“Generally new car supply has improved and the supply of new vehicles is more consistent. Segments remain under pressure, resulting in a dealer stock mix that is not ideal. However, the wait for new models is, on average, better than a year ago due to supply improvements,” said Dommisse.
There were few surprises in January’s sales figures with the usual vehicles occupying the top positions in the popularity list. Bakkies, small hatchbacks and compact SUVs are the market segments that continue to dominate.
Toyota swept the board with 12,532 sales, far ahead of its nearest rivals Volkswagen (5,081) and Suzuki (4,357), and the top-three sellers all wore Toyota badges.
TOP 30 SELLING NEW VEHICLES JANUARY 2023
Toyota Hilux — 2,769
Toyota Corolla Cross — 2,042
Toyota Starlet — 2,037
Suzuki Swift — 1,499
Isuzu D-Max — 1,273
Ford Ranger — 1,269
Toyota Hi-Ace — 1,257
VW Polo — 1,144
VW Polo Vivo — 1,054
Nissan NP200 — 886
VW T-Cross — 874
Chery Tiggo 4 Pro — 850
Toyota Urban Cruiser — 839
Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up — 819
Nissan Almera — 785
Nissan Magnite — 756
Haval Jolion — 715
Toyota Fortuner — 710
Renault Kwid — 657
Suzuki Baleno — 652
Kia Picanto — 640
Renault Kiger — 632
Renault Triber — 606
Hyundai Grand i10 — 569
Suzuki DZire — 510
Hyundai i20 — 509
Haval H6 — 475
Toyota Corolla Quest — 433
Suzuki Spresso — 432
VW Tiguan — 396
* List excludes BMW and Mercedes-Benz, who do not report sales figures of their individual models. In January BMW recorded aggregate sales of 1,231 units and Mercedes-Benz 533 units.
Mzansi, these are your favourite cars
New vehicle sales started the year strongly and here are the top 30 sellers
Image: Dall-E 2
High interest rates and fuel prices have failed to put the brakes on new car sales, but the year recorded a healthy start with 43,509 cars, light commercials and trucks finding new owners in January.
That was 4.8% higher than January 2022. Passenger cars accounted for 31,072 units last month, a rise of 2.9% over January 2022, while light commercials (including bakkies and minibuses) sold 10,622 units, a gain of 10.4%.
“This market is difficult to read, given all the disruptive external factors now in play. We believe the public is adjusting its spend downwards, but conversely the upper end of the market is remaining surprisingly strong at the same time,” said Mark Dommisse, chairperson of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (Nada).
“The talk about another sate of disaster relating to the electricity crisis presents another imposition for South Africa and the automotive industry as it pushes buyers into taking more conservative approaches in their respective buying cycles”
Nada expects the new vehicle market to continue growing in 2023 but at a more moderate pace than last year. Several factors that negatively affected vehicle sales last year will recur this year. Among them is the ongoing global shortage of semiconductors, which is hampering production across almost all manufacturers.
“Generally new car supply has improved and the supply of new vehicles is more consistent. Segments remain under pressure, resulting in a dealer stock mix that is not ideal. However, the wait for new models is, on average, better than a year ago due to supply improvements,” said Dommisse.
There were few surprises in January’s sales figures with the usual vehicles occupying the top positions in the popularity list. Bakkies, small hatchbacks and compact SUVs are the market segments that continue to dominate.
Toyota swept the board with 12,532 sales, far ahead of its nearest rivals Volkswagen (5,081) and Suzuki (4,357), and the top-three sellers all wore Toyota badges.
TOP 30 SELLING NEW VEHICLES JANUARY 2023
Toyota Hilux — 2,769
Toyota Corolla Cross — 2,042
Toyota Starlet — 2,037
Suzuki Swift — 1,499
Isuzu D-Max — 1,273
Ford Ranger — 1,269
Toyota Hi-Ace — 1,257
VW Polo — 1,144
VW Polo Vivo — 1,054
Nissan NP200 — 886
VW T-Cross — 874
Chery Tiggo 4 Pro — 850
Toyota Urban Cruiser — 839
Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up — 819
Nissan Almera — 785
Nissan Magnite — 756
Haval Jolion — 715
Toyota Fortuner — 710
Renault Kwid — 657
Suzuki Baleno — 652
Kia Picanto — 640
Renault Kiger — 632
Renault Triber — 606
Hyundai Grand i10 — 569
Suzuki DZire — 510
Hyundai i20 — 509
Haval H6 — 475
Toyota Corolla Quest — 433
Suzuki Spresso — 432
VW Tiguan — 396
* List excludes BMW and Mercedes-Benz, who do not report sales figures of their individual models. In January BMW recorded aggregate sales of 1,231 units and Mercedes-Benz 533 units.
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