Johannesburg - The South African new vehicle market got off to an encouraging start in January, with overall sales amounting to 41 382 vehicles, an increase of 19.5% over the same month in 2020.
Cars and SUVs made a stronger showing, with passenger vehicle sales growing by 26.6 percent year-on-year, while the bakkies and other LCVs saw a gain of just 3.8%.
Toyota led the way in terms of overall sales (click here to see the top-performing manufacturers), and as usual the Toyota Hilux topped the charts as South Africa’s best selling vehicle overall.
On the passenger car front, the Toyota Starlet rose to the top last month with 1472 sales, narrowly beating the Polo (which is undergoing a model change) and its cheaper Polo Vivo sibling.
The Suzuki Swift was not too far behind, breaking through the 1000 unit barrier for the first time, while the Toyota Agya enjoyed a better than usual month with 888 sales.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser was the nation’s top selling SUV in January, proving that there is indeed a big appetite for affordable SUVs. With a total tally if 1454 units, it beat the locally-built Toyota Corolla Cross (1373), while the Haval Jolion also enjoyed a stellar month with 1038 of these Chinese SUVs finding homes.
The Volkswagen T-Cross (781), Toyota Fortuner (707) and Ford EcoSport (691) also enjoyed strong sales last month.
TOP 40: South Africa’s best sellers in January 2022
- 1. Toyota Hilux - 2803
- 2. Toyota Starlet - 1472
- 3. Volkswagen Polo - 1455
- 4. Toyota Urban Cruiser - 1454
- 5. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 1373
- 6. Toyota Corolla Cross - 1356
- 7. Isuzu D-Max - 1141
- 8. Toyota Hiace - 1076
- 9. Suzuki Swift - 1069
- 10. Haval Jolion - 1038
- 11. Toyota Agya - 888
- 12. Renault Kwid - 812
- 13. Hyundai Atos - 795
- 14. Volkswagen T-Cross - 781
- 15. Toyota Corolla Quest - 741
- 16. Toyota Fortuner - 707
- 17. Ford EcoSport - 691
- 18. Renault Triber - 648
- 19. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 618
- 20. Ford Ranger - 608
- 21. Renault Kiger - 604
- 22. Nissan Magnite - 570
- 23. Suzuki Vitara Brezza - 558
- 24. GWM P-Series 539
- 25. Nissan Almera - 477
- 26. Hyundai Grand i10 - 465
- 27. GWM Steed - 461
- 28. Hyundai Venue - 464
- 29. Nissan NP200 - 445
- 30. Nissan Navara - 441
- 31. Kia Picanto - 430
- 32. Volkswagen Polo Sedan - 427
- 33. Haval H6 - 394
- 34. Toyota Rumion - 368
- 35. Suzuki S-Presso - 332
- 36. Suzuki Ertiga - 325
- 37. Kia Rio - 310
- 38. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 303
- 39. Suzuki Dzire - 282
- 40. Suzuki Jimny - 281
“January new vehicle sales kicked off the year at similar levels to the momentum created during the second half of 2021,” said WesBank marketing head Lebogang Gaoaketse. “While some purchase decisions may have been deferred out of December into the new year, January sales provide a solid start to the year, raising the hopes of manufacturers and dealers for ongoing market improvement.”
Mark Dommisse, Chairperson of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association, commented that the local motor industry remains buoyant despite the disappointing state of the local economy.
“What is amazing is that these heartening figures were delivered despite shortages of some models due to ongoing component shortages, particularly semiconductors, which are likely to be with us for most of this year. This shortage of product also means that few manufacturers or distributors are offering incentives to buyers making January’s performance even more impressive.”