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• 38 337 new vehicles were sold in May 2021.
• The Toyota Hilux sold the most number of units on 3 700.
• The Volkswagen Polo and Ford Ranger round out the top three.
• For more motoring stories, go to Wheels24
May 2021 saw new vehicle sales in South Africa register the highest figure yet for the year. This is incredibly encouraging as the market looks to recover following a difficult – and largely uneventful in terms of sales - 2020. As the new year got underway, many buyers used the low-interest rates to purchase a new vehicle. Given that banks and other financial service providers were keen on new business, too, it wasn't that difficult for prospective buyers to argue for a 'good deal'.
As the year drew on, new vehicle sales saw a steady increase to the point that the total figure stood on 38 337 vehicles sold in May. And while incomparable, it is a far cry from the 12 874 units sold in the corresponding month last year. In other words, May 2021 saw a 197.8% increase in sales over May 2020 and a 7.6% growth over April 2021.
This is excellent news for a market trying to recover, but there is still a long way to go before South Africa's new vehicle market will be back to a healthy, competitive level.
The top six
Not only did May 2021 register the highest figure of the year, but the Toyota Hilux also sold the greatest number of units last month. According to Naamsa, 3 700 Hilux bakkies were assigned to new owners, followed by the Volkswagen Polo on 2 100 units. The Ford Ranger sold the third the greatest number of units on 1 972, with Isuzu's trustworthy D-Max took fourth place with 1 540 units.
READ: SA car sales | Low interest rates afford local buyers greater success at vehicle financing
The VW Polo Vivo sold the fifth most vehicles last month with 1 432 units, while the Toyota Fortuner rounds out the top six on 872 units.
According to Wesbank, one of the leading vehicle financing companies in South Africa, they received 46 761 new vehicle applications in May, and the average value of new cars financed was R365 313.
