Depending on who you ask, March was either a terrible or a great time for bakkies in South Africa.
During the month, three different models in the bakkie segment were discontinued in the local market, while simultaneously a minimum of five new models made their domestic debut and three others were announced to be arriving in the near future.
The bakkies South Africa lost
Perhaps the most depressing announcement for March was that it would be the final month in which the venerable Nissan NP200 was built.
The small utility vehicle ended production last week at Nissan’s Rosslyn factory after an unprecedented 16 years on sale and there is currently no replacement in sight, meaning that South African storefronts will be completely void of a compact bakkie for the first time in decades after the NP200 is delisted later this year when the very last unit finds a new owner.
Equally upsetting, Mazda revealed at the start of last month that it would no longer be producing or importing the BT-50 for South Africa.
The subsidiary cited mixed sales as the reason for the bakkie’s discontinuation, stating that it has not made the inroads it had hoped to into our extremely competitive double-cab market, especially against brands that manufacture locally.
The final blow to the bakkie category, VW pulled its entry-level 110kW Amarok from the shelves thus lifting the barrier to entry of its popular bakkie by at least R51,500.
The firm evaluated the sales performance of these models against their peers and decided that it would be more advantageous to have a leaner Amarok product offering with fewer derivates, it said.
During their short time on the market, the entry-level Amaroks accounted for a mere 6% of the bakkie’s total sales across SC and DC categories.
The bakkies South Africa gained
South Africa’s favourite automaker, Toyota, launched two new double cabs in March which are nearly polar opposites of one another.
These comprise the mild-hybrid Hilux that is focused on efficiency and smoothness, and the Hilux GR-Sport III which is intended to be the most hardcore interpretation of the vehicle yet with beefy styling and uprated underpinnings.
Similarly, Ford bolstered its Ranger line-up with two fresh entries in the form of the Platinum and Tremor.
The Platinum, says Ford, aims to provide levels of luxury akin to a high-end SUV, whereas the Tremor features a number of mechanical upgrades intended at making it one of the most capable vehicles in the Blue Oval’s portfolio.
It was a big month for Isuzu’s D-Max, too.
The stylish X-Rider nameplate officially returned to showrooms in the first week of March, and the brand also introduced five new single-cab models, while upgrading the standard specifications of the extended- and double-cab units.
In addition, Isuzu’s Japan division gave us our first sneak peek at the upcoming battery-powered D-Max BEV.
More on the horizon
Not only did we lose a few in March and gain a few more, but there were also numerous headlines during the month of new bakkies that will launch in South Africa in the coming months.
Up first, Mitsubishi finally revealed that the next-generation Triton is scheduled to make landfall in the third quarter of 2024. It will be available in single and double-cab body styles and be driven by the automaker’s battle-tested 2.4-litre diesel engine.
Chinese manufacturer LDV also announced its entry into South Africa in May 2024 with the new T60, the diesel-powered version of the electric Maxus T90 that hit local roads last year.
Finally, Nissan revealed that it has a more affordable Navara Double Cab in store for the domestic market before the end of 2024 which it hopes will help it retain market share once NP200 stock is depleted.
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