New vehicle sales for September were down 1.9% year-on-year with a total of 49,670 units sold according to the latest aggregate sales data from the National Automobile Association of South Africa.<\/p>\n
This means that from a year-to-date point of view, total industry sales were on par with the first nine months of 2017, coming in marginally lower at -0.8%.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the results,\u00a0Ghana Msibi, WesBank executive head of sales and marketing, noted that retail consumers have felt a pinch in their wallets because of a combination of economic factors such as price increases from manufacturers due to the weakening rand, the VAT hike in April and ongoing fuel price increases.<\/p>\n
However,\u00a0he\u00a0noted that\u00a0total new vehicle sales through the dealer channel have remained relatively strong, showing an increase of 1.9% year-to-date.<\/p>\n
“Economic headwinds are likely to persist and cause continued strain on the automotive industry. However, we are encouraged by new vehicle sales though the dealer network that increased 0.9% month-on-month and 1.9% year-to-date,”\u00a0Msibi said.<\/p>\n
“As we enter the final quarter of 2018, we remain hopeful that our prediction of 0.75% total industry growth can still be achieved, but not without some challenges.”<\/p>\n
He added that rentals sales increased significantly in September at 20.1% year-on-year, but remained subdued at -3.6% year-to-date.<\/p>\n
“The increase in rental sales is a seasonal trend seen this time of year as rental companies gear up for the pending holiday season,”\u00a0explained John Loxton, WesBank executive head of Fleet Management and Leasing.<\/p>\n
Below are South Africa’s bestselling cars for the month of September 2018.<\/p>\n
| Rank<\/th>\n | Car<\/th>\n | Units sold<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|
| 1<\/td>\n | VW Polo<\/td>\n | 3 532<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2<\/td>\n | VW Polo Vivo<\/td>\n | 1 976<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 3<\/td>\n | Toyota Corolla Quest<\/td>\n | 1 375<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 4<\/td>\n | Toyota Fortuner<\/td>\n | 1 345<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 5<\/td>\n | Toyota Yaris<\/td>\n | 1 111<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 6<\/td>\n | Hyundai Grand i10<\/td>\n | 1 049<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 7<\/td>\n | Ford Fiesta<\/td>\n | 837<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 8<\/td>\n | Renaul Kwid<\/td>\n | 808<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 9<\/td>\n | Kia Picanto<\/td>\n | 750<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 10<\/td>\n | Toyota etios<\/td>\n | 738<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n |