The VW Polo was the most searched for used car in South Africa in the first half of 2022.
In a surprise development – BMW, a brand which has long ruled the used car roost in South Africa – has been knocked off the podium position by Volkswagen as it received the most searches for a used car out of any brand in the country.
This nugget of information is one of numerous statistics contained in the 2022 AutoTrader Mid-Year Car Industry Report, which was released last month. This is the first time in the history of the report that Volkswagen has pipped BMW to the used car search post.
The insight was discovered after analysing search data on AutoTrader, the largest motoring marketplace in South Africa. AutoTrader’s data is a definitive indicator of consumer car shopping behaviour.
According to AutoTrader’s CEO George Mienie, BMW has always reigned supreme in this regard.
“Historically, BMW has been the most searched for brand in the South African new and used market. It continues to be one of the most popular brands and is also one of the first advocates and investors in future mobility, specifically battery-electric and hybrid drivetrain options,” says Mienie.
“In the first six months of 2022, BMW sold approximately 5 312 new vehicles. BMW has also introduced and confirmed several new electric vehicle launches in 2022.”
But, despite this legacy of popularity in the market, BMW has now been overtaken by Volkswagen, which has done extremely well, moving up from third place a year ago.
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In the first six months of 2022, Volkswagen was responsible for over 46 million searches. This represented 15.6% of all car brand searches, up from 11.9% in the first half of 2021. BMW achieved the second most searches (14.98%), up from 12.7% in 2021.
Toyota, which was the fourth most searched brand, is now third, ahead of Mercedes-Benz, which was second in 2021, and is now fourth.
“The good news is that, while the Volkswagen brand is the most popular, its models are also readily available in the used car market,” adds Mienie.
In fact, the single most listed model in 2022 was the Volkswagen Polo with an average selling price of R278 330, average mileage of 55 351 km and average year of registration of 2019.
Too see the 2022 AutoTrader Mid-Year Car Industry Report, click here.
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