These are South Africa’s best-selling cars – And where they come from

More than half of South Africa’s top-selling cars are manufactured in India.

Over the past two years, motoring headlines have been dominated by news that yet another Chinese car brand is coming to our shores

Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, BYD, Dayun, Foton, LDV, GAC, and MG have all launched in the past two years, and another 10 are still on their way, comprising iCaur, Lepas, Leapmotor, JMC, Denza, Changan, Deepal, Dongfeng, Geely, and Riddara.

Even with all of these badges, Chinese models still only represent two of the top 20 best-selling cars in South Africa.

Indian units, in comparison, account for 11 spots on the list, though the sub-continent’s dominance over our market has largely flown under the radar.

One possible explanation is that most Indian-made cars in South Africa are not sold by Indian car brands like Mahindra and Tata.

Instead, many of these cars are sold by Japanese, Korean, or European automakers that have established factories in India to produce affordable models for Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Most notably, Suzuki is a Japanese company, but all of the models sold in South Africa are manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India.

This also means that several Toyota models in South Africa are Indian-made, as units like the Starlet Cross are rebadged versions of Suzuki cars like the Fronx.

Of course, South African-made cars are very popular as well, as the Toyota Hilux, Toyota Corolla Cross, VW Polo Vivo, and Ford Ranger are all in the top 20.

Locally-made cars are still attractive to motorists because they offer greater peace of mind for after-sales support and parts availability.

There’s also an element of goodwill as consumers like to support local jobs and businesses.

One other interesting case to point out is the Mahindra Pik Up, which is assembled at a factory in Durban from semi knocked down kits imported from India, meaning they are technically South African-made even though the original parts were produced overseas.

Point of origin

Below is a list of the top 20 best-selling cars in South Africa, and where they were built.

Click on the underlined prices for more information.

1. Toyota Hilux – South Africa

• Units sold – 3,325
• Starting price – R361,700

2. Toyota Corolla Cross – South Africa

• Units sold – 2,743
• Starting price – R414,800

3. VW Polo Vivo – South Africa

• Units sold – 2,314
• Starting price – R271,900

4. Suzuki Swift – India

• Units sold – 2,101
• Starting price – R224,900

5. Ford Ranger – South Africa

• Units sold – 2,066
• Starting price – R574,000

6. Isuzu D-Max – South Africa

• Units sold – 1,778
• Starting price – R452,400

7. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – China

• Units sold – 1,339
• Starting price – R269,900

8. Hyundai Grand i10 – India

• Units sold – 1,301
• Starting price – R224,900

9. Suzuki Fronx – India

• Units sold – 1,210
• Starting price – R298,900

10. Toyota Starlet – India

• Units sold – 1,160
• Starting price – R258,000

11. Haval Jolion – China

• Units sold – 1,123
• Starting price – R347,950

12. Suzuki Ertiga – India

• Units sold – 1,055
• Starting price – R299,900

13. Toyota Vitz – India

• Units sold – 885
• Starting price – R178,800

14. Toyota Fortuner – South Africa

• Units sold – 783
• Starting price – R679,100

15. Toyota Rumion – India

• Units sold – 772
• Starting price – R301,400

16. VW Polo – South Africa

• Units sold – 763
• Starting price – R373,800

17. Toyota Starlet Cross – India

• Units sold – 755
• Starting price – R299,900

18. Kia Sonet – India

• Units sold – 752
• Starting price – R299,995

19. Mahindra Pik Up – India / South Africa

• Units sold – 675
• Starting price – R272,999

20. Nissan Magnite – India

• Units sold – 652
• Starting price – R229,900