These are the most wanted cars in South Africa right now
AutoTrader has released new data on South Africa’s auto-buying public, with search statistics showing exactly which cars are the hottest in the minds of motor enthusiasts right now.
Gathered from user statistics throughout 2017, AutoTrader has confirmed that, for South Africans, the BMW 3 Series is the most sought-after car; a sedan is the country’s preferred body type; and a journey of 100km to secure a dream automobile is perfectly acceptable.
According to AutoTrader’s CEO, George Mienie, the analysis is a powerful tool to understand exactly what the country’s auto-buying public want.
The group’s search analysis reveals interesting trends – like the public’s desire for German vehicles, it said.
“Based on 2017 statistics, after the BMW 3 Series, it’s the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Volkswagen Golf that are most searched for,” Mienie said.
“It’s clear that, while car buyers also like Japanese vehicles – the Toyota Hilux, for instance, is the fourth most searched-for vehicle – but they really love German cars. In fact, seven out of the top ten most searched-for vehicles hail from German companies.”
The popularity of the sedan body type supports the trend for the 3 Series and C-Class.
“In second place, when it comes to body type, is the hatchback, which makes sense given the popularity of the Golf and Polo (the sixth most searched-for car in South Africa),” said Mienie.
“The hatchback is almost as popular as the sedan; the number of searches there is a mere 4% lower. Occupying third place in the body type search is the coupé.”
Perhaps the most interesting AutoTrader search data analysis is the insight into how far buyers are willing to travel for the right car.
“While the most popular search radius is 100 km, many buyers are willing to search nationally (1 500 km radius),” Mienie said.
“Western Cape residents are especially happy to hit the road in their search for their next car; a whopping 50% of all searches using the national radius hail from this province.”
Casting ahead, Mienie said he expects German sedans to stay in top position in 2018. “While we are seeing many car buyers express interest in SUVs and Japanese/Korean vehicles, SA’s brand loyalty still reigns supreme,” he said.
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