Say goodbye to these 8 cars in South Africa
There are seven cars from several brands that have reached the end of their production, as the brands have announced that they will be discontinued in 2025.
These include the Audi A4, Jeep Renegade, Fiat Tipo, Maserati Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte, Jaguar F-Pace, and Lexus RC.
Some of these departures mark the end of an era for several long-running models as automakers shift their focus to new technologies, electric vehicles, and changing market dynamics.
The Audi A4, which has been around since 1994, is being discontinued and replaced by the new A5 range.
The new lineup includes four-door coupés and station wagons, marking the end of one of Audi’s most familiar sedans.
The Jeep Renegade is also being cut. Sales dropped sharply in 2024, and it has already been removed from Jeep’s South African website. Jeep said it plans to introduce new models to take its place sometime in the future.
Fiat has dropped the Tipo hatchback due to extremely low sales. Only nine Tipos were sold in South Africa in 2024, down from 87 in 2023.
Fiat noted that it will now focus on its Panda models and new small SUVs that are expected to launch soon.
Luxury brands are also slimming down. Maserati has discontinued production of three models this year—the Ghibli sedan, the Levante SUV, and the Quattroporte luxury sedan. The brand plans to replace them with new electric vehicles in the future.
Jaguar is in the middle of its move to become an all-electric brand. It has already ended production of the XE, XF, and F-Type models and stopped making the E-Pace and I-Pace at the end of 2024.
The F-Pace SUV continued into 2025, but it will also be discontinued this year and replaced by new electric models.
The Lexus RC has also been discontinued in South Africa. The model was last updated in 2019 and was already rare on local roads. Lexus South Africa has confirmed that there are no plans for a new sports car to replace it.
These model cuts come at a time when the South African car market has been performing strongly despite affordability pressures.
New vehicle sales have grown for 12 consecutive months, and September 2025 saw a 24.3% year-over-year increase to 54,700 units.
According to WesBank’s head of marketing and communication, Lebo Gaoaketse, this steady growth reflects improving economic conditions.
“A more favourable economic outlook should continue to support increased new vehicle sales,” he said.
Stable fuel prices, a stronger rand, and unchanged interest rates are giving consumers more confidence to buy cars again.
Still, affordability remains a challenge. “Levels of demand are unprecedented, with September having the highest volumes of applications for finance,” said Gaoaketse.
“Ten years ago, with similar sales volumes, WesBank had 28% fewer finance applications, showing how competition for credit has increased.”
Passenger car sales rose 28% in September to 38,603 units, while light commercial vehicles climbed nearly 20% to 13,078 units.
More buyers are opting for double-cab bakkies instead of sedans, and rental companies also boosted sales with over 8,000 new vehicles bought in September alone.
The growing presence of Chinese brands has added even more competition. South Africans can now choose from more than 40 Chinese models, with prices starting at around R269,000 and going up to R1.4 million.
Brands like Chery and Suzuki have seen huge growth in recent years. In 2014, they sold a combined 7,699 cars; in 2024, they sold over 76,000—an increase of nearly 900%.
This surge, especially from Chery and Suzuki, has changed the market. Many South Africans facing high living costs are choosing these affordable, well-equipped cars over traditional European brands.
At the same time, while some are expanding their local offerings, others, such as Audi, Jaguar, and Maserati, are discontinuing older models and preparing for the electric era.
The eight cars that have been discontinued in South Africa over the course of 2025 are listed below.
Audi A4
Jeep Renegade
Fiat Tipo
Maserati Levante
Maserati Ghibli
Maserati Quattroporte
Jaguar F-Pace
Lexus RC
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