The sagging South African economy and strike-related supply problems weighted down heavily on the new vehicle market in November.
According to data published by RGT Smart , just 50 768 new vehicles found homes during the month, down 4.6 percent from the 53 265 units sold in November 2012.
83 percent of sales took place through the dealer channels while 8.5 percent went to the rental industry, 3.2 to fleets and 5.3 percent to government.
Export sales recovered from previous lows, but were still down by 4.8 percent year-on-year.
According to Naamsa, expectations of lower economic growth and above-average new vehicle price increases would further slow the vehicle sales momentum, although low interest rates and replacement demand would provide a glimmer of hope.
Toyota enjoyed a particularly strong November, with its Etios taking the lead from VW's Polo Vivo on the passenger vehicle charts. Toyota also led the overall market, with total sales amounting to 11 894 units.
Volkswagen followed with 7765 sales, with a healthy lead over Ford (5602) and AMH/AAD (5304).
However, the latter is still publishing historical figures only, meaning the individual Kia and Hyundai sales figures for November are not yet available. Click here to view the January-April numbers.
TOP 50 - NOVEMBER 2013
1. Toyota Hilux - 3561
2. Toyota Etios - 2591
3. VW Polo Vivo - 2377
4. Ford Ranger - 1937
5. VW Polo - 1618
6. Toyota Quantum - 1291
7. Chevrolet Utility - 1279
8. Toyota Fortuner - 1264
9. Ford Figo - 1172
10. Isuzu KB - 1171
11. Mercedes C-Class - 1080
12. Nissan NP200 - 1071
13. Toyota Corolla/Auris - 849
14. VW Golf - 670
15. BMW 3 Series - 662
16. Ford Fiesta - 602
17. Nissan NP300 - 574
18. Ford Focus - 549
19. Toyota Avanza - 534
20. Chevrolet Spark - 495
21. Audi A4 - 492
22. Renault Sandero - 461
23. BMW 1 Series - 442
24. Renault Clio - 441
25. Renault Duster - 359
26. Ford EcoSport - 350
27. Toyota RAV4 - 334
28. Toyota Yaris - 314
29. VW Amarok - 297
30. Chevrolet Cruze - 293
30. VW Jetta - 293
32. Mercedes A-Class - 290
32. Opel Corsa - 290
34. Honda Brio - 275
35. VW Tiguan - 273
36. Chevrolet Sonic - 270
37. Audi A3 - 247
38. Range Rover Sport - 241
39. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 234
40. Ford Kuga - 232
41. Audi Q3 - 227
42. Jeep Grand Cherokee - 224
43. Chevrolet Captiva - 223
44. Toyota Prado - 207
45. Chevrolet Aveo - 205
46. Honda Jazz - 203
47. Mazda BT-50 - 189
48. Mercedes E-Class - 182
49. Ford Ikon - 180
49. Mercedes CLA - 180
49. Nissan Juke - 180
52. Jeep Compass - 175
SA'S TOP 10 EXPORTS - NOVEMBER
1. VW Polo - 7567
2. BMW 3 Series - 5917
3. Toyota Hilux - 4811
4. Mercedes C-Class - 3336
5. Ford Ranger - 2565
6. Nissan Hardbody/NP300 - 1275
7. Toyota Corolla - 756
8. Isuzu KB - 324
9. Toyota Fortuner - 224
10. Nissan NP200 - 36