The 2023 Ford Ranger
The number of used-car sales last year increased by 4.6% compared with 2022, this according to AutoTrader data.
Overall, 367 075 used cars changed hands, at an average selling price of R399 163.
The increase in unit sales and average selling price helped drive up the total value of used cars sold by 7.7% year-on-year, says AutoTrader.
At R146.5-billion, this figure outperformed the previous year’s numbers by some R10.5-billion.
The Toyota brand continued to fuel car shoppers’ passions, says the digital marketplace.
Like it did in 2022, the Japanese brand sold the most used cars (60 296) in 2023.
Volkswagen, Ford, BMW and Mercedes-Benz made up the rest of the top five.
Asian brands continued to make inroads into the domestic used-car market.
“Suzuki posted the biggest year-on-year growth, at 28.8%. Kia too was in the driver’s seat, with growth of 16.6%,” says AutoTrader CEO George Mienie.
German carmakers, however, might find the data worrisome, he adds.
German premium automakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi (which lost two spots in the ranking) posted a dip in sales.
Even Volkswagen’s ever-popular VW Polo, the third most sold model in 2023, is coming under pressure, with used sales slipping by 4.54% year-on-year.
Mirroring 2022, the most popular model was the Ford Ranger in first place, with 20 156 used cars sold, followed by the Toyota Hilux, VW Polo, VW Polo Vivo and the Toyota Fortuner.
The model with the highest sales growth was the Kia Picanto. The Korean hatchback posted sales growth of 18%.