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SEE: Polo, Hilux, Land Cruiser... best-selling cars, bakkies and SUVs in SA

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<i>Image: Motorpress</i>
<i>Image: Motorpress</i>

After 12 tough months in which South Africa's car industry was hit by turmoil including rising inflation and fuel costs, it was the Toyota Hilux that ended the year as the undeniable best-selling bakkie in the country.

Eclipsing the Ford Ranger by almost 10 000 units, the Hilux maintained its position as the country's best-seller; not only was it the best-selling bakkie for 2018, but it was also the top-selling vehicle overall.

Big 40

From January to December 2018, the Hilux achieved a whopping sales figure of 40 018 units.

That's a lot!

And it says even more about the faith South African motorists have in the venerable bakkie. The Ranger surpassed the 30k-mark with 30 141 units sold, while the Nissan NP200 solidified third place with 19 594 units.

The Isuzu KB, now called the D-Max, signed off 15 520 units, followed by the Nissan NP300/Hardbody on 9 740 units.

Volkswagen's Amarok goes sixth with 2 972 units sold, followed by the Mahindra Scorpio Pik-up (2 400 units) and Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-up (2 388 units).

The Nissan Navara sold 2 090 units in ninth place, and the GWM Steed caps of the list with 1 896 units sold.

2018 sales canva

2018 car sales: Polo takes the crown

It was never going to be much of a shocker, but the Volkswagen Polo was the top-selling passenger car for 2018. Amassing a sales figure of 30 407 units, it was also the second best-selling passenger vehicle for the year after the Toyota Hilux (40 018 units).

In second place is the Polo's less-premium sibling, the Polo Vivo, with a total sales figure of 26 703 units. Although  Volkswagen grabbed the top two spots, rival automaker Toyota had the most vehicles in our top 10 list.

So many Toyotas...

Toyota kicks off its arrival on our list with the Corolla/Auris/Quest. Though a new model is on the horizon, it did very little to deter buyers away from purchasing the outgoing model this past year.

In total, 17 239 of these cars were sold to new customers, and 13 099 new Toyota Fortuners also rolled off showroom floors.

In sixth place is the Toyota Etios (10 408 units) and in ninth place the Toyota Yaris at 8 717 units sold.

Fifth place goes to the little city car that punches way above its weight, the Hyundai Grandi10, that managed a very good 11 943 units sold.

The Renault Kwid did its constant addition to our list this past year good and slots into seventh place, overall. It sold 9 695 units last year.

Kia's Picanto goes eighth with 9 119 units sold, and the Figo was the only Ford product on fire in terms of sales. 6 545 units found new homes.

2018 sales canva

Big hitters: Landy and Q5 cruises through the field

The Toyota Land Cruiser 200 ended the year on top as South Africa's top-selling large, luxury SUV. After a tough year doing battle against the Range Rover/RR Sport and its stablemate, the Toyota Prado, the proud Toyota product capped the year with a figure of 1 303 units sold.

In second place is the Toyota Prado, with 1 231 units signed off, while the Range Rover/RR Sport managed 1 216 units for the year.

European invasion

The Land Rover Discovery managed to go fourth after ending the year on 783 units sold, followed by the Range Rover Velar in fifth place with 661 units.

Volvo's XC90 found 427 new owners to go sixth, while the Jaguar F-Pace did 360 units.

The Volkswagen Touareg ends this list on 269 units.

Keen readers would note that positions seventh and ninth were not mentioned.

That's because positions seven (BMW X5, 394 units) and ninth (Porsche Cayenne, 247 units) were removed from official Naamsa sales figures. The manufacturers in question only released individual sales figures of their respective ranges for a few months of 2018.

But, in those few months that these SUVs' figures have been released, they managed to rack up more than enough numbers to slot into their respective positions.

Q5 gives high-five

The sales figures of medium-sized luxury SUVs were also very good last year and does the Audi Q5 roam at the top with 1 065 units sold. The second-placed BMW X3 shares the same story with the BMW X5 as explained above, but it still managed 972 units sold to go second.

Volvo's XC60 went third on 743 units, while the XC40 goes sixth with 707 units sold.

The Jaguar E-Pace, on of 2018's most anticipated cars, sold 740 units, and Audi Q3 goes fifth with 714 units sold. The Land Rover Discovery Sport managed to secure seventh place on 699 units.

The Range Rover Evoque did well in eighth place with 468 units, while the Lexus NX did 250 units in ninth. The Lexus RX closes the year on 132 units.

2018 sales canva

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