These were SA’s top selling car brands in a strong month for the industry | Breaking News & Latest South Africa Updates

These were SA’s top selling car brands in a strong month for the industry — Following a strong first quarter, South Africa’s automotive sector continued to show resilience in April, says motor industry umbrella body Naamsa. D...

Following a strong first quarter, South Africa’s automotive sector continued to show resilience in April, says motor industry umbrella body Naamsa.

Domestic new vehicle sales were 42,401 units, an 11.9% increase over the 37,899 sold in April 2024.

The new passenger car market grew the most last month and at 30,101 units registered a gain of 16.9% compared with April 2024. Light commercial vehicles, including bakkies and minibuses, were up 3.2% to 9,961 units.

“Despite fewer selling days in April compared with April 2024, due to the configuration of public holidays as well as formidable global headwinds, the new vehicle sales performance encouragingly continued the upward momentum of the first quarter into the second quarter,” said Naamsa CEOMikel Mabasa.

“While the new US tariff measures are concerning, the resilience and competitiveness of the South African automotive exports remain steadfast.

“Despite a brief return of load-shedding and domestic political uncertainty because of the VAT saga during the month, the domestic macroeconomic environment provided a degree of stability. Inflation fell to 2.7% year-on-year in March, marking the lowest level since June 2020, aided by a notable easing in fuel and education costs.”

Mabasa expects the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates further, though inflation is expected to trend higher in the second half of 2025 due to global developments. Further buoying consumer confidence, government reversed its earlier proposal to hike the VAT rate from 15% to 15.5%, a move that will preserve disposable income at a critical moment for household consumption, he added.

Toyota remained South Africa’s favourite brand in April, with 10,363 units sold. Suzuki strengthened its No 2 position ahead of Volkswagen, with Hyundai remaining at No 4 ahead of Ford.

Notable movers were GWM and Chery, which each jumped three places in April compared with March — GWM to sixth place and Chery to seventh — further underlining the strengthening presence of affordable Chinese brands in a price-sensitive market. Omoda & Jaecoo and Jetour were other Chinese brands in the top 15.

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