Johannesburg - Hatchbacks continue to be South Africa’s favourite type of car, with Volkswagen’s Polo Vivo and new-generation Polo taking the lion’s share of the market with the pair achieving a collective 4297 sales in February 2019 (see top 20 list below).
However, many cheaper hatchbacks are doing rather well for themselves, with the Renault Kwid achieving 1069 sales in third place despite its shortcomings, showing that South Africans really are hungry for more affordable cars.
Hyundai’s Grand i10 came in fourth place, almost hitting the 1000 mark, while the Hyundai i20, Datsun Go, Ford Figo, Kia Picanto and Suzuki Swift all notched up healthy sales around the 500 unit mark.
February was a bleak month for the market though, with overall vehicle sales down 6.5 percent on the same month in 2018, according to Naamsa, and the slowdown was most apparent in the passenger vehicle segment, which saw sales declining by 13.3 percent year on year.
Top-selling hatchbacks
February sales
Volkswagen Polo Vivo 2692VW Polo 1605Renault Kwid 1069Hyundai Grand i10 901Toyota Etios (incl sedan)660Hyundai i20542Datsun Go 529Ford Figo 493Kia Picanto 483Suzuki Swift 480Toyota Yaris380Ford Fiesta339Renault Sandero 332Volkswagen Golf 321Kia Rio 305Mazda2 222Volkswagen Up 222Mazda3 (incl sedan) 219Audi A3 Sportback 215Renault Clio 194