New-vehicle sales grew 2.1% in March, compared to a year earlier. Figures released on Monday by the Department of Trade and Industry show that the local motor industry sold 48,514 new vehicles in March, compared to 47,514 in March 2016. New-car sales increased from 30,390 to 31,034. Light commercial vehicles, mainly bakkies, rose 1.1%, from 14,713 to 14,822. As a result, sales of all new vehicles for the first quarter of 2017 rose by 1.9% from a year earlier, from 144,172 to 146,951. Car sales were up 0.9%, from 98,377 to 99,228. Exports of South-African-built vehicles dipped 9.7% in March, from 27,720 to 25,020, dragging first-quarter numbers down 6%, from 70,044 to 65,824. The reason for March’s dip was a hiatus in Ford exports of its Ranger bakkie, believed to be due to upgrade work in the company’s Silverton, Pretoria assembly plant. © Business Day

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