Total new-vehicle sales in October dropped by 2%, to 45 445 units, compared with the same month last year, reports naamsa | The Automotive Business Council.
This was the third consecutive month of sales decline in the domestic market.
The new-passenger-car market reached 29 912 units last month – a drop of 3.5%, compared with October last year.
Car rental sales accounted for 18.3%, or 5 468 units, of new-passenger-vehicle sales.
Sales of new bakkies, vans and minibus taxis – light commercial vehicles – were down 3% in October, to 12 361 units.
Medium-truck sales increased by 8.3%, reaching 807 units, while heavy-truck and bus sales jumped by 26%, to 2 365 units, owing to growing inefficiency in the rail sector, with freight continuing to shift to road, notes naamsa.
New-vehicle export sales in October, at 40 302 units, increased by 39.5%, compared with the same month last year.
However, October 2022 numbers were affected by a strike at rail and port operator Transnet.
Vehicle exports for the year to end-October were 12.7% ahead of the same period last year.