According to Naamsa, February 2019’s new vehicle industry sales came in at 43 251 units, representing a fall of 6,5 percent, year on year. Here’s what happened in the second month of the year in the passenger vehicle segment…
As always, it’s interesting to take a look at what’s going on in terms of individual model sales. We’ve already examined the figures and picked out the 10 best-selling bakkies for the month, and now it’s time to do the same with the passenger vehicle market (also, don’t forget to check out our list of worst-selling cars).
Take note that while BMW has started reporting individual model sales figures again, some brands such as German rival Mercedes-Benz continue to provide only aggregate data (Porsche, too, recently followed suit).
So, what happened in the second month of 2019? Well, first we must point out there has been some change to the way figures are reported. Volkswagen, for instance, is now separating its Polo hatchback and sedan figures, while Toyota no longer reports an overall number for the Corolla, Auris and Corolla Quest, instead breaking them up into individual models.
Anyway, back to February. VW’s Polo Vivo moved up one to claim top spot, pushing the Polo hatch into second place (for the record, the local arm of the German firm also sold 431 examples of its Polo Sedan). The Renault Kwid, meanwhile, shot back up the table to grab third place, while the Toyota Fortuner held steady in fourth and the Hyundai Grand i10 in fifth.
Now separated from its siblings, Toyota’s locally built Corolla Quest slotted into sixth place, just ahead of the Etios in seventh. The Hyundai i20 fell two spots to eighth, while the Toyota Corolla Sedan found itself in ninth (some 103 units of the new Corolla Hatch, meanwhile, were also registered). The Datsun Go claimed the final spot on the list.
Other bits and bobs
So, what else interesting happened in February? Well, the 3 Series (297) was BMW’s most popular offering, ahead of the locally built X3 (156) and the new X5 (130). Fiat Chrysler Automobiles SA just about managed to crack the three-figure mark for the month, with the Fiat 500 (35) and Jeep Grand Cherokee (23) contributing more than half of the group’s total.
While Ford failed to feature in the top ten, the Figo (493), Everest (471) and EcoSport (456) weren’t far off, with the Fiesta adding a further 339 units. The BR-V (113) outperformed the Jazz (90) for Honda, while Hyundai’s facelifted Creta (275) and Tucson (273) continued their steady march.
The Picanto (483) and Rio (305) did the heavy lifting for Kia, while the CX-5 (401) and CX-3 (309) continued to shine for Mazda. Mitsubishi registered 54 examples of its new Eclipse Cross, while the latest Micra (182) edged ahead of the prolonged life-cycle Micra Active (178).
For Renault, the Sandero (332) enjoyed a fairly strong month, while the Clio had to settle for 194 units (ahead of the Duster on 186 and the Captur on 118). The Koleos, meanwhile, managed 49 registrations, outperforming the Mégane (36). Suzuki’s Swift wasn’t far out of the top ten with 480 units, with the Ignis adding 120 for the Japanese brand.
The Yaris contributed 380 units for Toyota, while the Avanza added 359, the RAV4 a further 332 and the Rush some 255. The UX, meanwhile, moved into the role of best-seller for Lexus, with 46 registrations in February.
While the A3 Sportback (215) and A3 Sedan (127) led the way for Audi, the Q5 range (173) also starred for the Ingolstadt-based automaker. The Tiguan (516) again proved popular for the Volkswagen brand, with the Golf adding 321 units. And the XC60 (82) continued to lead the charge for Swedish automaker Volvo.
See the top ten table below (and have a look back at January 2019’s figures here):
South Africa’s 10 best-selling passenger cars of February 2019:
1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 2 692
2. Volkswagen Polo – 1 605
3. Renault Kwid – 1 069
4. Toyota Fortuner – 950
5. Hyundai Grand i10 – 901
6. Toyota Corolla Quest – 715
7. Toyota Etios – 660
8. Hyundai i20 – 542
9. Toyota Corolla Sedan – 532
10. Datsun Go – 529
Also read:
- 5 vehicles we think would sell well in South Africa
- 8 most expensive four-cylinder vehicles in SA…
- 7 most powerful sedans on SA’s new vehicle market
- 7 most powerful SUVs on SA’s new vehicle market
- 5 biggest engines on South Africa’s new car market
- 7 most expensive SUVs on SA’s new vehicle market
- 5 cheapest rear-wheel-drive cars in South Africa
- 6 most powerful naturally aspirated new cars in SA
- 5 cheapest new cars in SA with 200 kW or more
- 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
