Toyota topping the charts is expected, but other less mainstream Asian manufacturers are making waves. Here are the Top 10 passenger and LCV brands for the month.
Find new and used models from each of the top 10 listed below on the CARmag platform here.
Top 10 Passenger Brands for July
- Toyota – 6 200
- Volkswagen – 4 677
- Suzuki – 3 498
- Hyundai – 2 398
- Renault – 1 823
- Kia – 1 474
- Haval – 1 284
- BMW – 1 288
- Chery – 1 211
- Nissan – 839
In terms of industry resilience, South Africa posted a marginal increase in new vehicle sales in July 2023, affected by the decline in demand of passenger cars. Aggregate domestic new vehicle sales in July, at 43 389 units reflected an increase of 567 units, or 1,3%, from the 42 822 vehicles sold in July 2022.
Contrary, export sales recorded a significant increase of 11 896 units, or 47,3%, to 37 064 units in July 2023 compared to the 25 168 vehicles exported in July 2022. The July 2023 export increases reflect the low base effect of the July 2022 Kwa-Zulu Natal Riots shocks on production and exports.
Related: Top 10 best-selling brands for the month of June 2023
Overall, out of the total reported industry sales of 43 389 vehicles, an estimated 7 878 units, or 81,8%, represented dealer sales, an estimated 14,1% represented sales to the vehicle rental industry, 1,7% sales to the government, and 2,3% to industry corporate fleets.
“The unchanged rates and improvements in inflation rates bodes well for the car market as the second largest household investment cost for many South African consumers, considering the distressed borrowings patterns amongst households as debt service costs share of disposable income remain high at 8,4%, on average. The Producer Price index also significantly eased in June 2023 to 4,8%, compared to the 7,3% rate recorded in May 2023” – Mikel Mabasa (CEO) of Naamsa.
On the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) front, the market represented a whopping 47,1% year-on-year increase with 3 146 total sales.
In terms of light commercial vehicles (LCV), it was still Toyota who took top honours, with Volkswagen and Suzuki duking it out for second and third.
Top 10 Passenger LCV sales
- Toyota – 10 523
- Volkswagen – 5 772
- Suzuki – 4 361
- Hyundai – 2 853
- Ford – 2 489
- Nissan – 2 308
- Haval – 2 030
- Isuzu – 1 618
- Renault – 1 707
- Chery – 1 375
