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Cape Town - The latest aggregated sales data from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) show that the decline in new vehicle sales continued in December 2016.
A total of 41 639 vehicles were sold in December month, a year-on-year decline of 15.3%. New vehicle sales for the year are down 11.4%, ending the year on 547 442 units; the lowest levels seen since 2010. The decline in December sales reflects the rest of 2016’s performance.
Light Commercial Vehicle sales slowed 17.8% or 11 303 units. This is in contrast to the overall numbers for the year, which show LCVs performing better than Passenger cars with an 8.9% decrease in sales volume for the year ending 2016.
The Toyota Hilux proved its dominance by ending the year as the best-selling bakkie in South Africa. The Hilux beat its archrival, the Ford Ranger, outselling it by more than 400 units: 3074 vs. 2665.
The Hilux and Ranger were about the only bakkies to have registered solid sales figures, with other contenders all seeing a fall in numbers.
The Isuzu KB saw 912 units finding new owners, followed by the Nissan NP200 on 856. The NP200’s only competitor, the Chevrolet Ute, sold 524 units.
Nissan had another stellar month with the Hardbody registering 737 sales. Mahindra’s Scorpio and Bolero sold 43 and 41 units, respectively, whereas the Volkswagen Amarok found 308 new owners.
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The December 2016 light commercial vehicle market reflected a year-on-year volume change of -7.8%.
The slowdown in the domestic economy, above average new vehicle inflationary pressures, increases in interest rates, pressure on consumers’ and household disposable income and low levels of consumer confidence had contributed to the decline in bakkie sales volumes.
Naamsa said: "Overall, 2016 turned out to be another extremely difficult year for the South African automotive industry with domestic new vehicle sales progressively under pressure, particularly at dealer level, despite attractive sales incentives."
SA's best-selling bakkies:
1 Toyota Hilux - 3074 units
2 Ford Ranger - 2665
3 Isuzu KB - 912
4 Nissan NP200 - 856
5 Nissan Hardbody - 737
6 Chevrolet Ute - 524
7 Volkswagen Amarok - 308
8 Toyota Land Cruiser pick-up - 185
9 Mahindra Scorpio pick-up - 43
10 Mahindra Bolero - 41
