The best-selling car brands in South Africa

Naamsa has released South Africa’s new vehicle sales figures for May 2021, revealing that Toyota is the best-selling brand in the country.

Toyota placed well ahead of VW in second, Ford in third, and Hyundai in fourth.

Suzuki took fifth sport in the new vehicle sales ranking for the month.

Naamsa stated that aggregate domestic sales in May 2021 came to 38,337 units, which is an increase of 25,463 units – or 197% – compared to the 12,874 vehicles sold in May 2020.

“Export sales also recorded a gain of 23,425 units, or 196%, to 35,326 units in May 2021 compared to the 11,901 vehicles exported in May 2020,” said Naamsa.

It provided a more in-depth look at the sales numbers and stated that in May 2021:

• New passenger cars accounted for 24,122 units.
• The car rental industry accounted for 11.4% of car sales in May 2021.
• Domestic sales of new light commercial vehicles, bakkies, and mini-buses came to 11,930 units.
• Sales for medium and heavy trucks reflected a positive performance, at 559 units and 1,726 units, respectively.

Best-selling brands

The list below provides an overview of the best-selling car brands in South Africa, based on new vehicle sales numbers in May 2021.

• Toyota – 9,882
• VW – 5,579
• Ford – 2,910
• Hyundai – 2,836
• Suzuki – 2,034
• Isuzu – 1,818
• Haval – 1,782
• Nissan – 1,746
• Kia – 1,521
• Renault – 1,511

Estimate sales numbers were also provided for BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The figures were 1,107 and 928, respectively.

In terms of vehicle exports from South Africa, Toyota, VW, and Ford dominated the sector.

Their vehicle export numbers for May 2021 were as follows:

• Ford – 10,208
• VW – 9,099
• Toyota – 5,243

“Vehicle exports continued their upward momentum during the month in line with the rebound in the global economy and subsequent higher demand for vehicles in international markets,” said Naamsa.

“Since most OEMs have grown their volumes substantially and produce a very high proportion of vehicles for the export market, vehicle exports remain key to the viability of the domestic automotive industry.”