Johannesburg: A whole lot of cautious optimism. That seems to be the overall feeling in the South African motor industry this year, with January and February showing strong year-on-year gains.
According to Automotive Business Council Naamsa, 44 229 vehicles were sold in the country last month, which is an increase of 18.4% over the same month in 2021.
However, when it comes to growth, the bakkies continue to trail cars, with LCV sales having increased by just 9.4% year-on-year in February, versus 22.4% for passenger vehicles.
That could all change by the end of this year though, with the all-new Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max models set to launch in 2022, with the Isuzu D-Max expected to debut in March and the Ford Ranger by year-end.
It begs the question of whether the Toyota Hilux will remain the dominant player by this time next year. In February, it enjoyed a dominant lead, with 3 503 units sold. It was followed by the Isuzu D-Max, Nissan NP200 and Ford Ranger.
TOP 10 BAKKIES: FEBRUARY 2022
- Toyota Hilux - 3 503
- Isuzu D-Max - 1 401
- Nissan NP200 - 1 020
- Ford Ranger - 879
- Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 766
- GWM P-Series - 623
- GWM Steed - 526
- Nissan Navara - 476
- Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 244
- Hyundai H100 Bakkie - 242
Best of the rest
Among the upmarket double cabs, the Volkswagen Amarok was best of the rest, with 159 sales in February. Next up was the Peugeot Landtrek, with 30 units, narrowly outselling the Mitsubishi Triton (27) and Mazda’s ill-fated BT-50 (16).
Among the more work-oriented pick-ups, Kia’s K2500 and K2700 models sold a combined 215 units, while the Mahindra Bolero managed 114 sales and the Suzuki Super Carry 91.
National Automobile Dealers’ Association chairperson Mark Dommisse said the strong demand for commercial vehicles at dealer level showed that business confidence was improving. However, it had to also be borne in mind that commercial vehicle sales were usually strong in February due to the financial year end for most businesses, and it was also a favoured month for farming communities to make their purchases.
Although there were risks ahead, due largely to the Ukraine conflict, the overall picture seemed positive for vehicle sales in general.
“It’s encouraging that sales have been up for the first two months of the year compared to January and February 2021, despite the supply issues affecting most franchises,” Dommisse said.
“What is important is that the dealer channel was responsible for 84.9% of sales, which points to growing consumer confidence despite the conflict in Ukraine, the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, and a continuing global shortage of semiconductors which affects the number of new vehicles being produced.”