Hyundai is performing incredibly well in South Africa right now, consistently selling thousands of vehicles per month.
This last month was particularly good, as the South Korean automaker sold a grand total of 3,251 units in May 2025.
As pointed out by Cars.co.za, this is the brand’s best performance in a long time, as the last figure to go higher than this occurred in March 2022 when it sold 3,816 units.
That’s not to say that Hyundai’s sales collapsed and have since recovered, as it has consistently ranked as one of the best-selling car brands in the country.
Hyundai often places fourth on each month’s top-sellers list, placing alongside other big names like Ford, Suzuki, VW, and Toyota.
What makes this all the more impressive is the fact that Hyundai’s cars are all imported, whereas Ford, VW, and Toyota all have a home field advantage with factories in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, respectively.
A big reason for this success is the fact that Hyundai has adapted its business plan to better suit local needs with an emphasis on affordable transport.
Case in point is the brand’s most popular car, the Grand i10, which happens to be one of the cheapest cars in South Africa.
The Grand i10 was the sixth best-selling vehicle and the fourth best-selling passenger car in May 2025, excluding bakkies like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.
Its R224,900 price tag is rather appealing for many households, given that it is one of the only cars left in the country that can feasibly be purchased on a finance plan with the average national salary.
Another popular choice is the i20, a B-segment hatchback that is arguably the main rival to the evergreen VW Polo in South Africa.
A winning strategy
One reason why Hyundai is able to compete cost-effectively in South Africa is that it now sources many of its cars from India, rather than Europe.
It’s no secret that cars are very expensive these days, which can be partially attributed to the fact that modern vehicles made for European markets are fitted with advanced features and safety mechanisms.
While this is all well and good, the result is an expensive mode that is out of reach for the majority of South African consumers.
Consequently, several carmakers are starting to import cars from markets that are arguably more comparable to our own, such as India and Brazil.
A recent example of this is the Hyundai Exter, which is a small crossover brought over from the subcontinent that sells for R269,900.
Unsurprisingly, the Exter has been a big hit in South Africa, and its a strategy that Hyundai is trying to replicate with more recent models like the Alcazar seven-seater.
That’s not to say Hyundai only provides small, affordable cars, as it still has a stake in the higher-end market with examples like the facelifted Tucson and the next-gen Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe, in particular, marks an important step for the automaker as its first hybrid model in South Africa.
Hyundai has previously expressed a cautious outlook regarding the introduction of its hybrids, saying that they will likely be too expensive to effectively compete.
However, the Santa Fe’s introduction could mark a new chapter for Hyundai as it starts to bring in more hybrids – something that would allow it to compete with local favourites like the Toyota Corolla Cross HEV.
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