Johannesburg - New vehicle sales outperformed the sluggish economy in June, growing by 1.0 percent year-on-year to 45 369 units, according to Naamsa.
However, it was something of a mixed bag across the segments, with passenger car sales actually declining by 2.2 percent compared to June last year, while light commercial vehicle sales saw an encouraging 8.2 percent improvement, which could also be a sign that more and more private buyers are migrating to double cab bakkies.
On that note, Ford’s Ranger outsold the Toyota Hilux for the third month in a row, and this time by a bigger margin, with 3333 sales versus the Toyota’s 3161. Nissan’s aging NP300 Hardbody range rose to a distant third on the bakkie charts, with 1206 sales.
Volkswagen’s Polo Vivo continued to dominate the passenger vehicle charts, with 2516 units finding homes, while its newer-generation Polo sibling put on a good show (1897 sales), especially considering that its
was revealed during the month and many buyers will be holding off for the newer car that’s due early next year.
It was another mixed bag on medium and heavy commercial vehicle front, with the former gaining 4.4 percent year-on-year and the latter losing 2.8 percent.
Vehicle exports improved a modest 1.4 percent over the same month last year, totalling 31 631. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class accounted for almost a third of that, with 9226 units exported, while Volkswagen’s Polo was second with 7871 units, followed by the Ford Ranger (5631) and Toyota Hilux (3642).
As for domestic sales, Naamsa believes that the outlook for the remainder of 2017 remains uncertain, with political tensions and subdued economic growth set to continue dampening business and consumer confidence.
THE NUMBERS: JUNE 2017
Sales Channels
Dealerships84.2 percentRental industry9.8 percentCorporates3.1 percentGovernment2.9 percent
Top companies
1. Toyota10 5062. Volkswagen74473. Ford53714. Nissan41045. Motus (Kia/Hyundai)39686. GM/Isuzu29247. Mercedes-Benz24458. Renault16809. BMW 152510. Mazda1154
Top bakkies
1. Ford Ranger33332. Toyota Hilux31613. Nissan NP300 Hardbody12064. Isuzu KB11785. Nissan NP20010676. Chevrolet Utility9197. Volkswagen Amarok2208. Toyota Land Cruiser PU1809. Nissan Navara13710. Tata Super Ace85
Popular passenger cars*
Volkswagen Polo Vivo2516Volkswagen Polo 1897Toyota Corolla/Quest/Auris1420Toyota Fortuner1198Toyota Etios1159Renault Kwid632Toyota Rav4553Ford EcoSport525Volkswagen Golf482Datsun Go426
* Full ranking not possible as Hyundai, Kia, BMW and Mercedes do not report individual sales figures.