Features / 2 May 2023 / Michael Taylor

Best-selling car brands in South Africa

A total of 37,107 new cars were purchased in South Africa in April 2023, marking a small decrease of 0.2% compared to the same month last year, according to Naamsa’s latest sales report.

It’s also a notable drop compared to the roughly 50,000 units sold in March, which is attributed to the continued strain on consumer budgets as a result of the ongoing subdued economic conditions.

Top billing was once again taken by Toyota, though the 9,423 units it managed to move in April are a step down from the 13,406 units it achieved in March.

It’s a similar story for Volkswagen, the reliable second-place holder, which saw 4,644 units finding new owners last month compared to 6,139 units the month prior.

Suzuki, which took third place, experienced a much smaller sales decline of 3,620 compared to its previous innings of 3,734 units.

There were also a few reshuffling in the top 10 rankings, with Ford overtaking Hyundai for fourth place, and Kia even managed to outperform bakkie best-seller Isuzu.

Taking a more holistic look at the South African car industry, 90.3% of April’s sales are represented by dealerships, while 5.2% came from the rental industry, 2.8% from corporate fleets, and 1.7% from the government.

The passenger car segment accounted for 24,174 units – a 6.1% decrease compared to the same month last year – while light commercial vehicles experienced an 11.0% increase over the same period for a total of 10,611 units.

South African auto exports saw a month-on-month decline of 7.18% from March, but are nonetheless going strong with as many as 30,756 units making their way overseas.