Ah, some positive news for a change. January 2017 aggregate new vehicle sales in South Africa came in at 50 333 units, representing a modest improvement of 3,7% when compared to the corresponding month in 2016. Yes, that’s the first time we’ve seen a year-on-year increase in some 14 months…
As always, it’s interesting to take a look at what’s happening in terms of individual model sales. So, we’ve examined the figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), and picked out the ten best-selling passenger vehicles for the month (also, be sure to check out the 10 best-selling bakkies).
One must bear in mind that certain importers – such as Hyundai and Kia – do not submit individual model sales figures, instead only disclosing aggregate sales stats. Mercedes-Benz, too, has taken a similar stance.
In the first month of 2017, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo and regular Polo held on to their respective first and second places. Toyota’s combination of the Corolla, Auris and Corolla Quest (the brand reports an overall figure rather than individual model sales), meanwhile, climbed one to third spot.
The Toyota Etios bounced back in January, soaring five places up the table to fourth, with the Ford Fiesta climbing three to fifth. That means the Toyota Fortuner dropped three places to sixth.
The Chevrolet Spark returned to the table to snaffle seventh, while the Ford EcoSport was forced down three spots to eighth. The Toyota RAV4 also made a comeback to the top ten (in ninth), while the Renault Kwid fell three spots to secure the final place on the table. That saw the BMW 3 Series (447) and Ford Figo (377) fall out of the top ten.
Other bits and bobs
Other interesting figures from January’s stats include the fact that some 15 units of the new Giulia were registered, and that under-fire Ford could shift just 74 Kuga units.
Honda, meanwhile, sold 167 examples of its Brio city car, while the Jazz (152) and HR-V (143) proved the next most popular products for the brand. Interestingly, BR-V sales have slowed somewhat, with 95 units moved in January.
Jaguar’s top performer for the month was the F-Pace (84), while the CX-3 (326) assumed that role for Mazda. The Nissan Almera (502) almost secured a top-ten spot, outselling the Datsun GO (472) for the Japanese group (although the GO+ added a further 277 units).
After the Kwid, Renault’s top-seller was the Clio (394), with the Sandero (384) close behind. The Suzuki Swift managed to crack the 200-unit mark in January, while 38 units of the new Baleno were registered.
The Toyota Avanza (611) narrowly missed out on making the top ten, while the LX proved to be the best-seller for Lexus with 36 units. The Volkswagen Golf managed 435 units, while the Tiguan (282), Up! (292) and Audi A3 (226) all performed well for the VW Group. In addition, some 30 Q2 units were registered in January.
See the top ten table below (and have a look back at December’s figures here):
South Africa’s 10 best-selling passengers cars of January 2017:
1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 2 951
2. Volkswagen Polo – 2 734
3. Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest – 2 628
4. Toyota Etios – 2 302
5. Ford Fiesta – 1 707
6. Toyota Fortuner – 1 233
7. Chevrolet Spark – 966
8. Ford EcoSport – 828
9. Toyota RAV4 – 689
10. Renault Kwid – 621
Also read:
- 5 double-cab bakkies coming to South Africa in 2017
- 7 most fuel-efficient double-cab bakkies in SA
- 6 most powerful naturally aspirated new cars in SA
- 5 cheapest new cars in SA with 200 kW or more
- 5 most powerful manual cars you can buy new in SA
- 5 double-cab bakkies that make the most torque…
- 5 bakkies we think South Africa would go crazy for
- 5 of the most blatant copycat cars out of China
- 5 big bakkies South Africa might want but can’t have
- 5 most expensive double-cab bakkies in South Africa
- 5 cheapest automatics on SA’s new vehicle market
- South Africa’s 5 cheapest vehicles with low-range
- 5 biggest gas-guzzlers on SA’s new vehicle market
- 5 most fuel-efficient cars we’ve recently tested
- 7 most fuel-efficient non-hybrid petrol cars in SA
- 5 most fuel-efficient non-hybrid diesel cars in SA
