These were SA’s best selling cars in another sluggish month

New-vehicle sales in SA experienced another modest decline of 4.1% to 44,081 units in September, driven mostly by continuing weakness in the light commercial market.

Sales of light commercials, including bakkies and minibuses, recorded 10,914 units last month, a 17.1% decline compared to September 2023. Much of the decline was due to sales of the Toyota Hi-Ace taxi dropping to 386 units last month compared to 1,421 in September 2023, as banks tightened up their lending criteria in response to a surge in bad debts.

Passenger cars rose 2% to 30,218 units last month compared with September 2023, with sales to the car rental industry accounting for a substantial 28%.

In a year marked by economic fluctuations, year-to-date sales of 401,169 units declined 5.8% compared to the same January-September period in 2023, said motor industry body Naamsa.

“Economic indicators in September 2024 showed positive trends, including the first interest rate cut in four years by the SA Reserve Bank, a stronger rand and easing inflation below the midpoint of the central bank’s target range,” said Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa.

“Lower fuel prices further bolstered consumer confidence, offering relief to household budgets. Though the July 2024 market rally did not continue in August, the passenger car segment has shown a positive trend in recent months, boosted by rental sales, currency strength and decreasing inflation.”

Mabasa said with further rate reductions, the costs of borrowing are expected to decline, which may stimulate economic activity, even though immediate improvements in vehicle affordability may be limited.

“Since the decline in new vehicle sales began in August 2023, expectations are rising that the new vehicle market could see improvement for the remainder of the year due to favourable economic conditions and the comparison to last year’s lower base levels,” he said.

Toyota retained its position as SA’s most popular brand in September, selling 10,890 new vehicles ahead of second-placed Volkswagen Group (5,885) and Suzuki Auto (5,023). Hyundai was fourth with 2,841 units followed by Ford (2,823), Isuzu Motors (1,960), GWM (1,740), Chery (1,614), Renault (1,426), Nissan (1,425), Kia (1,284), Mahindra (1,014) and BMW Group (961), with Mercedes-Benz (535), and Omoda and Jaecoo (506) rounding out the top 15.

TOP 30 SELLING NEW VEHICLES IN SEPTEMBER

1. Toyota Hilux — 2,942
2. VW Polo Vivo — 2,407
3. Ford Ranger — 2,382
4. Toyota Corolla Cross — 2,045
5. Isuzu D-Max — 1,592
6. Toyota Fortuner — 1,086
7. Hyundai Grand i10 — 1,062
8. Chery Tiggo4 Pro — 990
9. VW Polo — 948
10. Nissan Magnite — 869
11. Suzuki Fronx — 850
12. Toyota Vitz — 814
13. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up — 782
14. Renault Kwid — 776
15. Suzuki Baleno — 752
16. Suzuki Ertiga — 717
17. Toyota Starlet Cross — 713
18. Kia Sonet — 710
19. Toyota Starlet — 626
20. Suzuki Swift — 539
21. Hyundai Exter — 453
22. Chery Tiggo7 Pro — 450
23. Nissan Navara — 451
24. Toyota Urban Cruiser — 441
25. Toyota Corolla Quest — 416
26. Suzuki Ciaz — 410
27. VW T-Cross — 409
28. Suzuki Dzire — 399
29. Haval H6 — 387
30. Toyota Hi-Ace — 386