Johannesburg - Although June was a subdued month for the South African vehicle market as a whole, there was one vehicle that soared above every other on the market to set a new monthly sales record.
With a volume of 4770 units, the Toyota Hilux set a new monthly sales record, surpassing the previous record set in 2011.
In fact this was more than double what its nearest bakkie rival achieved, the Ford Ranger making do with 2029 sales in June. The Isuzu D-Max/KB was third, with 1611 sales.
Although the Hilux has consistently topped the South African sales charts in recent times, after having been given a good run for its money by the Ranger in 2016 and 2017, it is rare for the Toyota bakkie to achieve sales of more than 4000 units in a single month. In fact the Hilux was up significantly over the previous months, having sold 3187 units in May, 2411 in April and 4252 in March.
Double cabs most popular
If you divide the Hilux sales figure into body styles, the double cab emerged as most popular in June, with 1885 sales, versus 1648 for the Xtra cab models and 1237 for the single cabs. Toyota is in the process of launching its new Legend 50 special edition (
for more info on that), while the more hardcore GR-Sport is also set for imminent release.
“Not only has the Hilux sold more than 1 million units to date (locally), it continues to be a sales sensation even in the trying economic climate we are experiencing,” said Toyota South Africa’s marketing man Calvyn Hamman.
The overall South African new vehicle market continued its gradual decline in June, with overall sales decreasing by 1.6 percent year-on-year, despite an uptick on the light commercial vehicle front, evidently spurred by the aforementioned Hilux figures.
Click here
to see the 50 top sellers in March, as well as commentary from industry experts.