These were South Africa's top-selling vehicle brands in August

New vehicle sales in South Africa remained weak in August, declining 3.1% from 47,155 to 45,679 units compared with the same month last year.

It was a mixed bag with passenger cars at 28,951 units declining 6.7% compared with August 2022, while light commercial vehicles (including bakkies and mini buses) recorded a small 2.7% increase to 13,652 units.

The muted sales performance underlines the ongoing stressed business and consumer environment given that negative economic considerations greatly outweigh positive ones, according to motor industry body Naamsa.

“The weak performance of passenger cars reflected the impact of rising costs of living and lower disposable income on consumer sentiment and the ability to be active in the new vehicle market,” said Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa.

“Affordability with delayed replacement cycles appear to be driving new vehicle sales.

“On the positive side, the significantly less daytime load-shedding since June 2023, interest rates put on hold in July 2023 for the first time since November 2021 and inflation falling within the 3%–6% target band have been providing some relief for consumers. However, energy and logistical constraints remain binding on the domestic economic growth outlook, limiting economic activity and increasing costs.”

Though the Reserve Bank has slightly increased its forecast for South Africa’s GDP growth from 0.3% to 0.4% for 2023, the medium-term outlook for business conditions in the new vehicle market continue to reflect subdued demand for high priced items such as vehicles, which correlates with a stagnating domestic economy, he said.

Year-to-date passenger car sales are down 3% to 231,112 units and light commercials are up 19% to 102,833 units compared with the same period last year.

Toyota retained its market leadership in August with 12,233 new vehicles sold, ahead of Volkswagen and Suzuki Auto.

TOP-SELLING VEHICLE BRANDS — AUGUST 2023

1. Toyota — 12,233
2. Volkswagen — 5,972
3. Suzuki Auto — 4,332
4. Ford — 2,724
5. Hyundai — 2,637
6. Nissan — 2,377
7. Isuzu — 2,045
8. Haval — 1,819
9. Renault — 1,750
10. Kia — 1,550
11. Chery — 1,498
12. Mahindra — 951
13. BMW — 930
14. Mercedes-Benz — 642
15. Daimler Truck — 492
16. FAW Trucks — 406
17. Honda — 369
18. Scania — 349
19. Jaguar Land Rover — 288
20. Mazda — 273
21. Stellantis — 265
22. UD Trucks — 264
23. Volvo — 236
24. Mitsubishi — 229
25. MAN — 183
26. Porsche — 162
27. Proton — 106
28. JAC — 95
29. Iveco — 80
30. Powerstar — 67