These are best-selling car brands in South Africa – with new challengers emerging
The South African new vehicle market saw a third straight month of growth in December, with Chinese-made cars continuing to gain market share in the country.
According to the latest stats by Naamsa, aggregate industry sales reached 41,273 units, a 2.5% increase compared to December 2023.
Although this was a welcome surge, it was not enough to give the industry the boost, it needed, as total aggregate vehicle sales for the year declined by 3% to 515,712 units.
Automotive Business Council Naamsa said that this downturn reflects the broader economic challenges faced by the country in 2024.
Passenger car sales offered some hope, as they saw a 1.1% increase for the year. However, all commercial vehicle segments saw declines.
The December growth was mainly driven by an 8.2% rise in passenger car sales, with the rental industry playing a huge role.
When it comes to the economic environment, Naamsa noted that several Chinese brands are gaining market share, as they offer more affordable prices.
These affordable prices are bringing in consumers who are battling a tough economic climate.
Sector | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 /2023% Change |
| Cars | 246,541 | 304,338 | 363,682 | 347,379 | 351,302 | +1.1% |
| Light Commercials | 110,912 | 133,078 | 135,711 | 151,490 | 133,254 | -12% |
| Medium Commercials | 6,735 | 7,520 | 8,308 | 8,252 | 7,714 | -6.5% |
| Heavy Trucks, Buses | 16,018 | 19,555 | 21,841 | 24,654 | 23,442 | -4,9% |
| Total Vehicles | 380,206 | 464,491 | 529,542 | 531,775 | 515,712 | -3,0% |
Top brands
Naamsa’s data also looked at the best-selling car brands in South Africa, with some interesting trends.
Looking at the local market, Toyota remained supreme when it came to local car sales, registering 11,442 sales in December.
Volkswagen came second with 4,832 units, while Suzuki was a close third with 4,514 units.
There was another big drop off to the fourth place Hyundai, which sold 2,826 new cars during the month.
Notably, as mentioned by Naamsa, Chinese brands climbed the rankings.
Chery sold 1,867 units over the period, while GWM sold 1,686 units. The Chinese brands combined sold over 3,500 new cars in South Africa.
Looking back to the same figures in December 2023, Haval, which is now part of GWM, was the only Chinese manufacturer to feature in the top 10, with 1,480 units sold.
The growing prevalence of Chinese brands can thus be seen in the latest sales data.
The top 10 brands that sold the most cars locally in December 2024 were:
- Toyota – 11 422 units
- Volkswagen – 4 832 units
- Suzuki – 4 514 units
- Hyundai – 2 826 units
- Ford – 2 607 units
- Chery –1 867 units
- GWM – 1 686 units
- KIA – 1,496 units
- Isuzu – 1 364 units
- Renault – 1 105 units
Read: Why kissing the dollar goodbye is not as simple as it seems
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