Company of the year
toyota South africa motors
Four decades. That’s how long Toyota has topped the annual sales charts in South Africa – uninterrupted, we should emphasise. And the Japanese juggernaut shows no sign of slowing down. In 2019, approximately every fourth new vehicle of the 536 626 registered locally wore a Toyota, Lexus or Hino badge.
The Aichi-based brand’s 130 072 sales last year were split neatly between the passenger and light commercial markets, with a sprinkle of Hino trucks for good measure. More than 50 000 locally built vehicles were exported, too. The venerable Hilux again dominated its class, smashing an eight-year monthly sales record in June, growing to a healthy 37% share of the segment by the end of December and comfortably selling better than any other vehicle.
In a year the nameplate celebrated its 50th in the country – with more than a million examples having found homes across the land over the past half-century – Toyota’s locally produced bakkie wrested the double-cab sales crown from Ford’s Ranger, besting its bitter Blue Oval rival by a mere 349 units.
Although the Hilux plays a significant role for the company (not to mention its success at the Dakar Rally), there’s more to Toyota’s sustained success in South Africa than its 35-strong eighth-generation bakkie line-up. Indeed, the automaker recently announced a cumulative investment of R4,28 billion in its local operations, with more than half of that figure allocated to the production of a new, as-yet-unspecified passenger vehicle at its Prospecton plant from late 2021. Solidifying its long-term commitment to manufacturing in South Africa, Toyota says the investment will generate about 1 500 new employment opportunities while other sectors continue to shed jobs.
In addition, Toyota plans substantial enhancements to its local Hiace Ses’fikile production line with a subsequent increase in annual capacity from 14 000 to 18 000 units, as well as doubling the size of its Gauteng warehouse to create the largest automotive parts facility in the southern hemisphere. Of course, the firm will continue building the outgoing Corolla sedan in the form of the new Quest.
Over the past year, Toyota has freshened its local line-up, adding new-generation versions of big-name players such as the RAV4, Corolla hatch and Quantum, while also rolling out special-edition bakkies. Perhaps most exciting of all, though, was the arrival of the A90-generation GR Supra, which promptly earned itself a top-three finish at Performance Shootout 2020. The upcoming GR Yaris, meanwhile, looks set to add yet more fizz to the automaker’s growing performance range.
What else? Well, in 2019, the company launched in-car Wi-fi for all new models, opened a state-of-the-art centre of technical excellence to support its 264 dealers, commenced the restoration of a very special 2000GT and finally started rolling out Apple Carplay and Android Auto to its vehicles.
So, with an even deeper investment into South Africa, continued market leadership and a line-up that mixes much-needed utility with growing levels of excitement, Toyota is the worthy winner of our 2020 award.