While the bakkie market boomed in June, the passenger car market stagnated, but one SUV contender leapt ahead of the pack.
The Toyota Corolla Cross was South Africa’s best-selling passenger vehicle last month, achieving an impressive volume of 2 115 units, placing it second overall, behind the Toyota Hilux, with its volume of 3 792 sales - see all the bakkie figures here.
The Volkswagen Polo Vivo was Mzansi’s second favourite passenger car in June, with 1 967 sales, and it was followed by the Suzuki Swift, at 1 685.
The Toyota Fortuner had another strong month, emerging as the second best-selling SUV with 1 639 vehicles finding homes.
In the battle of the hatchbacks, the Toyota Starlet took the last podium spot with 1 415 sales, followed by the Hyundai Grand i10 (894) and Volkswagen Polo (882).
Below that was a compact SUV battle, with the Haval Jolion (835) inching out the Nissan Magnite (783) and Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (771). See the top 30 below:
Passenger Vehicle Sales Ranking: June 2023
- 1. Toyota Corolla Cross - 2 115
- 2. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 1 967
- 3. Suzuki Swift - 1 685
- 4. Toyota Fortuner - 1 639
- 5. Toyota Starlet - 1 415
- 6. Hyundai Grand i10 - 894
- 7. Volkswagen Polo - 882
- 8. Haval Jolion - 835
- 9. Nissan Magnite - 783
- 10. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro - 771
- 11. Renault Kwid - 753
- 12. Kia Sonet - 558
- 13. Renault Kiger - 520
- 14. Toyota Corolla Quest - 513
- 15. Suzuki Baleno - 502
- 16. Hyundai Venue - 495
- 17. Volkswagen T-Cross - 494
- 18. Suzuki Ertiga - 446
- 19. Suzuki S-Presso - 429
- 20. Renault Triber - 402
- 21. Haval H6 - 385
- 22. Suzuki Grand Vitara - 360
- 23. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro - 349
- 24. Ford Everest - 316
- 25. Kia Picanto - 284
- 26. Chery Tiggo 8 Pro - 282
- 26. Hyundai Creta - 282
- 28. Toyota Urban Cruiser - 281
- 29. Toyota Vitz - 278
- 30. Volkswagen Tiguan - 262
While bakkie sales surged by 57.1% versus the same month last year (albeit skewed by last year’s Hilux shortage) the passenger car market grew by just 0.8% in June, according to The Automotive Business Council (NAAMSA).
The new vehicle market as a whole grew by 14% last month to a healthy total of 46 810 units.
83.5% of sales took place through the dealer channels, a smaller share than usual, while the rental industry accounted for a substantial 13.4% of the pie. Government and corporate fleet sales accounted for a respective 3.5% and 3.0% of the total.
Gary McCraw, Director of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) said the improved supply of new vehicles was fuelling competition between the brands, resulting in improved pricing for consumers.
He added that the continued growth of the market was encouraging, given the financial pressures that consumers are facing.
“Fortunately, consumer inflation slowed to 6.8% in April, marking the lowest rate since May 2022. Additionally, the decreased frequency of power outages has provided a morale boost," McCraw said.
Export sales were down 12.6% year-on-year, according to NAAMSA, although year-to-date sales are still somewhat encouraging.
The Mercedes C-Class was the country’s top export in June with a volume of 6 872 being shipped abroad. It was followed by the Volkswagen Polo (6 837) and BMW X3 (6 206).
The month also brought some good news for the latter, with BMW SA confirming it will produce the next-generation X3 at its Rosslyn plant in Gauteng - read more about that here.