March new-vehicle sales drop 14%, exports down 18.5%
March domestic new-vehicle sales, at 47 631 units, fell by 14% compared with the same month last year.
The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) said on Friday that the proliferation of public holidays during the period, including Easter – last year during April – affected sales negatively.
Export sales of new vehicles declined by 18.5%, to 27 714 units, with Naamsa attributing this, in part, to the run-out of the Toyota Hilux model at the Japanese manufacturer’s Durban plant.
New car sales, at 30 702 units, dropped by 13.4%.
March sales of new light commercial vehicles, bakkies and minibuses, at 14 507 units, declined by 14%, while sales of medium trucks, at 752 units, plummeted by 31.3%.
New heavy-truck and bus sales also showed a double-digit decline, dropping by 14.8% to 1 670 units.
Naamsa expected new-vehicle exports “to recover significantly” over the medium term, on the back of new-model Hilux exports into Africa as from April, with European markets to follow from the middle of the year.
“Export sales during the second half of 2016 are expected to show strong upward momentum, while vehicle
imports will probably continue to decline on the back of the projected lower domestic market.”
The outlook for the domestic market remained unfavourable, stated Naamsa, owing to low economic growth prospects, the likelihood of double-digit new vehicle price increases as a result of rand weakness and possible further interest rate hikes.
Top-selling Cars and Bakkies in March
1. Toyota Hilux 3 273
2. Ford Ranger 3 004
3. Volkswagen Polo Vivo 2 367
4. Volkswagen Polo 1 958
5. Toyota Quantum 1 369
6. Nissan NP200 1 341
7. Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest 1 214
8. Ford Figo 1 180
9. Isuzu KB 1 042
10. Chevrolet Utility 934
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Rentech provides renewable energy products and services to the local and selected African markets. Supplying inverters, lithium and lead-acid...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
