The most popular car brands in South Africa – and the 12 best-selling models right now

·4 Feb 2023

While load shedding has contributed to the challenges confronting South Africa’s economy and the automotive industry – with imports declining by 1.8% in January 2023 – the domestic market showed some resilience.

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa’s (Naamsa) New Vehicle Sales stats for January 2023 show a year-on-year increase of 4.8%.

Toyota continued its reign as the leading brand in local car sales, with a total of 12,574 vehicles sold in January 2023 – accounting for 28.8% of the market share.

This is largely thanks to the fact that Toyota holds the top three spots on the bell-selling cars list, with its flagship Hilux bakkie on top, followed by the Toyota Corolla Cross (2nd) and Toyota Starlet (3rd).

According to Navamsa’s report, Toyota sold 2,769 Hilux bakkies, 2,042 Corolla Crosses, and 2,037 Starlets – representing more than half of its total sales in January 2023.

Regarding most popular brands, while Toyota reigns as champion, Volkswagen Group is second with 5,081 vehicles sold locally, and Suzuki Auto is third with 4,357 units sold.

Of the total reported industry sales of 43,509 vehicles, 83.6% were represented by dealer sales, 12.1% by sales to the vehicle rental industry, 2.2% to the government, and 2.1% to corporate industry fleets.

The top 10 brands that sold the most cars locally in January 2023 were:

Toyota – 12,532 units
Volkswagen Group – 5,081 units
Suzuki – 4,357 units
Nissan – 2,927 units
Hyundai – 2,525 units
Renault – 2,051 units
Kia – 1,686 units
Ford – 1,661 units
Haval – 1,565 units
Isuzu – 1,527 units

2023 expectations

Despite the majority of the number being positive for January 2023, the weak performance of the new vehicle market is in line with expectations of a depressed economy along with ongoing structural problems and cost of living increases, said Naamsa.

“The same challenges confronting the economy and the automotive industry in 2022 – such as persistent load shedding, high inflation and interest rates, and currency depreciation – have been carried over into 2023,” it said.

Naamsa added that there is a close correlation between new vehicle sales and the country’s GDP growth rate, and the adjusted GDP growth rate of only 0.3% for 2023 is a warning sign for the motor industry.

Despite the unpredictability in the new vehicle market, Naamsa noted that sales should still exceed the pre-Covid-19 level in 2023.

Wesbank head of marketing and communications, Lebogang Gaoaketse, added that year-on-year comparisons are now relatively more sensible and realistic given the market’s recovery to relatively normal terms last year.

However, that doesn’t mean the market will flourish.

“Exchange rates affect pricing, fuel prices impact mobility budgets, supply could change, and constant economic pressures will continue to influence household budgets and business confidence. Affordability will continue to be a driving factor in the South African new vehicle landscape,” said Gaoaketse.

The top 12 best-selling models in January 2023 are listed below:

1. Toyota Hilux – 2,769 units sold