Johannesburg - Sales of new vehicles in South Africa accelerated downwards during September, falling nine percent year-on-year in the biggest decline of 2015 so far.
According to the National Association of Automobile Manufaturers of South Africa, 50 251 new vehicles were sold last month, compared to 58 943 in September 2014.
Passenger car sales made up 33 035 of the total, which reflected a 13.2 percent fall year-on-year, while light commercial sales held steady with a year-on-year growth on 0.3 percent.
Sales to the rental industry tumbled by 20.9 percent, mostly due to a sharp decline in tourism.
"Many factors contributed to the decline in sales," commented WesBank motor division boss Simphiwe Nghona. "We had two fewer working days, continued depreciation of the rand and a general negative sentiment among both consumers and businesses."
TOP SELLERS
Volkswagen's Polo Vivo consolidated its position at the top of the sales charts - 4180 Polos were driven off showroom floors in September, a 54 percent increase on the 2711 sold in August.
The Toyota Hilux also improved its track record, from 2449 sales in August to 3431 in September, overtaking the Ford Ranger to slot in at second overall and grab the advantage in the bakkie wars.
Toyota's Sales staff must have been doing something right; sales of the Corolla/Quest/Auris range jumped 29.5 percent from 2215 to 2868, pushing the Ford Ranger down (only just!) to fourth overall on 2865, despite that being a 17 percent improvement on August's 2449.
SEPTEMBER 2015 - THE NUMBERS:
TOP COMPANIES
1. Toyota - 11 701
2. Volkswagen - 9586
3. Ford - 6351
4. AMH/AAD - 5503
5. General Motors - 5149
6. Nissan - 3945
7. Mercedes-Benz - 2726
8. Renault - 2000
9. BMW - 1886
10. Mazda - 872
TOP 100 REPORTED SALES*
1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 4180
2. Toyota Hilux - 3431
3. Toyota Corolla/Quest/Auris - 2868
4. Ford Ranger - 2865
5. Volkswagen Polo - 2259
6. Nissan NP200 - 1606
7. Toyota Etios - 1602
8. Chevrolet Utility - 1382
9. Isuzu KB - 1265
10. Toyota Quantum - 1107
11. Ford Fiesta - 933
12. Ford Ecosport - 919
13. BMW 3 Series - 807
14. Renault Clio - 779
15. Nissan NP300 Hardbody - 768
16. Chevrolet Spark - 692
17. Renault Sandero - 649
18. Ford Figo - 646
19. Toyota Fortuner - 570
20. Ford Focus - 468
21. Chevrolet Aveo - 465
22. Volkswagen Golf - 434
23. Renault Captur - 420
24. Toyota Rav4 - 413
25. Datsun Go - 410
26. Audi A3 - 397
27. Toyota Avanza - 380
28. Volkswagen Amarok - 374
29. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 360
30. Audi A4 - 356
31. Ford Kuga - 300
32. Nissan Qashqai - 266
33. Suzuki Swift - 243
34. BMW 1 Series - 239
35. Mazda CX-5 - 233
36. Mazda3 - 231
36. Nissan X-Trail - 231
38. Volkswagen Tiguan - 221
39. Mazda2 - 217
40. Chevrolet Cruze - 209
41. Opel Corsa - 205
42. Opel Mokka - 182
43. Honda Brio - 180
44. Honda HR-V - 179
44. Nissan NV350 Taxi - 179
46. Toyota Yaris - 171
47. BMW 2 Series - 168
48. Honda Jazz - 166
49. Jeep Grand Cherokee - 166
50. Toyota Prado - 164
51. Volkswagen Up - 164
52. Volkswagen Jetta - 154
53. Mazda BT-50 - 153
54. Mitsubishi ASX - 145
55. Audi A1 - 141
56. BMW 4 Series - 138
57. Land Rover Discover Sport - 137
58. Renault Duster - 130
59. Audi Q3 - 127
60. Jeep Cherokee - 124
61. Land Rover Discovery - 115
62. BMW X5 - 112
63. Honda Mobilio - 107
64. Suzuki Jimny - 105
64. Nissan Navara - 105
66. Honda CR-V - 102
67. Mahindra Balero - 101
68. Audi A5 - 100
68. Tata Super Ace - 100
70. Audi Q5 - 97
71. Chevrolet Captiva - 97
72. Honda Ballade - 94
73. Dodge Journey - 91
74. Nissan Almera - 88
75. Range Rover Evoque - 84
76. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 82
77. BMW X3 - 81
78. Suzuki Celerio - 80
79. Chevrolet Trailblazer - 79
79. Volkswagen Caddy - 79
81. Mini Hatch 5dr - 78
81. Range Rover Sport - 78
83. Opel Adam - 76
83. Volkswagen T5 - 76
85. Jeep Wrangler - 72
86. Subaru Forester - 64
87. Jeep Renegade - 58
88. BMW X4 - 57
88. Nissan Juke - 57
90. Nissan Micra - 56
90. Volvo V40 - 56
92. Mahindra XUV - 53
92. Subaru XV - 53
94. Opel Astra - 52
94. Volvo XC60 - 52
96. Porsche Cayenne - 50
97. Mini Hatch 3dr - 48
97. Nissan Sentra - 48
99. Ford B-Max - 47
100. Infiniti Q50 - 46
*List excludes non-reporters such as Hyundai, Kia and GWM.