Mzansi, these are your favourite cars

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.