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- The top 10 best-selling brands for passenger vehicles.
- BMW and Mercedes-Benz only list total vehicle sales, not individual figures for their model ranges.
- Toyota, Volkswagen and Suzuki are the front-runners.
And just like that, it's the middle of the year. One thing that's always been a constant is the automotive market.
New vehicles are launched almost monthly; if they don't sell well over a certain period, they are usually discontinued. The car sales game can sometimes be a vicious one. At the moment, Toyota, Volkswagen and Suzuki lead the line as South Africa's best-selling automakers for passenger vehicles and overall sales according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa).
Newcomers like Chery and Haval are also staking their claim in a bid to dethrone more established brands. Not to be forgotten are the exports. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen exported the most passenger vehicles with figures of 3 300, 7 567 and 7 855 units, respectively.
Passengers only
Passenger vehicles make up the majority of sales; then you also have to factor in light, medium, heavy vehicles, extra heavy and buses, increasing the grand total. Ford, for example, doesn't have the best passenger figures, but their numbers are extremely healthy when you include the Ranger bakkie into the mix. On the other hand, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche only list total and not individual sales figures.
SEE | Here's how South Africa's car prices compare to some other countries
For May, Toyota had three models that sold more than 1 000 units – Corolla Cross (1 644), Starlet (1 218) and Fortuner (1 018).
Volkswagen has the Polo (1 024) and Polo Vivo (1 876) that continue to be dominant forces.
Rising inflation and a volatile economy are clearly not a problem for many customers because brand-new vehicles these days aren't cheap. That said, affordability and value for money remain at the forefront of many buyers' minds when in the market for their next set of wheels. With newer vehicle launches scheduled for the remainder of this year, expect figures to change over the coming months.
These are the top ten best-selling automakers in South Africa, based on the Naamsa report data. We looked at the top-selling passenger vehicle from each of the 10 top-ranked brands for May 2023, and based on the model range information provided:
