Dealers News South Africa

Best-selling new vehicles in SA

Which car brands topped the South African sales charts in the first six months of the year? Are locals sticking to tried-and-tested names or willing to explore alternatives? Let's have a look!

The following sales results are provided by Lightstone Auto, and are for the first six months of the year. Note that Mercedes-Benz does not report disaggregated sales data, but does provide a total passenger market number (included below). We are therefore unable to include, for example, the historically strong-selling Mercedes-Benz C-Class as an individual model.

Sales totals are for all channels (dealers, rentals, government etc.)

Overall brand sales

1.Toyota62,325
2.Volkswagen37,069
3.Ford27,863
4.Nissan23,605
5.Hyundai17,971
6.Renault11,459
7.Mercedes-Benz8,757
8.Kia8,617
9.BMW8,476
10.Isuzu7,617

Passenger cars (top 20)


The new VW Polo Vivo ranks as the top-selling passenger car in the first half of 2018.

Volkswagen's major announcements of 2018 have certainly found favour with South Africans, with the new Polo and Polo Vivo (previous-gen Polo) secure at the top of the sales charts.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that a relatively pricey, big SUV occupies the third spot on the podium – Toyota's Fortuner continues to be the large family car of choice. Five other SUV/crossovers also make the top 20.

Just outside of the Top 20 with more than 2,000 units sold in the first six months, Mazda's CX-5 (our current Cars.co.za Consumer Awards - powered by WesBank, Family Car of the Year) is also selling very strongly.

1.VW Polo Vivo (hatch and sedan)13,974
2.VW Polo (hatch and sedan)11,712
3.Toyota Fortuner6,769
4.Hyundai Grand i106,201
5.Toyota Etios5,819
6.Toyota Corolla Quest4,933
7.Kia Picanto4,549
8.Renault Kwid4,530
9.Toyota RAV43,318
10.BMW 3 Series3,286
11.Hyundai Creta3,144
12.VW Tiguan3,049
13.Toyota Yaris3,001
14.Datsun Go2,952
15.Ford EcoSport2,883
16.Toyota Corolla2,870
17.Toyota Avanza2,661
18.VW Golf2,645
19.Renault Sandero II2,549
20.Ford Everest2,446

Light commercial vehicles (top 10)


Still the king – recent additions such as the Dakar Limited Edition have further enhanced the Hilux's enduring appeal.

The battle between the Hilux and Ranger rages on, but Toyota has emerged victorious in the first half of this year. With the half-tonne market now all to itself, Nissan's NP200 continues to do well, and the ageing Isuzu KB is certainly benefitting from greater marketing attention, now that the Japanese brand operates independently in South Africa. Nissan will be hoping to significantly improve on Navara volumes in the second half of the year.

1.Toyota Hilux19,846
2.Ford Ranger15,079
3.Nissan NP2009,556
4.Toyota Quantum7,938
5.Isuzu KB7,409
6.Nissan NP300/Hardbody4,358
7.Hyundai H100 bakkie1,436
8.VW Amarok1,387
9.Toyota Landcruiser PU1,319
10.Nissan Navara1,226

This article was originally published on Cars.co.za.

Source: Cars.co.za

Cars.co.za is a leading online automotive retail portal that lists more than 70 000 vehicles stocked by hundreds of dealers countrywide, as well as the top-ranked branded SA YouTube channel. In 2015, Cars.co.za repositioned itself as a consumer champion by optimising its editorial content for the purposes of engaging and empowering its users. The Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey, in association with Lightstone Consumer, and the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – powered by WesBank, underlines the company’s objective to be the most comprehensive resource to South African vehicle buyers.

Go to: http://www.cars.co.za
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