How many electrified vehicles have been sold in South Africa in the past ten years? Well, Naamsa has revealed that number.
According to the organisation, sales of conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles have been far “below the one-percent mark” for the past decade.
Indeed, Naamsa says just 4 892 electrified vehicles – the majority taking the form of hybrids, with fully electric examples accounting for fewer than 650 units – have been registered locally over that period, out of total market sales of 5 694 860 units.
The organisation, however, says the industry is “working towards creating a market-friendly regulatory framework” that would enable the production of electric vehicles in South Africa and “ensure that the total cost of ownership of the EV becomes less [than that of] internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of price, fuel and service costs over time”.
“The SA mining and manufacturing belt is beginning to prioritise the production of metals and minerals used in the production of EVs. The booming battery sector has resulted in the increase in PGM shares and commodity prices as demand continues to outstrip supply,” said Naamsa.
“This is a positive development for the South African automotive industry as the forecast is for EV sales in Europe to comprise 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2040.”
As we pointed out in an earlier story, the majority (some 72,6 percent in 2020, in fact) of locally built vehicles exported from South Africa land up in Europe.
Currently, the only fully electric vehicles offered locally are the Mini Cooper SE, BMW i3, Jaguar I-Pace and Porsche Taycan.
The Toyota Prius and Lexus UX are the only standalone hybrids (unless you count the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, too), though hybrid versions of the BMW X5, BMW 7 Series, Lexus ES, Lexus IS, Lexus NX, Lexus RX, Jaguar E-Pace, Jaguar F-Pace, Land Rover Defender, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Maserati Ghibli, Porsche Cayenne, Porsche Panamera, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover and Volvo XC90 are also available in South Africa.
