South African vehicle sales in June 2021 continued to gain momentum in line with industry expectations, Naamsa said on Thursday as it released last month’s sales figures.
A total of 38 030 new vehicles found homes in June, which is a mere 0,8% drop versus May 2021, and a 20,2% increase over June 2020. However, compared with the pre-pandemic market, the industry still has a long way to go – consider that last month’s overall vehicle sales were still 18,5% lower than in June 2019. For the first six months of 2021, the market has grown by 40,1% versus the same period last year, however compared to the first six months of 2019, the market is 11,7% down.
According to Naamsa, 86,3% of new vehicle sales took place through the dealer channels, while 7,6% went to the rental industry, 3,9% to corporate fleets and 2,2% to the government. Passenger cars are leading the growth, gaining 28% year-on-year, while light commercial vehicles were up by only 9,6% versus June 2020.
The export markets gave manufacturers a reason to smile in June, with a total of 28 384 units shipped abroad, which represents a 50,9% gain over June last year. Toyota took the lead in June with 7 497 exports, followed by Volkswagen (7 188), BMW (5 967) and Ford (5 793).
These were the top-selling brands in June 2021
- Toyota – 9 630 units
- Volkswagen – 5 530
- Ford – 3 273
- Hyundai – 2 450
- Nissan – 2 120
- Suzuki Auto – 1 992
- Haval – 1 809
- Isuzu – 1 664
- Kia – 1 557
- Renault – 1 456
- BMW – 1 248
- Mercedes-Benz – 744
- Mazda – 670
- Mahindra – 494
- Peugeot – 407
The long road ahead
“The new vehicle market continued its gradual recovery during the month of June 2020 in the face of a number of challenges, but also opportunities,” Naamsa said in response to the June 2021 sales figures. “Ongoing stronger sales through the dealer channel signals improved consumer and business sentiment, rental companies are re-fleeting again while the delayed replacement cycle, due to lockdown restrictions in 2020, are catching up in contributing to improved new vehicle sales.
“However, of concern is the persistent electricity supply disruptions, port delays, and the third Covid-19 wave of infections being experienced. The vaccine rollout is slow and a
third wave of the pandemic threatens to dent the momentum in consumption in the country, especially if the adjusted alert level 4 lockdown restrictions are extended for longer than the initial two-week period,” the industry association concluded.
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