Toyota Hilux retakes the sales lead from Ford Ranger in May
Last month’s strong sales bucked economic headwinds, with light commercial vehicles leading the way
05 June 2023 - 14:28
byDenis Droppa
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
The evergreen Hilux was back on top of the sales charts in May 2023.
Picture: SUPPLIED
The Ford Ranger’s reign as SA’s best-selling new vehicle was short lived, with the Toyota Hilux regaining the top spot in May.
After the Ranger dislodged the Hilux from its throne in April for the first time in several years, the Hilux hit back with sales of 2,798 units last month to become the country’s best-selling bakkie again and top seller overall, according to figures released by motor industry body Naamsa on June 1. The Ranger posted 2,104 sales to place second overall but the blue-oval bakkie had the consolation of being crowned 2023 Car of the Year by the SA Guild of Mobility Journalists, the first time a pickup has earned the title.
New-vehicle sales in SA last month bucked predictions to record a 15.6% increase over the previous month and a 10.1% rise over May 2022, according to Naamsa. This was despite the rand in free fall and continued interest rate hikes.
While the level of demand seems contrary to the economic pressures on household budgets, real changes in consumer behaviour are being felt in the level of affordability, says WesBank. It says its deal duration has increased year on year, meaning consumers are keeping their vehicles for longer, and new-vehicle sales are moving slowly towards more affordable vehicles.
At 43,060 units, total sales in May were 3,959 units higher than the corresponding month last year, driven mostly by light commercial vehicles which rose 38.5%. Passenger cars increased 0.1%, medium commercials by 2.7% and heavy trucks by 19.3%.
Toyota was again the country’s most popular brand with a 26.4% market share, selling more than one out of every five new vehicles. With 11,395 new Toyota and Lexus models sold, the company more than doubled the 5,259 sales of its nearest competitor, Volkswagen.
Other good Toyota sellers apart from the Hilux were the Corolla Cross, Hi-Ace, and Starlet which each sold more than 1,000 units. The new-generation Urban Cruiser, a larger and more expensive vehicle than its predecessor, also got off to a good start with 713 sales for the month.
Volkswagen’s position as the second most popular brand was secured by strong sales of the Polo Vivo which was the best selling passenger car overall, with the Polo and T-Cross also performing well.
Suzuki Auto (3,709) was in third place followed by Hyundai (2,745), Ford (2,491), Nissan (2,314), Haval (1,877), Isuzu (1,871), Renault (1,848), Kia (1,668), BMW (1,228), Chery (1,211), Mahindra (907), Mercedes-Benz (692) and Daimler Truck (455) rounding out the top 15.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Toyota Hilux retakes the sales lead from Ford Ranger in May
Last month’s strong sales bucked economic headwinds, with light commercial vehicles leading the way
The Ford Ranger’s reign as SA’s best-selling new vehicle was short lived, with the Toyota Hilux regaining the top spot in May.
After the Ranger dislodged the Hilux from its throne in April for the first time in several years, the Hilux hit back with sales of 2,798 units last month to become the country’s best-selling bakkie again and top seller overall, according to figures released by motor industry body Naamsa on June 1. The Ranger posted 2,104 sales to place second overall but the blue-oval bakkie had the consolation of being crowned 2023 Car of the Year by the SA Guild of Mobility Journalists, the first time a pickup has earned the title.
New-vehicle sales in SA last month bucked predictions to record a 15.6% increase over the previous month and a 10.1% rise over May 2022, according to Naamsa. This was despite the rand in free fall and continued interest rate hikes.
While the level of demand seems contrary to the economic pressures on household budgets, real changes in consumer behaviour are being felt in the level of affordability, says WesBank. It says its deal duration has increased year on year, meaning consumers are keeping their vehicles for longer, and new-vehicle sales are moving slowly towards more affordable vehicles.
At 43,060 units, total sales in May were 3,959 units higher than the corresponding month last year, driven mostly by light commercial vehicles which rose 38.5%. Passenger cars increased 0.1%, medium commercials by 2.7% and heavy trucks by 19.3%.
Toyota was again the country’s most popular brand with a 26.4% market share, selling more than one out of every five new vehicles. With 11,395 new Toyota and Lexus models sold, the company more than doubled the 5,259 sales of its nearest competitor, Volkswagen.
Other good Toyota sellers apart from the Hilux were the Corolla Cross, Hi-Ace, and Starlet which each sold more than 1,000 units. The new-generation Urban Cruiser, a larger and more expensive vehicle than its predecessor, also got off to a good start with 713 sales for the month.
Volkswagen’s position as the second most popular brand was secured by strong sales of the Polo Vivo which was the best selling passenger car overall, with the Polo and T-Cross also performing well.
Suzuki Auto (3,709) was in third place followed by Hyundai (2,745), Ford (2,491), Nissan (2,314), Haval (1,877), Isuzu (1,871), Renault (1,848), Kia (1,668), BMW (1,228), Chery (1,211), Mahindra (907), Mercedes-Benz (692) and Daimler Truck (455) rounding out the top 15.
SA’s TOP 20 SELLING CARS IN MAY 2023
Toyota Hilux — 2,798
Ford Ranger — 2,104
VW Polo Vivo — 1,876
Toyota Corolla Cross — 1,644
Isuzu D-Max — 1,555
Toyota Hi-Ace — 1,487
Toyota Starlet — 1,218
Suzuki Swift — 1,178
Nissan NP200 — 1,157
VW Polo — 1,024
Toyota Fortuner — 1,018
Hyundai Grand i10 — 976
Haval Jolion — 881
Chery Tiggo4 Pro — 745
Renault Kiger — 720
Toyota Urban Cruiser — 713
Nissan Magnite — 688
Mahinda Scorpio Pikup — 639
VW T-Cross — 550
Suzuki Baleno — 504
SA has a new best-selling car
FIRST DRIVE: Toyota Fortuner gets a catamaran-inspired update
Thieves exploit keyless car tech to make off with high-end vehicles in seconds
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
New car sales go full throttle despite economic headwinds
Toyota information glitch left customers’ data accessible
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.