strength and resilience) beat out Tavi, Tiva and Tion. What was new last night was seeing it in the metal, on home soil, for the first time.
This is a critical new product. Built on the same platform that underpins the Polo and closely related to the Brazilian-market Tera, the Tengo is a compact crossover engineered specifically to plug the gap beneath the T-Cross. In other words, it will fill the entry-level, value-driven space where Chinese brands have made their most damaging inroads into VW‘s local volumes over the past few years. This is the segment where the battle for South Africa’s new-car buyer is actually being fought, and until now, Volkswagen hasn’t had a proper foot soldier there.
There are birthdays, and then there are birthdays that double as a statement of intent. Volkswagen’s 75th anniversary celebration in Kariega last night was certainly the latter, and the cherry on the cake was a first look at the all-important Tengo crossover.
Amid the nostalgia and the rows of iconic classics, the evening’s real headline act rolled confidently onto the stage: the Tengo, the compact crossover that VW is betting will carry this plant and this brand’s African ambitions into its next chapter.
It’s worth sitting with the scale of the occasion first. President Cyril Ramaphosa was the guest of honour at the gala dinner, and he didn’t mince his words about what Volkswagen means here. “This brand is so woven into our culture that we sometimes have to remind ourselves that Volkswagen is not South African,” he told the room. It was a line that landed exactly as intended in a town that has built Beetles, Kombis, Golfs and Polos since a South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors (SAMAD) line first assembled a Beetle on 31 August 1951.
Seventy-five years, nearly 40 models and more than 4.8 million vehicles later, Kariega is still turning out cars for South Africa, but also the world.
Meet the Tengo
If you’ve been following the local rumour mill, the name won’t be new to you. VW Group Africa (VWGA) let the public vote on it back in 2025, and “Tengo” (chosen for its resonance across African languages, evoking strength and resilience) beat out Tavi, Tiva and Tion. What was new last night was seeing it in the metal, on home soil, for the first time.
This is a critical new product. Built on the same platform that underpins the Polo and closely related to the Brazilian-market Tera, the Tengo is a compact crossover engineered specifically to plug the gap beneath the T-Cross. In other words, it will fill the entry-level, value-driven space where Chinese brands have made their most damaging inroads into VW‘s local volumes over the past few years. This is the segment where the battle for South Africa’s new-car buyer is actually being fought, and until now, Volkswagen hasn’t had a proper foot soldier there.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
No stopping Hilux! SA’s best-selling bakkies in August 2026
In August 2026, the Hilux comfortably retained first place on the list of SA’s best-selling bakkies, despite the Ranger posting its best effort since September 2024…
- Hilux way out in front despite 7.4% dip
- Ranger posts highest figure in 2 years
- Nissan Navara climbs back to 8th place
- Bolero almost cracks top 10 in August
- Tasman sales dwindle to just 17 units
In August 2026, sales in South Africa’s total new-vehicle market increased 11.4% year on year to 57 898 units, with the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment growing 11.0% year on year to 13 727 units. But what happened on the list of SA’s best- and worst-selling bakkies?
Well, local registrations of the Toyota Hilux dipped 7.4% month on month to 3 881 units (including 494 sales via the rental channel) off a 2026-high in July. But the Prospecton-built bakkie range – which currently comprises a mix of 8th- and 9th-generation derivatives – nevertheless easily retained first place in August 2026.
That said, the Ford Ranger registered its highest single-month total since September 2024, with sales of the Silverton-made model (plus those of the Thai-built Raptor) increasing 15.0% month on month to 2 373 units. As such, the 2nd-placed Ranger created some breathing space ahead of the Struandale-produced Isuzu D-Max, sales of which increased 1.8% month on month to 2 005 units (including 327 purchases by government).
Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal-assembled Mahindra Pik Up (down 10.1% month on month to 612 units) retained 4th position, with the GWM P-Series (up 9.7% month on month to 588 units) once more rounding out the top 5 and again ranking as Mzansi’s most popular fully imported bakkie in August.
Bakkie sales in South Africa for August 2026
1. Toyota Hilux – 3 881 units
2. Ford Ranger – 2 373 units
3. Isuzu D-Max – 2 005 units
4. Mahindra Pik Up – 612 units
5. GWM P-Series – 588 units
6. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 434 units
7. Volkswagen Amarok – 351 units
8. Nissan Navara – 293 units
9. JAC T-Series – 246 units
10. Foton Tunland – 158 units
11. Mahindra Bolero – 154 units
12. Peugeot Landtrek – 133 units
13. JMC Vigus – 130 units
14. BYD Shark 6 – 127 units
15. LDV T60 – 120 units
16. Changan Hunter – 23 units
17. Mitsubishi Triton – 22 units
18. Kia Tasman – 17 units
19. LDV Terron 9 – 8 units
20. Jeep Gladiator – 0 unit
In August 2026, the Hilux comfortably retained first place on the list of SA’s best-selling bakkies, despite the Ranger posting its best effort since September 2024…
- Hilux way out in front despite 7.4% dip
- Ranger posts highest figure in 2 years
- Nissan Navara climbs back to 8th place
- Bolero almost cracks top 10 in August
- Tasman sales dwindle to just 17 units
In August 2026, sales in South Africa’s total new-vehicle market increased 11.4% year on year to 57 898 units, with the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment growing 11.0% year on year to 13 727 units. But what happened on the list of SA’s best- and worst-selling bakkies?
Well, local registrations of the Toyota Hilux dipped 7.4% month on month to 3 881 units (including 494 sales via the rental channel) off a 2026-high in July. But the Prospecton-built bakkie range – which currently comprises a mix of 8th- and 9th-generation derivatives – nevertheless easily retained first place in August 2026.
That said, the Ford Ranger registered its highest single-month total since September 2024, with sales of the Silverton-made model (plus those of the Thai-built Raptor) increasing 15.0% month on month to 2 373 units. As such, the 2nd-placed Ranger created some breathing space ahead of the Struandale-produced Isuzu D-Max, sales of which increased 1.8% month on month to 2 005 units (including 327 purchases by government).
Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal-assembled Mahindra Pik Up (down 10.1% month on month to 612 units) retained 4th position, with the GWM P-Series (up 9.7% month on month to 588 units) once more rounding out the top 5 and again ranking as Mzansi’s most popular fully imported bakkie in August.
Bakkie sales in South Africa for August 2026
1. Toyota Hilux – 3 881 units
2. Ford Ranger – 2 373 units
3. Isuzu D-Max – 2 005 units
4. Mahindra Pik Up – 612 units
5. GWM P-Series – 588 units
6. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 434 units
7. Volkswagen Amarok – 351 units
8. Nissan Navara – 293 units
9. JAC T-Series – 246 units
10. Foton Tunland – 158 units
11. Mahindra Bolero – 154 units
12. Peugeot Landtrek – 133 units
13. JMC Vigus – 130 units
14. BYD Shark 6 – 127 units
15. LDV T60 – 120 units
16. Changan Hunter – 23 units
17. Mitsubishi Triton – 22 units
18. Kia Tasman – 17 units
19. LDV Terron 9 – 8 units
20. Jeep Gladiator – 0 unit
joshuatree
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FiestaST
Honorary Master
Watch: Exclusive first look at SA-built VW Tengo compact SUV
Ahead of its official SA launch in 2027, we were afforded an exclusive first look at the Tengo at the facility it is produced – VW’s Plant Kariega. CAR Editor Ian McLaren highlights what you can expect from this new SA-built compact SUV.
Built at Volkswagen’s world-class Plant Kariega production facility in the Eastern Cape, the Tengo is set to launch in South Africa in 2027. Sharing an assembly line with the Polo and Polo Vivo hatchbacks, the Tengo will be the third VW model manufactured locally. In the video, CAR Editor Ian McLaren takes a closer look at the new compact SUV, detailing its exterior and interior.
A collaboration with VW Brazil, where that market has a similarly packaged Tera product, the Tengo has been specifically developed, including gaining a more robust suspension setup than that car, to best suit the South African market and, indeed, other key markets in Africa.
www.carmag.co.za
Ahead of its official SA launch in 2027, we were afforded an exclusive first look at the Tengo at the facility it is produced – VW’s Plant Kariega. CAR Editor Ian McLaren highlights what you can expect from this new SA-built compact SUV.
Built at Volkswagen’s world-class Plant Kariega production facility in the Eastern Cape, the Tengo is set to launch in South Africa in 2027. Sharing an assembly line with the Polo and Polo Vivo hatchbacks, the Tengo will be the third VW model manufactured locally. In the video, CAR Editor Ian McLaren takes a closer look at the new compact SUV, detailing its exterior and interior.
A collaboration with VW Brazil, where that market has a similarly packaged Tera product, the Tengo has been specifically developed, including gaining a more robust suspension setup than that car, to best suit the South African market and, indeed, other key markets in Africa.
Watch: Exclusive first look at SA-built VW Tengo compact SUV
We were afforded an exclusive first look at the SA-built Tengo at Plant Kariega. CAR Editor Ian McLaren highlights the new VW compact SUV...
www.carmag.co.za
FiestaST
Honorary Master
South African new vehicle sales for August: These were the top 15 manufacturers
South Africa’s new vehicle market continued on its solid growth trajectory in August 2026, with overall sales increasing by 11.4% versus the same month in 2025.
According to Naamsa, a total of 57,898 units were sold last month, with the new passenger vehicle market accounting for 41,216 units and light commercial vehicles totalling 13,727 units. These segments grew by 11.6% and 11.7%, respectively, while the medium and heavy commercial segments, with nominal sales of 805 and 2,150 units, grew by 16.3% and 10.1%, respectively.
A total of 81.8% of new vehicle sales took place through dealer channels, while the rental industry accounted for 13.4%, followed by government and industry corporate sales at 2.4% each.
NEV sales surge
New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) are also rapidly increasing their share, accounting for 4.4% of new vehicle registrations year-to-date, with sales having increased by 88% versus the corresponding period in 2025. Hybrids account for the bulk of NEVs sold in 2026, at 8,078 units, versus 5,851 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and 2,360 battery electric vehicles (EVs).
Toyota, Suzuki top the charts
Toyota enjoyed a particularly strong sales month, with a grand total of 14,142 sales, giving the carmaker a market share of 23.9%. The Toyota Hilux retained its position as the country’s best-selling vehicle, with a total volume of 3,881 units in August. On the manufacturer podium, Suzuki Auto narrowly ousted Volkswagen, while Hyundai and Ford made up the top five.
15 top-selling manufacturers: August 2026
Toyota - 14,142
Suzuki Auto - 5,994
Volkswagen - 5,799
Hyundai - 3,058
Ford - 2,927
Chery Auto - 2,709
GWM SA - 2,504
Isuzu Motors - 2,435
Jetour - 2,034
Kia SA - 1,920
Omoda & Jaecoo - 1,502
Mahindra - 1,458
Renault - 1,360
BMW Group - 1,256
BYD - 860
South Africa’s new vehicle market continued on its solid growth trajectory in August 2026, with overall sales increasing by 11.4% versus the same month in 2025.
According to Naamsa, a total of 57,898 units were sold last month, with the new passenger vehicle market accounting for 41,216 units and light commercial vehicles totalling 13,727 units. These segments grew by 11.6% and 11.7%, respectively, while the medium and heavy commercial segments, with nominal sales of 805 and 2,150 units, grew by 16.3% and 10.1%, respectively.
A total of 81.8% of new vehicle sales took place through dealer channels, while the rental industry accounted for 13.4%, followed by government and industry corporate sales at 2.4% each.
NEV sales surge
New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) are also rapidly increasing their share, accounting for 4.4% of new vehicle registrations year-to-date, with sales having increased by 88% versus the corresponding period in 2025. Hybrids account for the bulk of NEVs sold in 2026, at 8,078 units, versus 5,851 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and 2,360 battery electric vehicles (EVs).
Toyota, Suzuki top the charts
Toyota enjoyed a particularly strong sales month, with a grand total of 14,142 sales, giving the carmaker a market share of 23.9%. The Toyota Hilux retained its position as the country’s best-selling vehicle, with a total volume of 3,881 units in August. On the manufacturer podium, Suzuki Auto narrowly ousted Volkswagen, while Hyundai and Ford made up the top five.
15 top-selling manufacturers: August 2026
Toyota - 14,142
Suzuki Auto - 5,994
Volkswagen - 5,799
Hyundai - 3,058
Ford - 2,927
Chery Auto - 2,709
GWM SA - 2,504
Isuzu Motors - 2,435
Jetour - 2,034
Kia SA - 1,920
Omoda & Jaecoo - 1,502
Mahindra - 1,458
Renault - 1,360
BMW Group - 1,256
BYD - 860
Dafuq? Articles from other outlets said Ford moved 3 202 units?!