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Cape Town - For the second month in 2017, the Ford Ranger is South Africa's top-selling bakkie, outselling the Toyota Hilux by a mere five units.
The Ranger not only ended April 2017 as the best-selling bakkie but also as SA's top-selling vehicle; At 1982 units it bested the Hilux's 1977 models sold.
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Huge slump for new car sales in April 2017
The numbers registered by both the Ranger and the Hilux are low in comparison to previous months in 2017. With sales regularly reaching 2500 units for each of these popular bakkies, it is perhaps the clearest indication as to how difficult a month it has been for the automotive sector.
Naamsa (National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA) reports that 10 592 light commercial vehicles (LCVs) were sold during April 2017 and reflected a decline of 1625 units or a fall of 13.3% compared to the 12 217 light commercial vehicles sold during the corresponding month last year.
Behind the two market leaders, the Nissan NP200 crept into the top three with 1191 units, beating the formidable Isuzu KB (1049) in fourth place.
Another Nissan, the Hardbody, found 780 new owners, while the Chevrolet Ute - the NP200's only competition - sold 764 units.
The Toyota Land Cruiser pick-up sold a 204 units to grab seventh place, followed by the Volkswagen Amarok (169 units, eighth) and the new Nissan Navara (156 units, ninth).
The Mahindra Scorpio continued to make its presence felt in tenth place, with 59 bakkies finding new owners.
As to what contributed to the poor sales, Naamsa said: "The political and social polarisation in SA, together with prospects of lower domestic growth over the short to medium term - continued to weigh on business confidence and consumer sentiment. Domestic new vehicle sales were closely correlated with the overall performance of SA’s economy and confidence levels."
What do you think should be done to improve new vehicle sales in SA? What do you think are the biggest factors contributing to declining sales? Email us
South Africa’s best-selling bakkies: April 2017
1. Ford Ranger – 1982
2. Toyota Hilux – 1977
3. Nissan NP200 – 1191
4. Isuzu KB – 1049
5. Chevrolet Utility – 764
6. Nissan NP300 – 740
7. Toyota Land Cruiser – 204
8. Volkswagen Amarok – 169
9. Nissan Navara – 156
10. Mahindra Scorpio – 59
