As passenger car sales continued their decline in September, the bakkie market bucked the trend once again with 4.6% growth year-on-year.
Given that light commercials only made up 28% of the 46,021 vehicles that were sold in September, the overall new vehicle market still saw a decline of 4.1% versus the same month last year, according to Naamsa.
Two bakkies led the LCV charge last month. Although it was no surprise that the Toyota Hilux led the way once again with 3,249 sales, it was down 1,81% versus the previous month, while the Ford Ranger climbed 1,94% to 2,413 units after another month of steady growth.
The Isuzu D-Max followed in a distant third with 1,639 sales, while the doomed Nissan NP200 - which is set to be discontinued next year - dipped just below the 1,000 unit mark.
Mahindra’s Pik-Up dominated the middle ground of the bakkie market, with 578 units finding homes in September, followed by the GWM P-Series (376) and Toyota Land Cruiser PU (325). Below that, the Nissan Navara narrowly beat its fellow Pretoria-built rival, the Volkswagen Amarok, which recorded 273 sales.
The worst performers last month were the Peugeot Landtrek (13), Mazda BT-50 (6) and Jeep Gladiator (4). Interestingly, the Peugeot bakkie is set to be built in South Africa from 2026.
BAKKIE SALES: SEPTEMBER 2023
- 1. Toyota Hilux - 3,249
- 2. Ford Ranger - 2,413
- 3. Isuzu D-Max - 1,639
- 4. Nissan NP200 - 997
- 5. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 578
- 6. GWM P-Series - 376
- 7. Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 325
- 8. Nissan Navara - 287
- 9. Volkswagen Amarok -273
- 10. Hyundai H100 Bakkie - 260
- 11. Kia K2700 - 82
- 12. Mitsubishi Triton - 80
- 13. GWM Steed - 76
- 14. JAC T-Series - 59
- 15. Kia K2500 - 32
- 16. JAC X-Series - 28
- 17. Volkswagen Transporter PU - 27
- 18. Mahindra Bolero - 20
- 19. Peugeot Landtrek - 13
- 20. Mazda BT-50 - 6
- 21. Jeep Gladiator - 4
If we look at overall light commercial vehicle sales, Toyota accounted for 5,228 sales last month, including Hi-Ace figures, while Ford followed with 2,466 units and Isuzu (1,639), Nissan (1,284) and Mahindra (598) rounded out the top five.
Sales of medium commercial vehicles decreased by 5,1% versus the same month last year, Naamsa said, while the heavy commercials gained 10.5% year-on-year.
South African vehicle exports were also down year-on-year, with the total volume of 36,247 units representing a decline of 12.6%.
Among the bakkies, the top export was Toyota’s Hilux, with 5,741 units shipped abroad, and it was closely followed by the Ford Ranger (5,536). Following in a distant third and fourth were the Nissan Navara (427) and Isuzu D-Max (413).
IOL Motoring