Domestic new vehicle sales in March, at 55 449 units, inched up a mere nine units compared with the same month last year.
Statistics released by the Department of Trade and Industry on Wednesday showed that new passenger car sales declined by 3% in March, to 35 548 units.
Sales of new light commercial vehicles, bakkies and minibuses, at 16 808 units, grew 5.5%, while sales of medium trucks, at 1 104 units, increased by 8.8%.
New heavy truck and bus sales continued the healthy trend in the commercial vehicle sector, expanding by 7.6%, to 1 989 units.
March also proved to be an excellent month for vehicle exports.
The local automotive assembly industry moved 34 147 units to markets abroad – a 38.5% gain on March last year.
The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa said the bulk of the improvement was owing to the contribution by Mercedes-Benz South Africa, exporting the new C-Class to a number of overseas markets.
Vehicle exports for 2015 were expected to improve by between 20% and 25%, to a record of between 332 000 and 340 000 units, the association noted.
“The South African vehicle manufacturing industry was showing clear signs of realising its potential, particularly in respect of vehicle exports.”
TOP-SELLING CARS AND BAKKIES IN MARCH
1. Toyota Hilux 3 625
2. Ford Ranger 3 107
3. Volkswagen Polo Vivo 2 837
4. Nissan NP200 1 956
5. Volkswagen Polo 1 903
6. Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest 1 847
7. Isuzu KB 1 672
8. Chevrolet Utility 1 584
9. Toyota Etios 1 560
10. Ford EcoSport 1 036
NOTABLE SALES FOR MARCH
BMW South Africa sold 21 i3 electric vehicles in March, and 11 i8 plug-in hybrid sportscars, following the launch of these vehicles in February.