Motoring

Bakkie sales: South Africa’s top five vs global hard-hitters

South Africa is known the world over for its love of bakkies reflected month after month on the annual National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) sales figures.

Predictability those sales figures are headed by the Toyota Hilux with the Isuzu D-Max and Ford Ranger vying for the second and third steps on the podium, no less than four bakkies featured among January’s top ten best-selling vehicles.

Bakkie importance

While passenger vehicles still accounted for the most of the 43 509 vehicles sold in South Africa last month, 31 072 to be exact, light duty commercials contributed 10 622 to the final tally that resulted in a 13th straight month of vehicle sales increases.

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Topped by the Hilux on 2 769, the D-Max edged out the Ranger by a tiny margin, 1 273 versus 1 269, to finish second, with the NP200 fourth on 886. The surprise though was the Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up that ranked fifth with sales of 819 units.

ALSO READ: Three Toyota models lead, as new vehicle sales start year off on a high

In doing so, it made for a top five all assembled in South Africa as Hilux and Scorpio Pik-Up production take place in Durban, Ranger and NP200 assembly in Pretoria and D-Max production in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth.

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On the other side of the world, the popularity of bakkies is equally well vested with Australia, Brazil, Thailand and the United States being key markets renowned for the favouring of single, extra and double cabs above SUVs, sedan/hatchbacks and MPVs.

Us versus “the world”

As a comparison, here is how South Africa’s top five best-selling bakkies in January stacked up against those from the markets in question.

South Africa

43 509 vehicles sold

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Toyota Hilux has been South Africa’s top-selling vehicle and bakkie for years
POSBAKKIEUNITS SOLD
1.Toyota Hilux2 769
2.Isuzu D-Max1 273
3.Ford Ranger1 269
4.Nissan NP200886
5.Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up819

Australia

84 873 vehicles sold

New Ford Ranger, assembled in Thailand, reached top status in Australia last month.
POSBAKKIEUNITS SOLD
1.Ford Ranger4 749
2.Toyota Hilux4 131
3.Isuzu D-Max1 843
4.Mazda BT-501 253
5.Mitsubishi Triton1 253

Brazil

130 460 vehicles sold

New Fiat Starda has been a runaway success since debuting in Brazil two years ago.
POSBAKKIEUNITS SOLD
1.Fiat Strada7 000
2.Toyota Hilux3 435
3.Fiat Toro3 281
4.Volkswagen Saveiro2 714
5.Chevrolet S-102 039

Thailand

total sales not reported

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Isuzu D-Max tops the list in Thailand
POSBAKKIEUNITS SOLD
1.Isuzu D-Max11 820
2.Toyota Hilux10 349
3.Ford Ranger2 428
4.Mitsubishi Triton1 246
5.Nissan Navara268

United States

544 382 vehicles sold

Always a constant; the Ford F-150 keeps hold of its crown in the United States
POSBAKKIEUNITS SOLD
1.Ford F-series55 001
2.Toyota Tacoma17 851
3.Toyota Tundra6 473
4.Ford Maverick6 272
5.Honda Ridgeline3 161
Note: General Motors and Stellantis don’t reported monthly sales, which explains the absence of the Chevrolet Silverado and Colorado, as well as the Ram 1500.

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Published by
By Charl Bosch
Read more on these topics: bakkie