JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's total new vehicle sales rose by 9.4 percent year-on-year to 56,253 cars in August, with rental companies leading demand, the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers (NAAMSA) said on Tuesday.
Export sales rose just 0.8 percent compared to August last year and NAAMSA cautioned that overall sales could be subdued next year.
“Looking ahead to 2013, increasing inflationary pressures on the back of expected higher fuel and food prices and the impact of rand weakness on new vehicle pricing were likely to result in a more difficult trading environment and more subdued growth in vehicle sales,” it said. - Reuters