Johannesburg - While March 2023 saw the overall vehicle market decline by 0.6% versus the same month last year, light commercial vehicles saw some robust growth.
A total of 50 465 new vehicles were sold last month, according to Naamsa, with passenger car sales declining by 6.1% year-on-year, and LCVs gaining 11.1% to total 15 529 units.
Looking at the sales charts, it was clearly a bumper month for many of South Africa’s one-tonne bakkie contenders, and no surprises here, the Toyota Hilux led the way with 3 920 sales.
But it was also a better-than-usual month for the Isuzu D-Max and new Ford Ranger, with respective sales totals of 2 289 and 2 247 units, while the new Volkswagen Amarok also enjoyed a surprisingly strong month with 401 units registered.
- 1. Toyota Hilux - 3 920
- 2. Isuzu D-Max - 2 289
- 3. Ford Ranger - 2 247
- 4. Nissan NP200 - 1 404
- 5. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 966
- 6. Nissan Navara - 475
- 7. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 406
- 8. Volkswagen Amarok - 401
- 9. GWM P-Series - 372
- 10. Hyundai H100 - 253
- 11. Suzuki Super Carry - 161
- 12. Kia K2700 - 145
- 13. GWM Steed - 118
- 14. JAC T-Series - 45
- 15. Kia K2500 - 40
- 16. Peugeot Landtrek - 37
- 17. JAC X-Series - 31
- 18. Mahindra Bolero - 21
- 19. Jeep Gladiator - 13
- 20. Mazda BT-50 - 6
- 21. Volkswagen Transporter PU - 2
Toyota sold the most light commercial vehicles overall, with a volume of 6 119 units if you include the Hi-Ace, Quantum and Hino 200 models, while Ford followed with a volume of 2 334 units, including Transit models, and Isuzu completed the podium with 2 289 sales, followed by Nissan (1 879), Mahindra (987), Volkswagen (534) and Haval (490).
While the local vehicle market was hampered by yet another interest rate hike and a sluggish economy battered by load-shedding, export sales provided a silver lining, with the new Ford Ranger providing the industry with a welcome boost.
The Ranger was South Africa’s top export in March, with 5 708 units shipped abroad. It was followed by the Toyota Hilux (3 588), Isuzu D-Max (743) and Nissan Navara (450).