Johannesburg - South Africa's new vehicle sales continued to slide in June, albeit at a slower rate. While May saw a rather hefty 9.2 percent year-on-year drop, June ended with a 2.3 percent decline over the same month last year, according to figures released by Lightstone Auto .
The month saw 52 837 vehicles finding new homes, of which 83.8 percent were through dealer channels while 8.3 percent went to the rental industry, 3.5 percent to government and 4.4 percent to corporate fleets.
In its monthly statement Naamsa said it expected the local market to continue facing headwinds over the short to medium terms, in contrast to international regions like Europe, North America and China, which are in a state of expansion. This, at least, should help boost South Africa's export sales.
STRIKE DAMAGE
Naamsa also warned that the current strike in the steel and engineering industry would increase the risk of SA's economy dipping into recession and that local vehicle production and exports would be affected if the industrial dispute is not resolved within two weeks.
Taking a look at June's sales figures, Toyota took a solid lead with 9825 units sold, compared to VW's 9020 and Ford's 6110. GMSA followed in forth place with 5491 sales, ahead of AMH/AAD (4906) and Nissan (3943).
50 TOP SELLERS - JUNE 2014
1. VW Polo - 2994
2. Toyota Hilux - 2939
3. VW Polo Vivo - 2627
4. Ford Ranger - 2536
5. Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest - 2117
6. Nissan NP200 - 1639
7. Isuzu KB - 1480
8. Mercedes C-Class - 1421
9. Chevrolet Utility - 1304
10. Toyota Quantum - 1153
11. Ford Figo - 1011
12. Toyota Etios - 999
13. BMW 3 Series - 964
14. Chevrolet Spark - 850
15. Toyota Fortuner - 806
16. Ford Fiesta - 786
17. VW Golf - 633
18. Ford EcoSport - 584
19. Nissan NP300 - 527
20. Nissan Qashqai - 430
21. Renault Clio - 425
22. Renault Duster - 421
23. Renault Sandero II - 417
24. Audi A3 - 413
25. Audi A4 - 383
26. Ford Kuga - 380
27. Toyota RAV4 - 369
28. BMW 1 Series - 364
29. Mercedes A-Class - 343
30. Nissan Juke - 338
31.Chevrolet Aveo - 332
32. Toyota Avanza - 330
33. Honda Brio - 329
34. Jeep Compass - 276
35. VW Tiguan - 259
36. Honda Ballade - 250
37. Mazda BT-50 - 229
38. VW Jetta - 222
39. Mercedes B-Class - 217
40. Ford Focus - 214
41. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 210
42. VW Amarok - 204
43. Chevrolet Sonic - 199
43. Chevrolet Trailblazer - 199
45. Mercedes E-Class - 196
46. Toyota Yaris - 192
47. Honda CR-V - 182
48. Nissan Almera - 172
49. Renault Sandero I - 171
50. Audi A1 - 170
50. Chevrolet Captiva - 170
50. Jeep Grand Cherokee - 170
*Hyundai/Kia supply aggregate monthly figures only and thus could not be included in this list.