SA vehicle sales bounce back slightly
Hilux on top again while Kia and Hyundai quit their secrecy
THE SOUTH African new-vehicle market continued its positive performance in July with sales of 46 719 units showing a growth of 4.1 percent compared to the same month last year.
According to the latest figures released by Naamsa, passenger car sales in particular showed a healthy resurgence, with sales of 30 826 units reflecting a growth of 6.2 percent over July 2016. Light commercials, which have buoyed the market with strong growth in recent years, showed a marginal 1.7 percent improvement in July, while medium and heavy trucks dipped by 16.1 and 3.7 percent respectively.
Out of all reported figures, an estimated 79.2 percent represented dealer sales, 13.8 went to rental fleets, 3.9 to government and 3.1 to corporate fleets.
The recent interest rate drop will offer some relief to hard-pressed car buyers, while expected exchange rate stabilisation should keep vehicle price inflation to a minimum, says Naamsa. However the association expects the overall market to remain fairly flat for 2017 with similar sales numbers to 2016.
After years of boycott from Kia and Hyundai, the Korean brands have now jumped onto the Naamsa bandwagon and will report individual sales figures going forward.
The Kia Picanto was the best seller in July from the two sister companies, with 659 sales, while other good-performing models included the Kia Rio (635), and Hyundai Grand i10 (565) and Hyundai Creta (514).
Mercedes-Benz and BMW, however, are still standing by their decision to not report individual sales. Top 50 best-selling vehicles in July: 1. Toyota Hilux 3100 2. VW Polo Vivo 2675 3. Ford Ranger 2300 4. VW Polo 1623 5. Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest 1480 6. Nissan Hardbody 1396 7. Nissan NP200 1376 8. Isuzu KB 1209 9. Toyota Quantum 1203 10. Toyota Fortuner 1033 11. Ford Fiesta 998 12. Toyota Etios 973 13. Ford Ecosport 851 14. Renault Kwid 799 15. Chevy Utility 780 16. Kia Picanto 659 17. Datsun Go 647 18. Toyota Rav4 641 19. Kia Rio 635 20. Hyundai Grand i10 565 21. Hyundai Creta 514 22. VW Golf 483 23. Renault Sandero 469 24. Hyundai Tucson 435 25. Toyota Avanza 412 26. Nissan Almera 406 27. VW Tiguan 371 28. Renault Clio 362 29. Ford Everest 359 30. VW Amarok 355 31. Ford Figo 354 32. Hyundai i20 349 33. Mazda CX-5 342 34. Suzuki Swift 337 35. Hyundai Accent 327 36. Audi A3 319 37. Mazda CX-3 298 38. Hyundai i10 280 39. VW Up 277 40. Hyundai H100 269 41. Ford Kuga 261 42. Ford Focus 249 43. Toyota Yaris 242 44. Mazda3 234 45. Renault Captur 228 45. Toyota Land Cruiser PU 228 46. Audi A4 226 47. Nissan X-Trail 224 48. Nissan NV350 Taxi 209 48. Nissan Qashqai 209 49. Mazda2 203 50. Renault Kadjar 197
This list excludes BMW and Mercedes-Benz which do not report individual monthly sales figures.