The iconic car brand whose sales have fallen off a cliff in South Africa

In October 2021, Nissan sold 3,059 new vehicles in South Africa. It was the third best-selling brand in the country, behind Toyota and VW.

Fast forward to October 2026, and Nissan only sold 698 new vehicles locally. It is not even in the top 15 brands by sales.

This massive drop in sales – as tracked by Naamsa’s monthly sales data – is concerning to see, as Nissan is one of the most iconic car brands in South Africa.

It has delivered many exceptional models over the years, which were a cornerstone for both work and leisure.

For tradesmen, business owners, and first-time car buyers, the Nissan NP200 bakkie was one of the most well-loved and well-used vehicles on our roads.

It was very affordable when compared to larger and fancier competitors, and extremely practical and durable.

This saw it dominate the sales charts and position Nissan as one of the strongest-performing brands locally.

The NP200 was killed off in 2024, however, with Nissan stopping production due to its ageing design.

In its final days available for sale in South Africa, the Nissan NP200 was still extremely popular – and sold 2,679 units in March 2024.

This alone is almost 4-times more than Nissan’s total sales figures for last month.

For petrolheads

For petrolheads, Nissan was revered like no other.

The Nissan GT-R has been one of the most iconic and desirable cars across several decades, and it was no different in South Africa.

In 2021 you could buy the GT-R Premium Edition locally for just over R2.4 million – which for many people was the ultimate combination of supercar and daily driver.

If that was too expensive, Nissan offered the more-affordable 350Z and 370Z sports cars.

In 2021, the 370Z was a bit under R792,000 – and gave you plenty of power for the price.

Today, however, Nissan’s lineup in South Africa is more sedate and it does not offer any sports cars or supercars.

You can buy a Magnite crossover, a slightly bigger Tekton crossover, an X-Trail SUV, or a Navara bakkie.

These are all great cars that serve distinct purposes and are competitively priced – but do not fill the void left by the removal of the GT-R and 370Z.

Leaving the factory

The decline in sales also comes at a time when Nissan is cutting back substantially on its manufacturing operations in South Africa.

In a massive announcement earlier this year, Nissan confirmed it was selling its Rosslyn factory to Chery – after operating it for more than 60 years.

Nissan said its decision to sell the factory was motivated by external factors affecting the site’s utilisation and long-term viability.

During this time, Nissan announced that it was expanding its car-manufacturing facilities in Egypt, and planned to invest R740 million as part of the plan for the country.

Sales graph

The graph below shows Nissan’s new vehicle sales in South Africa, comparing October 2021 versus October 2026.

The difference between the two periods is stark, with a 77% decline in units sold.