Johannesburg - August was yet another good month for the automotive industry in South Africa as pent up demand outweighed the many economic hurdles present.
Toyota was very much back in action on the local sales charts following the gradual ramp-up of production at its KZN assembly plant.
Although there are still huge backlogs, Toyota South Africa Motors says it is now seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Nonetheless the carmaker’s sales have returned to pre-flood levels and with that the Toyota Hilux rose to the top of South Africa’s sales charts with its volume of 3 417.
The Volkswagen Polo Vivo was South Africa’s most popular passenger car in August, with its volume of 2 359 units showing that the market is indeed hungry for affordable cars. Most of those were private sales, with 604 units finding their way into rental fleets. Toyota’s Indian-sourced budget SUV, the Urban Cruiser, took third spot overall. Behind it was something of a bakkie brawl that was won by the Ford Ranger, with 1 791 sales, followed closely by the new Isuzu D-Max at 1 789.
In the hatchback race, the Suzuki Swift emerged in second place with 1369 units, of which 400 went to the rental industry. It was followed by the Volkswagen Polo (1 286) and Renault Kwid (824), while the Toyota Starlet had a slower than usual month with 774 sales.
On the SUV charts the Toyota Corolla Cross followed the Urban Cruiser in a distant second with 1 129 sales, a figure which will no doubt improve as factory production ramps up. Next up was the Volkswagen T-Cross (1000) and Renault Kiger (999), and the Chinese enjoyed another strong month too, with the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro finding 779 homes and Haval Jolion managing a volume of 738.
SA’S 50 TOP SELLING VEHICLES: AUGUST 2022
- 1. Toyota Hilux - 3 417
- 2. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 2 359
- 3. Toyota Urban Cruiser - 1 905
- 4. Ford Ranger - 1 791
- 5. Isuzu D-Max - 1 789
- 6. Nissan NP200 - 1 397
- 7. Suzuki Swift - 1 369
- 8. Volkswagen Polo - 1 286
- 9. Toyota Corolla Cross - 1 129
- 10. Toyota Hi-Ace - 1 008
- 11. Volkswagen T-Cross - 1 000
- 12. Renault Kiger - 999
- 13. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 896
- 14. Renault Kwid - 824
- 15. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro - 779
- 16. Toyota Starlet - 774
- 17. Haval Jolion - 738
- 18. Hyundai Venue - 712
- 19. Suzuki Vitara Brezza - 679
- 20. Toyota Fortuner - 667
- 21. Nissan Navara - 661
- 22. Hyundai Atos - 609
- 23. Kia Picanto - 592
- 24. Hyundai Grand i10 - 524
- 25. Suzuki S-Presso - 483
- 26. Ford EcoSport - 477
- 27. Haval H6 - 477
- 28. Suzuki Baleno - 476
- 29. GWM Steed - 440
- 30. Nissan Magnite - 412
- 31. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 401
- 32. Renault Triber - 394
- 33. Toyota Agya - 377
- 34. Kia Sonet - 371
- 35. Volkswagen Taigo - 363
- 36. Volkswagen Tiguan - 358
- 37. Suzuki Jimny - 326
- 38. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro - 321
- 39. Hyundai i20 - 315
- 40. Kia Rio - 302
- 41. Volkswagen T-Roc - 273
- 42. Suzuki Ertiga - 269
- 43. Suzuki Dzire - 265
- 44. Mahindra XUV300 - 255
- 45. Toyota Prado - 243
- 46. Mazda CX-5 - 240
- 47. Hyundai H100 Bakkie - 231
- 48. Chery Tiggo 8 Pro - 220
- 49. Kia Pegas - 205
- 50. Hyundai Creta - 195
As we’ve come to expect, Toyota was way ahead of the pack with its total brand volume of 10 797. It was followed by Volkswagen (6 630), Suzuki Auto (4 164) and Hyundai (3 098).
National Automobile Dealers’ Association Chairperson Mark Dommisse said South Africa’s appetite for new vehicles continues to surprise motor industry forecasters.
“It was encouraging to see that an estimated 40 889 units or 86% of the total volume went through the dealer retail channel. It’s important to improve dealer health as they recover from Covid-19 lockdowns, stock shortages, the ongoing global semiconductor shortage and other challenges,” Dommisse said.
“The new vehicle market is still a strong 13.8% ahead of the corresponding period last year. Exports jumped 57% in August, which is particularly important for local OEMs and the South African economy. NADA is cautiously optimistic that the year will continue to run ahead of 2021’s performance,” Dommisse added.