Johannesburg - South Africa’s new passenger vehicle market has been dominated by the Volkswagen Polo and Polo Vivo hatchbacks for quite some time, and October 2021 was no exception with the two models accounting for 1693 and 1571 units respectively, according to figures released by Naamsa.
However, Toyota’s Suzuki-based Starlet has been breathing down the Vivo’s neck recently, and last month saw its best performance yet with 1452 units finding homes.
But while compact hatchbacks still dominate the top three, likely as a result of the dire economic conditions, below that we see the rise of the SUV is very much in evidence.
South Africa’s fourth best-selling vehicle last month was the Toyota Urban Cruiser, with 1270 sales, while the Haval took fifth spot with 1020 units moved off showroom floors. Click here to read our road test of the Jolion.
In the top 20 (see full list below) we see seven SUVs, with other notable performers being the Renault Kiger (811 sales), Volkswagen T-Cross (674), Toyota Fortuner (660) and Nissan Magine (625).
TOP 20: OCTOBER 2021
- 1: Volkswagen Polo - 1693
- 2: Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 1571
- 3: Toyota Starlet - 1452
- 4: Toyota Urban Cruiser - 1270
- 5: Haval Jolion - 1020
- 6: Kia Picanto - 982
- 7: Renault Kwid - 814
- 8: Renault Kiger - 811
- 9: Suzuki Swift - 803
- 10: Toyota Corolla Quest - 802
- 11: Nissan Almera - 735
- 12: Volkswagen T-Cross - 674
- 13: Volkswagen Polo Sedan - 664
- 14: Toyota Fortuner - 660
- 15: Nissan Magnite - 625
- 16: Renault Triber - 604
- 17: Hyundai Grand i10 - 586
- 18: Suzuki S-Presso - 502
- 19: Suzuki Vitara Brezza - 487
- 20: Hyundai Atos - 466
Although October saw year-on-year growth of 6.1 for the vehicle market as a whole, the overall tally of 41 035 vehicles was still 4.9% lower than September, something that Naamsa attributes to various supply chain disruptions and load shedding.
However, the resurging rental car industry gave the vehicle market a welcome boost last month, accounting for 18.2% of the passenger car market.
Toyota was the top-selling vehicle manufacturer overall with 9928 sales. The Japanese carmaker was followed by Volkswagen (5975), Nissan (3059), Hyundai (2804) and Suzuki (2593).
Click here to see the best- and worst-selling bakkies in October.