South Africa has a thriving automotive industry with an incredible 44 different car brands to choose from – nine of which even have a factory set up on local soil.
BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Isuzu, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and VW all own facilities on the tip of Africa, and these locations employ thousands of citizens and produce a wide range of models of all shapes, sizes, and price points for both the domestic market and for export to foreign markets.
In May 2023 alone, South Africa’s carmakers were able to send nearly 32,000 units to other countries around the world, with Europe being the biggest taker of African-made cars.
These models are not just popular overseas, as many of the country’s homemade vehicles are also top sellers, with a few of the most notable examples being the Toyota Corolla Cross, VW Polo, and Ford Ranger.
Many of these factories have been producing the same models for over a decade, but a few brands have made the switch to more popular models in-line with market trends, such as BMW and its plant that transitioned from making the 3 Series sedan to the X3 SUV.
Locally made
Listed below are all the cars manufactured in South Africa right now.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
BMW X3 – Rosslyn, Pretoria
- Starting price – R957,224
- Number of models – 10
- Number of units sold in May – Not reported
Ford Ranger – Silverton, Pretoria
- Starting price – R464,200
- Number of models – 23
- Number of units sold in May – 2,104
Hyundai EX8 – Benoni, East Rand
- Starting price – R604,900
- Number of models – 2
- Number of units sold in May – 27
Isuzu D-Max – Struandale, Gqeberha
- Starting price – R346,800
- Number of models – 32
- Number of units sold in May – 1,555
Mahindra Pik Up – Dube Tradeport, Durban
- Starting price – R249,999
- Number of models – 25
- Number of units sold in May – 639
Mercedes-Benz C-Class – East London, Eastern Cape
- Starting price – R1,007,056
- Number of models – 4
- Number of units sold in May – Not reported
Nissan NP200 – Rosslyn, Pretoria
- Starting price – R226,000
- Number of models – 2
- Number of units sold in May – 1,157
Nissan Navara – Rosslyn, Pretoria
- Starting price – R355,400
- Number of models – 17
- Number of units sold in May – 318
Toyota Corolla Quest – Prospecton, Durban
- Starting price – R316,600
- Number of models – 6
- Number of units sold in May – 327
Toyota Corolla Cross – Prospecton, Durban
- Starting price – R392,900
- Number of models – 7
- Number of units sold in May – 1,644
Toyota Fortuner – Prospecton, Durban
- Starting price – R653,500
- Number of models – 7
- Number of units sold in May – 1,018
Toyota Hiace – Prospecton, Durban
- Starting price – R528,100
- Number of models – 3
- Number of units sold in May – 1,553
Toyota Hilux – Prospecton, Durban
- Starting price – R346,200
- Number of models – 39
- Number of units sold in May – 2,798
VW Amarok – Silverton, Pretoria
- Starting price – R499,000
- Number of models – 15
- Number of units sold in May – 330
VW Polo hatch – Kariega, Eastern Cape
- Starting price – R337,700
- Number of models – 5
- Number of units sold in May – 1,024
VW Polo sedan – Kariega, Eastern Cape
- Starting price – R340,700
- Number of models – 3
- Number of units sold in May – 146
VW Polo Vivo – Kariega, Eastern Cape
- Starting price – R248,500
- Number of models – 5
- Number of units sold in May – 1,876
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