Johannesburg - Despite improving economic sentiment, South Africa’s vehicle sales continued on a sombre note in the second month of 2018, declining 3.8 percent year-on-year from the 48 201 sold in February last year to 46 347.
Things looked better on the passenger car front, with a decline of just 0.4 percent versus the 9.6 percent plunge that light commercial vehicles took, but we suspect this is due to pent-up demand for Volkswagen's recently-launched Polo and Polo Vivo.
The new Polo performed incredibly well in its first full sales month, surging to the top of the passenger vehicle sales chart with 2847 sales, while the Polo Vivo trailed at 2044, although the latter was only launched mid-month so we'll have to wait until this time next month to see its true potential in the marketplace.
There were few surprises in the other segments, except in the compact-medium SUV class where the Rav4 fell to eighth place, while VW’s Tiguan took the top spot ahead of Hyundai’s Tucson.
On the bakkie front, Toyota stretched its lead over Ford’s Ranger, moving 3369 units versus 2253.
Below we’ve listed the 12 best sellers in seven segments. Keep in mind that we have excluded the premium sedan and coupe segments as Mercedes-Benz - a key player in those sectors - does not report individual sales figures.
THE NUMBERS: FEBRUARY 2018
Budget Hatch/Sedan
Volkswagen Polo Vivo2044Hyundai Grand i101008Toyota Etios990Ford Figo775Kia Picanto686Datsun Go591Renault Kwid582Suzuki Swift493Nissan Micra315Renault Sandero243Suzuki Ignis213Suzuki Celerio137
Compact Hatch/Sedan
Volkswagen Polo2847Ford Fiesta572Toyota Yaris557Hyundai i20493Renault Clio482Kia Rio438Toyota Avanza379Nissan Almera344Mazda2231Honda Jazz160Hyundai Accent150Audi A1 143
Compact-Medium Hatch/Sedan
Toyota Corolla/Quest/Auris1302Ford Focus553Volkswagen Golf451Hyundai Elantra167Mazda3243Audi A3250BMW 1 Series107Volkswagen Jetta82Opel Astra54Volvo V4025Honda Civic16Kia Cerato12
Compact Crossover/SUV
Ford EcoSport814Hyundai Creta443Mazda CX-3333Renault Captur233Suzuki Jimny92GWM M469Opel Mokka X52Mitsubishi ASX48Suzuki Vitara44Nissan Juke31Peugeot 200830Jeep Renegade26
Compact-Medium Crossover/SUV
Volkswagen Tiguan498Hyundai Tucson450Mazda CX-5363Nissan X-Trail284Nissan Qashqai278Renault Duster214Kia Sportage202Toyota Rav4 189Toyota C-HR141BMW X3134Honda BR-V124Audi Q5117
Large Crossover/SUV
Toyota Fortuner 1006Ford Everest 393Toyota Prado 118Toyota Land Cruiser 200104BMW X589Range Rover Velar88Land Rover Discovery 76Mahindra XUV 46Volvo XC9044Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 35Range Rover Sport35Mitsubishi Pajero 31
Bakkies
Toyota Hilux 3369Ford Ranger 2253Nissan NP200 1690Isuzu KB 1216Nissan NP300 Hardbody 902Hyundai H100 Bakkie256Toyota Land Cruiser PU247Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up214GWM Steed178Volkswagen Amarok 162Nissan Navara 129Kia K2700 108
Top Companies
Toyota10 264Volkswagen7519Ford5654Nissan4779Hyundai 3197Mercedes-Benz2111Renault1759Isuzu1512Kia1508BMW1361Mazda1256Suzuki1179