More records broken as new vehicle test 55 000 unit mark in September

South Africa’s unbroken record of surging new vehicle sales continued into September with a ninth consecutive month of increases this year, and third in a row of overall sales breaching 50 000 units.

Top 10 best-selling models

In a changed picture from August, the Toyota Hilux retained its position as the country’s best-seller, and the only vehicle to exceed 3 000 units with a total of 3 639 units, but this time ahead of the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Ranger.

Jumping one and two places respectively from last month, the Kariega-built Polo Vivo moved 2 470 versus the Silverton-made Ranger’s 2 270.

Keeping station in fourth, the Suzuki Swift remained the best-selling non-locally produced product with sales of 2 265, followed by the Isuzu D-Max, which jumped from sixth place last month to fifth with an offset of 2 054.

ALSO READ: New vehicle sales extend 50 000+ record run in August

Dropping four places to sixth, the Toyota Corolla Cross raked in 1 891 signatures, ahead of the Toyota Starlet, which recorded a similar place count but in the opposite direction from August.

Staying eighth, the Hyundai Grand i10 finished ahead of the Toyota Vitz, which recorded a four place hike to ninth position from August’s 13^th.

Completing another even split between locally made and imported products in the top 10, the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro placed 10^th on 1 377.

Month in detail

Having broken a record set back in July 2017, the September numbers by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) yielded sales of 54 700 units, an uptake of 24.3% from the last year’s 44 000, and the official highest in a single month since September 2015.

In the various segments, passenger vehicles showed a second consecutive month of sales surpassing 30 000 units with an offset of 38 603, 28% up on last year’s 30 167, and its highest since October 2014.

Light commercial vehicles added to the month’s gains with sales of 13 078, an increase of 19.7% from the 10 924 examples moved last year.

As in August though, medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle sales were mixed – the former decreasing 1.5% from 782 to 767, and the latter rising by 5.9% from 2 127 to 2 252.

For the second month in a row, new vehicle exports ended in the black with a substantial rise of 32.9% from last year’s 29 180 to 38 772 this year.

In total, dealer sales made up 80.1% or 43 817 of the 54 700 vehicles sold, with the rest being split up as follows:

• Rental agencies: 15.2%
• Corporate fleets: 2.7%
• Government: 2.0%

Naamsa reaction

“The broader economy surprised on the upside in the second quarter, with GDP expanding by 0.8% year-on-year and household spending showing resilience. Yet the medium-term growth outlook remains
muted,” Naamsa said in a statement.

“Encouragingly for households, consumer inflation slowed to 3.3% year-on-year in August, below expectations. Lower food, fuel, and transport costs have eased pressure on disposable incomes, while subdued vehicle price inflation has helped sustain affordability in certain segments.

“This disinflationary trend offered some relief for car buyers, particularly in the small-car and entry-level categories, where cost sensitivity is the highest.”

Top 10 best-selling marques

The country’s best-selling brands, as well as their totals and market ranking from August, are as follows:

1. Toyota – 14 146 (-)
2. Suzuki – 6 072 (-)
3. Volkswagen – 5 763 (-)
4. Ford – 3 093 (+1)
5. Hyundai – 3 005 (-1)
6. Great Wall Motors (GWM) – 2 620 (-)
7. Isuzu – 2 478 (+1)
8. Chery – 2 264 (-1)
9. Kia – 1 706 (-)
10. Mahindra – 1 524 (+1)

September top 50 best-sellers

1. Toyota Hilux – 3 639
2. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 2 470
3. Ford Ranger – 2 270
4. Suzuki Swift – 2 265
5. Isuzu D-Max – 2 054
6. Toyota Corolla Cross – 1 891
7. Toyota Starlet – 1 629
8. Hyundai Grand i10 – 1 470
9. Toyota Vitz – 1 446
10. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 1 377
11. GWM Haval Jolion – 1 215
12. Toyota Urban Cruiser – 1 191
13. Suzuki Fronx – 1 054
14. Kia Sonet – 1 031
15. Nissan Magnite – 1 013
16. Toyota Fortuner – 842
17. Volkswagen Polo – 789
18. Omoda C5 – 784
19. Suzuki Ertiga – 765
20. Mahindra Pik Up – 750
21. Renault Kwid – 669
22. Toyota Starlet Cross – 666
23. Volkswagen T-Cross – 606
24. Mahindra XUV 3X0 – 601
25. Toyota Rumion – 594
26. Toyota HiAce – 591
27. Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series – 526
28. Jetour Dashing – 519
29. GMW Haval H6 – 496
30. Suzuki Baleno – 478
31. GWM P-Series – 458
32. Citroën C3 – 430
33. Volkswagen Amarok – 392
34. Volkswagen Polo Sedan – 390
35. Ford Territory – 368
36. Hyundai Exter – 355
37. Chery Tiggo Cross – 350
38. Nissan Navara – 337
39. Renault Kiger – 332
40. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro – 328
41. Suzuki S-Presso – 305
42. Renault Triber – 298
43. Jetour X70 Plus – 296
44. Ford Everest – 277
45. Toyota Land Cruiser Prado – 276
46. Suzuki Jimny – 270
47. Hyundai i20 – 269
48. MG ZS – 252
49. Honda Elevate – 250
50. Volkswagen Tiguan – 236

NOW READ: July new vehicle sales cross 50 000 units for new record