New vehicles have now gone a year without an overall decrease, while also posting sales of more than 50 000 units for a fourth month in a row.
South Africa’s unbroken streak of soaring new vehicle sales continued in October for the 10th month in a row with overall sales finally breaching 55 000 units.
Top 10 best-selling models
In a completely changed picture from September, only the Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Polo Vivo retained their top 10 places in October, the former raking in 3 553 sales to remain the country’s best-selling vehicle, and the latter placing second on 2 678.
Displacing the Ford Ranger, the Suzuki Swift jumped a notch to third on 2 377, with the Isuzu D-Max also surpassing the Ranger to place fourth on 2 292 versus its Blue Oval rival’s 2 035.
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In the biggest leap from September, the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro jumped four places to sixth with an offset of 1 725, while the Toyota Corolla Cross slipped a position to seventh with a total of 1 615 units moved.
Taking eighth, the Toyota Starlet also dropped a place from September on 1 613, followed by the GWM Haval Jolion, which improved by two places to ninth on 1 418.
Improving three slots to 10th, the Suzuki Fronx completed an even split between locally made and imported vehicles with an offset of 1 369 units.
Month in detail
An increase that has seen the local automotive industry go exactly 12 months without a monthly downturn in sales, the October figures by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) registered an uptake of 16% from last year’s 48 222 to 55 956.
As well as being the highest monthly total since March a decade ago, it also represented the fourth straight month of more than 50 000 vehicles being sold.
The various segments were, however, mixed with new passenger vehicles posting a record of its own by increasing 14.8% from 2024’s 34 503 to 39 610, its highest monthly total since the same month 11 years ago.
Likewise, light commercial vehicles extended its wins by posting an uptake of 23.9% from 10 782 to 13 361.
Medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles differed, though, with the former gaining 9.3% from 740 to 809, and the latter shedding one percent to end on 2 176 versus last year’s 2 197.
South Africa’s vehicle exports also continued on the winning track for a third month in a row in October, but only by a scant 0.5% from 32 481 to 32 659.
In total, dealer sales made up 79.1% or 44 278 of the 54 956 vehicles sold, with the rest being split up as follows:
- Rental agencies: 16.2%
- Corporate fleets: 2.1%
- Government: 2.2%
Naamsa reaction
“South Africa’s macroeconomic backdrop continued to show encouraging signs. Headline CPI held steady at 3.4% in September, supported by ongoing food disinflation and a firmer currency environment, improving real income dynamics for households,” Naamsa said in a statement.
“Fuel costs remained relatively contained, while competitive pricing and softer vehicle inflation continued to support affordability in select segments amid heightened competition in the passenger market.
“This softening inflation trajectory supports real disposable income gains, aligning with forecasts that headline CPI will average 3.3% in 2025”.
The association concluded by saying, “despite inflation trending towards the lower end of the target band, the South African Reserve Bank maintained its policy stance at 7.0% in September, keeping borrowing conditions restrictive.
“However, with inflation expectations easing and a credible path toward further disinflation, financial markets continue to price in interest rate reductions in early 2026, which bodes positively for big ticket consumer spending and fleet renewal cycles”.
Top 10 best-selling marques
The country’s best-selling brands, as well as their totals and market ranking from September, are as follows:
- Toyota – 13 559 (-)
- Suzuki – 6 890 (-)
- Volkswagen – 6 221 (-)
- Hyundai – 3 017 (+1)
- Ford – 2 946 (-1)
- Great Wall Motors (GWM) – 2 850 (-)
- Isuzu – 2 784 (-)
- Chery – 2 210 (-)
- Kia – 1 808 (-)
- Mahindra – 1 551 (-)
October top 50 bestsellers
- Toyota Hilux – 3 553
- Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 2 678
- Suzuki Swift – 2 377
- Isuzu D-Max – 2 292
- Ford Ranger- 2 035
- Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 1 725
- Toyota Corolla Cross – 1 615
- Toyota Starlet – 1 613
- GWM Haval Jolion – 1 418
- Suzuki Fronx – 1 369
- Toyota Urban Cruiser – 1 360
- Hyundai Grand i10 – 1 336
- Kia Sonet – 1 229
- Toyota Vitz – 1 200
- Toyota Starlet Cross – 1 011
- Nissan Magnite – 886
- Omoda C5 – 849
- Volkswagen Polo – 813
- Toyota Fortuner – 807
- Mahindra Pik Up – 761
- Toyota HiAce – 668
- Mahindra XUV 3X0 – 647
- Suzuki Baleno – 596
- Volkswagen T-Cross – 572
- Renault Kwid – 544
- Suzuki Ertiga – 521
- Jetour Dashing – 514
- GWM Haval H6 – 505
- Volkswagen Amarok – 481
- Renault Triber – 468
- Nissan Navara – 462
- Volkswagen Polo Sedan – 451
- Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series – 443
- GWM P-Series – 441
- Ford Territory – 417
- Suzuki DZire – 409
- Citroën C3 – 384
- Suzuki S-Presso – 384
- Renault Kiger – 343
- Jetour X70 Plus – 342
- Ford Everest – 335
- Chery Tiggo 7 – 323
- Hyundai Venue – 319
- Toyota Rumion – 307
- Hyundai Exter – 296
- Hyundai i20 – 288
- Suzuki Jimny – 286
- MG ZS – 283
- Citroën C3 Aircross – 273
- Hyundai Staria – 272
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