MARKET LEADER The Volkswagen Polo sold 22 916 units last year
Automotive manufacturing company Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) ended 2017 with 80 308 sales, giving it a total market share of 21.8%, with the Volkswagen brand achieving 18.9% share in a year in which it ran out of supply of its most successful models.
Since the introduction of the Polo and Polo Vivo in 2010, VWSA has been passenger car market leader every year. The Polo Vivo sold 28 402 units from January to December last year, while the Polo sold 22 916 units in the same period.
“The Polo Vivo and Polo remained the first and second best-selling passenger cars in 2017, which is also for the seventh consecutive year. “This is an incredible achievement for the Volkswagen brand considering that we effectively ran out of supply in December of the key models which is illustrated by the unusually low 14.8% market share we achieved in December,” says VWSA chairperson and MD Thomas Schaefer.
VWSA member Audi improved its year-on-year share by 1.2%, despite tough trading conditions in the premium market and delivered a passenger market share of 2.9%, placing the brand in third place in the premium market with a total share of 18.7%. Despite a year-on-year decline of 12.7% in the premium market, Audi’s share of the premium market only declined by 6.8%.
“I am delighted by the performance of both the Volkswagen and Audi brands and I know that we will do even better this year,” says Schaefer.
Volkswagen will launch the new Polo and Polo Vivo this quarter.