4x4s by the numbers

Of all the trends we’ve analysed in the South African auto space over the past year, one of the most noteworthy is that of pick-ups and 4X4’s which has revealed some rather interesting trends when it comes to different preferences for this vehicle type.

When looking at new vehicle sales data, there has been an increase in the number of Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) 4X4 sales in the past 15 years – with sales of single cab pick-ups consistently dominating in the market. Where 70 885 single cab pick-ups were sold in SA in 2000, only 26 453 double cab pick-ups were sold in the same year.

Compare that to 71 339 single cabs and 35 384 double cabs sold in 2015 (as of September 2015) it is clear that South Africans still prefer single cabs.  While double cabs may offer two more seats for a family, the downfall is that this cuts back on the “bakkie space”.

In addition, one cannot claim tax on a double cab when it is for commercial use – another aspect making double cabs less appealing. When looking at single cabs, they can fit far more goods that may need to be transported – particularly for those within the construction, building, mining and agricultural space who need to transport large amounts of material.

Another interesting point that our data unearthed was that of gear type preferences. Double cab sale trends in 2000 saw manual double cabs owning 98.72% of the market when compared to that of 1,28% for automatic double cabs. Fast forward to 2015 and automatic double cab sales have steadily increased to 27.78% of the market, with manual double cabs sitting at 72,22%.

In 2015, diesel as a fuel type preference for double cab drivers far outweighs that of petrol. Looking at data from 2000, there was a split of 57.89% diesel to 42.11% petrol preference. In 2015, diesel still holds the majority of fuel preference by double cab drivers (92.25% – which is a massive jump) when compared to that of petrol, which has dipped to 7.75%.

There are many reasons that South Africans are opting for diesel double cabs, notably the fact that diesel fuel consumption may be less than petrol fuel consumption, making it a more appealing option economically. That said, there is still a place for petrol in the 4X4 market, particularly for those riding off-road, where petrol will far outperform diesel.

As one may have guessed (stereotypically, at that) males still hold a larger share of the double cab market (about 80.9%) when compared to that of females (at 19.1%.).

And despite some efforts by 4×4 companies ladies have found other ways to be “tough”.