Survey names Volkswagen and Toyota Hilux as SA’s favourites

Volkswagen has taken top honours as the most searched for brand in South Africa ahead of BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the latest AutoTrader Industry Survey covering 2022.

With searches of 85.5-million, the Wolfsburg brand edged it’s rivals from Munich and Stuttgart, as well as arch rival Toyota, who amassed searches of 73.8-million.

Hilux and Volkswagen show

Out of the most search for models, the Toyota Hilux finished top with 22.7-million ahead of the Volkswagen Golf (21.3-million) and Polo (21.3-million), while in the category for specific derivatives, the People’s Car brand took the first four places with the Golf GTI (5.1-million), Polo GTI (4.5-million), Golf R (4.1-million) and Polo 1.0 TSI (2.8-million).

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In the category of most viewed models, the Hilux again took top honours with 15.8-million ahead of the Polo (12.8-million) and Golf (9.9-million), while in the search for electric vehicles, a category the retail giant in 2021 confirmed was being hamstrung by high prices despite increasing interest, the BMW i3 reigned supreme ahead of the Audi RS e-tron GT and its e-tron SUV sibling.

More interestingly is the Ford Ranger being named as the top performing vehicle when it comes to average supply, with an indicated price R422 4022 for a five-year old model with 96 806km on the clock.

Second place went to the Hilux of the same year with pricing of R465 178 after 96 943km and third to the Polo of four years old at a price of R284 179 after 54 502km.

“The theme of this report is #Accelerated because, as an industry, we need to bounce back accelerated, using lessons learnt over the last five years to forge a sustainable industry,” AutoTrader CEO George Mienie said in a statement.

In addition to releasing the best performing marques and models, the survey found that average vehicle prices increased by 16% to R432 407 from the same time last year, thus following the recent overseas trend that saw demand for used cars spiralling to new highs in response to the ongoing semi-conductor shortage impacting new car sales.

Broader EV access needs to happen

Average vehicle mileage also increased from 75 413km to 75 939km, while the enquiring for new energy vehicles, comprising hybrid and EVs, continued to grow with a 159% uptake, more than double the amount from 2021.

In a statement back in November, CEO for Wesbank, Ghana Msibi, said it will continue to support efforts in the move towards new energy vehicles, a sentiment echoed earlier this month by Legacy Motor Group Chairman, Mpho Dipela.

“The automotive sector must play a vital part in the global electric vehicle value chain. In 2021, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition released an Auto Green Paper to create a clear policy foundation that outlines investment and a tax system,” Diplea said.

“This policy must be used to build a resilient raw material supply chain that supports the country’s efforts to be a global player.”

The full findings of the report can be viewed here.