The discontinued car hijackers are gunning for in South Africa

The Nissan NP200 may have been discontinued, yet it still regularly features in the lists of the most hijacked cars in South Africa, and this is a problem that’s likely to continue for some time.

The small bakkie was put out to pasture earlier this year, but it remains a valuable target for the nation’s criminals owing to its popularity and unique status in our market.

No supply, but plenty of demand

Over the past 12 months, Fidelity Services Group identified 13 high-risk vehicles for hijackings in South Africa, which includes top-sellers like the Toyota Corolla Cross, Ford Ranger, and VW Polo.

The list of the best-selling and most hijacked models often looks very similar, given that there is an obvious demand for these cars making it much easier to quickly sell them.

Furthermore, many stolen and hijacked cars are not sold in their entirety; instead, they are stripped down into their individual components which are then distributed on the black market.

What makes the NP200 unusual is that it was discontinued in April 2024, which should have led to a drop in consumer interest with a corresponding decline in hijacking attempts.

This happened to models in the past such as the Ford Fiesta, which used to be a very popular hatchback on par with the Polo and was similarly seen as a risky purchase.

However, it was cancelled in 2022 and is subsequently no longer as high of a priority for hijackers.

The abnormal case of the Nissan has to do with its unique role in South Africa, as it was the last half-tonne bakkie in the country.

In contrast to bigger single and double cabs like the Toyota Hilux, the NP200 was an affordable workhorse well-suited for small business owners.

Despite this, the segment gradually faded over the years to the point where the Nissan was the only example left, which skyrocketed its sales to where it was achieving over 2,500 sales per month.

Even with its success, the Japanese automaker decided to pull the plug on the compact pickup earlier this year, citing its ageing design as the main reason for the shutdown.

Consequently, South Africa no longer has any affordable workhorse bakkies, which makes the pool of NP200s out on the road a tempting mark for opportunistic criminals looking to sell to desperate individuals.

On top of this, the large fleet of existing units will need spare parts as they continue to age, which is likely to drive up the demand for illicit components on the black market.

Something to bear in mind is that the utility vehicle is actually still on sale in South Africa, though the nameplate is no longer featured on the company’s website.

Nissan had the foresight to stock up on the bakkie before the assembly line was shut down, creating an excess that dealers have continued to sell since April.

In May, the NP200 still managed to place as the eighth best-selling pickup in South Africa with 297 units, maintaining a similar level of momentum for months despite the lack of supply.

This phenomenon obviously couldn’t go on forever, and we now appear to be reaching the end of what little stock is still available, as the Nissan barely made the 10th spot in September with just 76 sales.

In other words, the Nissan NP200’s time has nearly run out, leaving a gap in the market for an affordable bakkie that hijackers and unscrupulous parts shops are only too happy to take advantage of.