Although Naamsa's new vehicle sales figures for March show that the growth is slowing, there were still modest year-on-year gains.
A total of 56 110 vehicles were sold last month, 4.8 percent up on March 2011. Passenger vehicle sales (38 970) were actually up 10.8 percent, while light commercial vehicle sales declined by 7.5 percent.
It's clearly not so peachy on the international front, however, with South African exports having declined by 25.3 percent year-on-year.
GOOD NUMBERS
VW's Polo Vivo hatch and sedan continued to dominate the passenger car market, other notable performers being the Toyota Corolla, which crept past the 2000 mark, and the Fortuner rising above the 1000 mark.
On the light commercial front, Ford's Ranger posted an impressive figure of 1753 units, no doubt due to pent up demand as there has been supply constraints until recently. Nissan's NP200, meanwhile, stole the Chevrolet Utility's glory in the small bakkie segment.
Please note that the figures below exclude Mercedes-Benz (which has temporarily halted reporting individual models) as well as the traditional non-reporters such as Kia, Hyundai and Daihatsu.
TOP 3O PASSENGER VEHICLES
1. VW Polo Vivo - 2846
2.VW Polo - 2355
3. Toyota Corolla/Auris - 2067
4. Ford Figo - 1313
5. Toyota Fortuner - 1072
6. BMW 3 Series - 943
7. Toyota Yaris - 820
8. Chevrolet Aveo - 800
9. VW Golf 6 - 734
10. BMW 1 Series - 690
11. Nissan Qashqai - 518
12. Audi A4 - 495
13. Honda Jazz - 477
14. Chevrolet Cruze - 474
15. Renault Sandero - 473
16. Chevrolet Sonic - 455
17. Toyota Aygo - 416
18. Nissan Micra - 414
19. VW Jetta 6 - 404
20. Nissan Juke - 389
21. Chevrolet Spark - 388
22. Toyota Avanza - 384
23. Ford Fiesta - 344
24. Land Rover Discovery - 308
25. Nissan Livina - 283
26. Nissan X-Trail - 278
27. Mini range - 274
28. Ford Focus - 256
29. Chevrolet Captiva - 252
30. Audi A3 - 245
TOP 20 LIGHT COMMERCIALS
1. Toyota Hilux - 3189
2. Nissan NP200 - 1829
3. Ford Ranger - 1753
4. Chevrolet Utility - 1708
5. Isuzu KB - 1171
6. Toyota Quantum - 1038
7. Nissan NP300 - 775
8. VW Amarok - 632
9. Nissan Navara - 287
9. Toyota Land Cruiser P/U - 287
11. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 163
12. VW Caddy - 136
13. Tata Xenon - 96
14. Land Rover Defender - 80
15. Nissan NP300 - 75
16. Mitsubishi Triton - 74
17. Mahindra Bolero - 67
18. Mazda BT-50 - 62
19. Toyota Avanza P/V - 43
20. Peugeot Partner - 37
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAID:
Malcolm Gauld, GMSA marketing VP:
“The continued stability in the interest rate and a relatively low cost of finance are positives for the industry as is the continued stability of the rand. On the negative side are continued cost pressures on fuel and the inevitable introduction of road tolls on the Gauteng highway system.”
Mike Glendinning, VWSA marketing director:
“With the first quarter of 2012 having registered relatively buoyant demand for new passenger cars the likely pace of market growth for the year will become more apparent as the second quarter progresses.
“Sales will, however, continue to be supported by growth in household income, real new vehicle price increases continuing in negative territory, ongoing low levels of debt servicing costs and ongoing new model introductions which will continue to stimulate new car demand.”
Naamsa:
“The outlook for 2012 in terms of total Industry sales was one of modest, single digit growth. However, sharp increases in energy and transport costs would impact negatively on consumer disposable income in the months ahead.
“Record high fuel prices should also reinforce the growing trend in favour of more fuel efficient vehicles. Growth in consumer spending on durable goods was expected to moderate over the medium term.”