SA's top selling vehicles in seven key segments: Sep

Johannesburg - South Africa’s new vehicle market saw a year-on-year gain for the fourth month in a row in September, according to figures released by Naamsa.

The month saw total sales of 50 675 units, a solid 7.0% improvement on September 2016, with light commercial vehicles providing the biggest boost with an 11.7% year-on-year gain, while the passenger car market grew by 5.9 percent.

Medium commercial vehicles, however, were down by 10.4%, while the heavies recorded a modest 0.6% gain.

South African vehicle exports were up 11.0 percent year-on-year, with 36 359 vehicles shipped abroad. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the top performer here, with 11 646 units exported; it was followed by the Ford Ranger (7746), Volkswagen Polo (5464) and Toyota Hilux (3995).

Naamsa said the growth in domestic sales, in spite of political and economic uncertainty, was encouraging and that the momentum was likely to continue:

“The recent sharp increase in the Reserve Bank’s leading indicator and the improvement in the Purchasing Manager’s Index suggested that further improvement in domestic sales could be expected in the months ahead.”

Wesbank’s Rudolf Mahoney also attributed the growth to “superlative” marketing incentives from car manufacturers. “Right now, new vehicle deals are just that much more attractive than buying used, and consumers are seeing the value,” Mahoney added.

Movers and shakers

The Toyota Hilux took a commanding lead on the September sales charts with 3995 units sold, surging far ahead of the Ford Ranger that has given it a run for its money in recent times. The Ranger managed just 2337 sales last month, while the Isuzu KB range saw a healthier than usual figure of 1440.

GM’s local wind-down is working in Nissan’s favour with the NP200 compact surging to 1638 units, while the Chevrolet Utility, currently in run-out phase, fell to 412.

On the passenger car front, Volkswagen’s Polo Vivo and Polo ranges performed solidly, with respective sales of 2942 and 2324 units, in spite of the fact that they’re due to be replaced early next year.

Below you’ll find the top performers listed in each key segment, although due to the fact that Mercedes-Benz and BMW do not report individual sales figures we have omitted the premium segments where these brands feature prominently.

Budget Hatch/Sedan

Volkswagen Polo Vivo 2942Toyota Etios 974Kia Picanto 970Renault Kwid758Datsun Go 558Ford Figo 546Hyundai Grand i10 490Renault Sandero 413Suzuki Swift 281Datsun Go+ 192Suzuki Celerio164Volkswagen Up141

Compact Hatch/Sedan

Volkswagen Polo 2324Ford Fiesta 1447Kia Rio 795Hyundai i20 577Nissan Almera 368Hyundai Accent 284Renault Clio 272Mazda2 208Nissan Micra175Honda Jazz140Toyota Yaris 92Opel Corsa86

Compact-Medium Hatch/Sedan

Toyota Corolla/Quest/Auris 1845Volkswagen Golf 441Ford Focus 278Mazda3 252Audi A3229Hyundai Elantra 166Volkswagen Jetta144Renault Megane 114Opel Astra 67Volvo V40 28Subaru Impeza26Honda Civic 16

Compact Crossover/SUV

Ford EcoSport 814Hyundai Creta 418Mazda CX-3 293Renault Captur 256Renault Duster 235Honda BR-V 176Suzuki Ignis 118Opel Mokka X102Toyota C-HR 80Honda HR-V 72Mahindra KUV100 67Suzuki Jimny 57

Compact-Medium Crossover/SUV

Hyundai Tucson 480Toyota Rav4 448Nissan Qashqai 370Renault Kadjar 342Nissan X-Trail 316Mazda CX-5 310Volkswagen Tiguan 224Audi Q5 135Volvo XC60 122Land Rover Disco Sport89Honda CR-V 77Audi Q372Kia Sportage 72

Large Crossover/SUV (Sub R1-million)

Toyota Fortuner 999Ford Everest 556Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 96Toyota Land Cruiser 200 84Jeep Grand Cherokee 70Toyota Prado 41Mahindra XUV 41Jeep Wrangler 27Chevrolet Trailblazer 20Mahindra Scorpio18Dodge Journey17Mitsubishi Pajero 16

Bakkies

Toyota Hilux 3995Ford Ranger 2337Nissan NP200 1638Isuzu KB 1440Nissan NP300 Hardbody 1003Chevrolet Utility 412Hyundai H100 320Toyota Land Cruiser PU300Volkswagen Amarok 224Nissan Navara 159Suzuki Super Carry115Kia K2700 110