South Africa has received a plethora of great new cars so far this year, but it’s also lost a handful of its most popular models.
There are a total of nine different cars that have been discontinued since the start of 2023, and nearly all of them are from the more affordable end of the market.
Two of the most prominent losses are the Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Toyota Urban Cruiser – entry-level crossovers that managed to sell thousands of units every month. There are still a few units of the Suzuki on offer as it has yet to be delisted, but there’s no telling how long the remaining stock will last.
While these two have seen replacements in the form of the Suzuki Grand Vitara and new Toyota Urban Cruiser, the 2023 models are noticeably more expensive than their predecessors, moving up from the R200,000 to the R300,000 bracket.
Hyundai, meanwhile, said goodbye to its Atos hatchback, leaving the Grand i10 as the brand’s new starting vehicle, and Toyota’s Agya was retired to make way for the new Vitz.
Similarly, Mahindra bade farewell to its KUV100, and so the XUV300 crossover now stands as its most affordable entry.
Subaru’s XV, on the other hand, was replaced with a newcomer in the form of the Crosstrek, which also saw a substantial price jump over the old model.
The most expensive vehicle on the list to be delisted without a replacement is the Toyota FJ Cruiser, which was a rather unique proposition in the Japanese automaker’s stable with its dual fuel tanks, a 4.0-litre V6 engine, and rear-hinged doors.
Finally, Ford and Kia have both confirmed that the EcoSport and Rio have been discontinued, but the two cars are still on sale as of the time of writing.
Kia’s explanation is that the Rio will no longer be made for right-hand drive markets, while Ford is retiring the long-running EcoSport as it has been on the market for over a decade, and both vehicles will cease to be sold in South Africa once existing stock runs out.
Farewell
These are all of the cars that have been discontinued in the first half of 2023 in South Africa.
BAIC X25
- Starting price when new – R219,990
Ford EcoSport
- Starting price when new – R311,400
Hyundai Atos
- Starting price when new – R199,900
Kia Rio
- Starting price when new – R311,400
Mahindra KUV100
- Starting price when new – R172,999
Mahindra XUV500
- Starting price when new – R416,999
Subaru XV
- Starting price when new – R464,000
Suzuki Vitara Brezza
- Starting price when new – R262,900
Toyota Agya
- Starting price when new – R200,000
Toyota FJ Cruiser
- Starting price when new – R797,100
Toyota Urban Cruiser
- Starting price when new – R283,200
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