South Africa’s unbroken run of rising new vehicle sales continued into September, marking a ninth consecutive month of growth and the third month in a row with total sales above 50 000 units.

According to The Citizen, the Toyota Hilux remained the country’s best-seller, with 3 639 units — exceeding 3 000 sales and ahead of the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Ranger.

The Kariega-built Polo Vivo moved up one place to 2 470 units, while the Silverton-made Ranger rose two places to 2 270.

The Suzuki Swift held fourth as the top-selling imported model with 2 265 units, followed by the Isuzu D-Max, which jumped from sixth to fifth with 2 054 sales.

The Toyota Corolla Cross dropped four places to sixth with 1 891 units, ahead of the Toyota Starlet, which rose slightly in sales but dropped a place in ranking.

The Hyundai Grand i10 remained eighth, followed by the Toyota Vitz, which climbed four places to ninth. The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro rounded out the top 10 with 1 377 units.

Monthly sales in detail

September’s sales of 54 700 units, reported by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), marked a 24.3% increase from last year’s 44 000 and were the highest monthly total since September 2015.

Passenger vehicles continued strong with 38 603 units, a 28% increase from last year, while light commercial vehicles rose 19.7% to 13 078 units. Medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles were mixed, with medium-duty down 1.5% and heavy-duty up 5.9%.

Exports also grew for the second month in a row, rising 32.9% to 38 772 units. Dealer sales accounted for 80.1% of total sales, with the rest split between rental agencies (15.2%), corporate fleets (2.7%), and government (2.0%).

Naamsa reaction

Naamsa said: “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.

“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

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 – 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