There's no doubting that Hyundai and Kia have become a force to be reckoned with on the local scene - you'd figure that out just by observing how common they are on the roads.
And while aggregate sales data has shown us that collectively they're the third biggest player in the country, until now we've had no idea how much of a threat each specific model has posed to its rivals.
While most manufacturers and importers have always released their sales figures, the South Korean brands, under the AMH and AAD banners, have legislated some kind of secrecy bill.
Now, after some industry coercion, AMH/AAD sales figures are being released to RGT Smart , which is South Africa's independent provider of new vehicle sales, specification, pricing and export data to the DTI and the general motor industry.
In turn, RGT Smart is making this data available to its subscribers and kindly agreed to supply IOL with the numbers. Bear in mind though, that the latest numbers supplied by AMH/AAD only cover January to April 2013. We’ll keep you posted if any newer figures become available.
For now, let’s take a look at how these Koreans performed on the sales charts earlier this year:
Hyundai i10
January: 1230
February: 711
March: 993
April: 1093
Hyundai i20
January: 2099
February: 1108
March: 922
April: 902
Hyundai Accent
January: 361
February: 242
March: 504
April: 166
Hyundai i30
January: 348
February: 198
March: 305
April: 152
Hyundai Elantra
January: 647
February: 315
March: 294
April: 291
Hyundai Veloster
January: 0
February: 0
March: 1
April: 250
Hyundai Sonata
January: 78
February: 22
March: 19
April: 11
Hyundai ix35
January: 809
February: 404
March: 327
April: 511
Hyundai Santa Fe
January: 157
February: 157
March: 94
April: 109
Hyundai H100 Bakkie
January: 410
February: 471
March: 368
April: 453
Hyundai H1 Van
January: 312
February: 196
March: 284
April: 175
Kia Picanto
January: 522
February: 335
March: 461
April: 528
Kia Rio
January: 818
February: 1034
March: 598
April: 556
Kia Cerato
January: 135
February: 72
March: 94
April: 133
Kia Optima
January: 39
February: 21
March: 92
April: 72
Kia Soul
January: 72
February: 57
March: 33
April: 45
Kia Sportage
January: 289
February: 278
March: 224
April: 261
Kia Sorento
January: 60
February: 91
March: 89
April: 114
Kia Sedona
January: 33
February: 39
March: 12
April: 20
Kia K2700 Bakkie
January: 192
February: 178
March: 323
April: 202
Of particular interest is that the group's compact hatchback models are selling in healthy volumes, particularly the Hyundai i20, which sold an average of 1258 units in the four months in question and the i10 that sold an average of 1007.
Kia, meanwhile, achieved an average of 752 monthly Rio sales and 462 Picanto sales.
To put the Hyundai and Kia sales into true perspective, we reworked our original Top 50 sales list from April to include these Koreans.
TOP 50 - APRIL 2013:
1. Toyota Hilux - 3227
2. VW Polo Vivo - 2762
3. VW Polo - 2160
4. Ford Ranger - 1787
5. Chevrolet Utility - 1628
6. Toyota Etios - 1581
7. Toyota Quantum - 1354
8. Nissan NP200 - 1348
9. Ford Figo - 1163
10. BMW 3 Series - 1127
11. Hyundai i10 - 1093
12. Isuzu KB - 1047
13. Hyundai i20 - 902
14. Toyota Corolla/Auris - 897
15. Mercedes C-Class - 857
16. Toyota Fortuner - 852
17. Ford Fiesta - 718
18. VW Amarok - 589
19. Kia Rio - 556
20. VW Golf - 551
21. VW Tiguan - 538
22. Audi A4 - 535
23. Kia Picanto - 528
24. Hyundai ix35 - 511
25. Renault Sandero - 490
26. Ford Focus - 456
27. Hyundai H100 Bakkie - 453
28. Toyota RAV4 - 447
29. Chevrolet Spark - 433
30. Chevrolet Cruze - 429
31. Nissan Micra - 415
32. Toyota Avanza - 393
33. Nissan NP300 - 390
34. VW Jetta - 382
35. Mercedes A-Class - 368
36. Chevrolet Aveo - 325
37. Chevrolet Trailblazer - 321
38. BMW 1 Series - 302
39. Honda Brio - 296
40. Hyundai Elantra - 291
41. Audi A3 - 281
42. Mazda3 - 279
43. Nissan Juke - 276
44. Kia Sportage - 261
45. Ford Kuga - 251
46. Tata Indica/Indigo - 251
47. Hyundai Veloster - 250
48. Mazda BT-50 - 205
49. Kia K2700 Bakkie - 202
50. Renault Clio IV - 199