The sedan is becoming increasingly less popular in South Africa, as compact and full-size SUVs are taking over as the modern family vehicle, yet there is one segment where sedans remain relevant.
Sedans were once the family car of choice, offering spacious cabins for the whole family and expansive storage capacity, but have since fallen far behind SUVs, hatchbacks, and even bakkies.
The once-popular option has become nearly obsolete, not featuring anywhere near the top of monthly or annual sales figures.
While it is notable that the VW Polo is in the top 20 best-selling new cars, and a top-five option in the used segment, these are almost entirely hatchback sales.
No other sedan options are anywhere near these lists, but they make up 30% of the top 10 best-selling used fully-electric cars in South Africa.
It seems like this tiny car segment is incredibly popular amongst electric vehicle (EV) buyers, leading to more models, including the recently introduced Volvo ES90, being launched in South Africa.
According to AutoTrader’s data on last year’s pre-owned car data, BMW dominates the segment, representing half of the top ten, including two of its electric sedans – the i7 and i4.
Joining the handful of fully-electric sedans in South Africa later this year is the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA, as well as the BMW i3 50 xDrive next year.
This shows that the world’s carmakers have faith in the segment and believe that electric sedans have their place in the local market.
Including the newly introduced Volvo, there are only eight distinct options in the all-electric sedan, discounting all the derivatives and variants.
It must also be noted that these are not budget options, and nearly all electric sedans cost more than R1 million, with some options demanding upwards of R3 million, making the segment quite exclusive.
South Africa’s electric sedans
Until the all-electric Mercedes-Benz CLA and BMW i3 50 xDrive join the fold, the list below represents the eight available electric sedans that are available in South Africa.
Click on their underlined prices for more information, or for their entire model line-ups.
1. Dongfeng 007
- Starting price – R799,000
- Power – 160kW/310Nm
- Energy consumption – 11.9kWh/100km
- Range – 530km
2. BYD Seal
- Starting price – R1,004,900
- Power – 230kW/360Nm
- Energy consumption – N/A
- Range – 570km
3. BMW i4
- Starting price – R1,500,000
- Power – 210kW/400Nm
- Energy consumption – 15.0kWh/100km
- Range – 502km
4. Volvo ES90
- Starting price – R1,590,000
- Power – 245kW/480Nm
- Energy consumption – 13.5-18.5kWh/100 Km
- Range – 554 to 755km
5. Mercedes-Benz EQE
- Starting price – R1,727,951
- Power – 215kW/565Nm
- Energy consumption – 14.1-15.4kWh/100km
- Range – 532 to 621km
6. BMW i5
- Starting price – R1,812,000
- Power – 250kW/430Nm
- Energy consumption – 15.9-18.9kWh/100km
- Range – 498 to 582km
7. Mercedes-Benz EQS
- Starting price – R2,827,005
- Power – 265kW/568Nm
- Energy consumption – 15.8-19.9kWh/100km
- Range – 627 to 780km
8. BMW i7
- Starting price – R2,953,000
- Power – 400kW/745Nm
- Energy consumption – 18.4-19.6kWh/100km
- Range – 591 to 625km
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