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While vehicle sales for the month of May might have shown positive growth, and big numbers again for the Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Polo Vivo, there are other vehicles which are selling in significant volumes to help make up those lovely figures.
For actual rankings of the tops sales for May, click on the links below.
READ - Best-selling cars in SA: Popular Polo reigns supreme, good month for Hyundai's feisty Grand i10
READ: Best-selling bakkies in SA - Toyota Hilux runs rampant in May
Here's a list of my top 10 underdogs doing well for their brands when it comes to tallying up numbers for monthly car sales:
So while the Suzuki Jimny isn't selling thousands of units compared to the VW Polo Vivo (1904 units), the Japanese automaker sold 117 units of its tiny 4x4 in May. Also worth mentioning is the 287 Swift models sold and 147 Ignis hatchbacks finding new homes.
Notable numbers
Hyundai is still buoyant following the success of its upgraded Grand i10 and has seen a second consecutive month of reaching the 1000-mark, with 1081 units in May. The Creta too proved popular with 700 units sold.
While Kia's numbers are growing steadily each month with its Picanto at 798 during April and 719 last month, it's the Rio's numbers that are notable - 254 units.
SEE: SA car sales improve but should 'not be confused as growth'
Mazda sold 261 units of its smaller CX-3 while the CX-5 crossover SUV found 407 new owners in May.
The Kwid is bringing big smiles to the folks at Renault SA with 712 units sold, while its popular Duster SUV found 185 new homes and 489 for the Sandero II.
Nissan had a good month with its new Qashqai (297 units) while Honda sold 163 BR-Vs.
Even more surprising is the sales figures of Datsun each month; in April it sold 444 and in May it sold 364 units along with 101 Go+ vehicles. It's also interesting to note that the Datsun GO has a star-star rating for child occupant safety.
The Automobile Association and the Global NCAP performed safety crash tests on five popular entry-level vehicles last year, the Datsun Go being one of those vehicles. It has gone from being a vehicle with zero safety ratings to scoring a "1 star" for adult safety and two stars for child safety in the rear.
Here's a glance at some 'underdogs' quietly raking in sales each month:
