October saw a slight shake-up in the bakkie sales war with Ford's Ranger outselling its Toyota Hilux foe, albeit narrowly with 2964 sales versus 2781. Although this could be a once-off, it's worth noting that this is the first month in which the Ranger has outsold the new-generation Hilux, which was launched earlier this year.
It was an otherwise tough month for the rest of the players, and at best we can resort to saying that at least the 10.1 percent year-on-year decline registered (at 48 745 units in total) was not as bad as the 14.3 percent plunge experienced the previous month.
Passenger car sales were down 9.5 percent, compared to October last year, while light commercials fell 10.7 percent. The market for medium trucks and buses declined by a worrying 26.8 percent year on year, while the heavies fell 9.2 percent.
The only ray of hope in October were export sales, which gained 10.8 percent, and this momentum is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
The outlook for the local market remains challenging, however, according to Naamsa, which expects price inflation, high interest rates and relatively low business confidence to continue to dampen the industry's prospects.
However, with the Finance Minister talking of green shoots in the economy and the Reserve Bank's indicator registering positive growth for the first time in three years, there is reason to believe that the tide could be turning, albeit slowly.
THE NUMBERS: OCTOBER 2016
Sales Channels
Dealerships: 77.8 percent
Rental industry: 16.5 percent
Corporate clients: 4.1 percent
Government sales: 1.6 percent
Top Companies
1. Toyota - 11 129
2. Volkswagen - 8055
3. Ford - 7199
4. AMH/AAD - 4844
5. Nissan - 3692
6. GM/Isuzu - 3324
7. BMW - 1604
8. Renault - 1420
9. Mazda - 972
10. Honda - 720
Top 100 Reported Sales*
1. Ford Ranger - 2964
2. Toyota Hilux - 2781
3. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 2701
4. Volkswagen Polo - 2458
5. Toyota Corolla/Quest/Auris - 1968
6. Ford Fiesta - 1856
7. Toyota Etios - 1520
8. Toyota Quantum - 1451
9. Nissan NP200 - 1175
10. Toyota Fortuner - 1172
11. Chevrolet Utility - 1131
12. Ford EcoSport - 1012
13. Isuzu KB - 953
14. Nissan NP300 Hardbody - 868
15. Toyota Avanza - 649
16. Renault Sandero - 562
17. Nissan X-Trail - 541
18. Volkswagen Tiguan - 496
19. Ford Focus - 409
20. BMW 3 Series - 406
21. Toyota Aygo - 375
22. Volkswagen Golf - 349
23. Renault Clio - 347
24. Datsun Go - 340
25. Mazda CX-5 - 313
26. Ford Figo - 304
27. Audi A3 - 302
28. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 276
29. Honda BR-V - 267
30. Volkswagen Amarok - 264
31. Chevrolet Spark - 251
32. Renault Captur - 241
33. Mazda CX-5 - 240
34. Mazda3 - 230
35. Nissan NV350 Taxi - 221
36. Toyota Aygo - 216
37. BMW X1 - 204
38. Audi A4 - 198
39. Toyota Yaris - 198
40. Ford Kuga - 187
41. BMW X5 - 175
42. Volkswagen Caddy - 173
43. Datsun Go+ - 170
44. Suzuki Swift - 169
45. Volkswagen Jetta - 167
46. BMW 2 Series - 147
47. Volkswagen Up - 146
48. Chevrolet Trailblazer - 140
49. BMW 1 Series - 133
50. Mazda2 - 131
51. Opel Astra - 125
51. Volkswagen Kombi - 125
53. Ford Everest - 124
54. Audi Q3 - 120
55. BMW 4 Series - 117
55. Nissan Qashqai - 117
57. Nissan Almera - 116
58. Honda Jazz - 115
59. Mahindra KUV100 - 109
60. Audi A1 - 108
61. BMW X3 - 106
62. Jeep Renegade - 105
62. Renault Kadjar - 105
64. Ford Transit - 99
65. Honda Brio - 92
66. Renault Duster - 89
67. Opel Mokka - 87
67. Toyota Prado - 87
69. Ford Mustang - 86
69. Toyota Land Cruiser 200 - 86
71. Honda HR-V - 83
71. Range Rover Evoque - 83
73. Tata Bolt - 74
74. Nissan NV200 - 70
75. Land Rover Disco Sport - 69
75. Mahindra Bolero - 69
77. Ford Transit Connect - 68
77. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 68
79. Honda CR-V - 66
80. Land Rover Discovery - 65
81. BMW X4 - 61
82. Range Rover Sport - 60
83. Honda Ballade - 57
84. Renault Megane - 56
85. Mini Hatch 5dr - 55
86. Tata Super Ace - 52
87. Chevrolet Captiva - 50
87. Mazda BT-50 - 50
89. Chevrolet Cruze - 49
90. Jeep Wrangler - 48
91. Mitsubishi ASX - 47
91. Subaru Forester - 47
93. Fiat 500 - 46
93. Jaguar F-Pace - 46
93. Mini Hatch 3dr - 46
96. BMW X6 - 44
96. Opel Corsa - 44
98. Opel Adam - 43
99. Audi Q7 - 42
99. Peugeot 208 - 42
*List excludes non-reporters such as Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Kia and GWM. We don't know their secret handshake either.