Long-time favourite Suzuki Swift finished fourth overall, but recorded one of its best performances in months. Image: Suzuki.
A reduction in numerous interest hikes and easing fuel prices were cited as the main reasons for the South African automotive industry recording a third consecutive sales increase in July.
Still topped, by the Toyota Hilux, whose sales failed to crack 3 000 units for the first time since May with 2 982, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo emerged as July’s runner-up with 2 177 units sold, followed by June second best-seller, the Ford Ranger in third with 2 089.
Emerging as the biggest surprise though, the Suzuki Swift edged-out the Toyota Corolla Cross by a scant eight unit to finish fourth on 1 809. Finishing sixth by an even tighter margin of four units, was the Toyota HiAce on 1 546 versus the Isuzu D-Max’s 1 542.
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In what continued to a remain a locally assembled flavoured top ten, the Toyota Starlet finished eighth on 1 187 as the second and final imported vehicle to make the cut – the other being the Swift also sourced from India.
Having not featured in the top 10 since February, the Volkswagen Polo marked its return by finishing behind the ninth placed Nissan NP200 (1 041) with 924 examples sold.
In a reversal of the past two months, the July figures posted by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) showed a reduced uptake of 1.3% from 2022’s 42 822 to 43 389.
Despite this, only two segments ended the month on a flat note. This included new passenger vehicles that dipped 9.7% from 30 824 to 27 839, and medium-duty commercial vehicles that lost 11.6% from 2022’s 683 to 2023’s 593.
Going the other way, light commercial vehicles backed-up June’s record 57.1% hike with a smaller but still substantial uptake of 32.6% from 9 552 to 12 666.
Also up, heavy-duty commercial vehicles posted a 31.6% rise to settle at 2 201 units, 528 more than twelve months ago.
Accounting for the biggest surprise though, new vehicle exports reversed June’s downturn by rocketing-up 47.3% from last year’s 25 168 to 37 064 units.
“Improvement in economic conditions, lower fuel index recorded at 8.3%, food inflation revised lower at 10.3%, and notably, the consumer price inflation having gone below the South African Reserve Bank’s target range of 3% to 6% at 5.4% in June 2023 were cited as the main reasons behind the unchanged rates,” Naamsa said.
“The unchanged rates and improvements in inflation rates bodes well for the car market as the second largest household investment cost for many South African consumers, considering the distressed borrowings patterns amongst households as debt service costs share of disposable income remain high at 8.4%, on average.”
Out of the country’s top ten brands, the top six, for the second month in a row, showed no movement Toyota topping the list on 10 812, Volkswagen placing second with 5 797 and Suzuki third with sales of 4 361. Taking fourth was Hyundai with sales 2 878, Ford fifth on 2 500 and Nissan sixth with 2 308.
After falling down to ninth place in June, Haval ended July seventh with 2 030, while Isuzu dropped a place to eighth on 1 903.
The biggest shock was the absence of Kia bumped-out of the top 10 for the first time in years by resurgent Chinese brand Chery, whose 1 375 vehicles sold edged the South Korean giant out by three units. Dropping a place to ninth was Renault on 1 707.
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