The first figures of the year are in! Here’s your monthly look at South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies, this time for January 2024…
In January 2024, South Africa’s new-vehicle market suffered its 6th consecutive month of year-on-year decline, with sales falling 3.8% to 41 636 units. Bucking the trend in the broader market, the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment saw marginal growth, improving 2.3% to 10 871 units.
So, was there any movement on the list of South Africa’s best-selling bakkies? Well, though the Toyota Hilux range – which will gain both a new widebody GR Sport variant as well as 48V mild-hybrid derivatives in March – experienced a month-on-month fall of 7.5% to 2 645 units in January 2024, the Prospecton-built bakkie remained firmly in pole position.
The Ford Ranger found itself more than 700 registrations off the pace in 2nd place, ending 2024’s opening month on 1 914 units. Still, the Silverton-made contender finished comfortably ahead of the 3rd-placed Isuzu D-Max (1 336 units), despite the Struandale-manufactured bakkie growing its sales 31% compared with December 2023‘s effort.
Although the Nissan NP200 again failed to crack 4 figures, its final tally of 969 units was more than enough for it to retain 4th spot. Of course, with production at Rosslyn scheduled to end in March 2024, SA’s last surviving half-tonne bakkie will start to slide down the rankings as local stock runs dry in the coming months. Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal-assembled Mahindra Pik Up (578 units) completed an unchanged top 5.
The bottom half of the table, however, saw some movement. Yes, the Chinese-built GWM P-Series (351 units) climbed 2 places to 6th, finishing ahead of the Rosslyn-made Nissan Navara (296 units), which held steady in 7th. That saw the Volkswagen Amarok – which is built by Ford at its Silverton plant – slip 2 rankings to 8th, with registrations of this 2nd-generation bakkie falling to 222 units in January 2024.
The outgoing version of the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 (127 units) also shed some sales month on month, though remained in 9th. We will likely see this evergreen bakkie climb a few places in the next couple of months, with the updated model (complete with 4-cylinder power and an automatic transmission) set to launch locally soon. Finally, the GWM Steed (104 units) returned to the table, just about managing to breach the 3-figure mark.
Best of the rest in January 2024: bakkies outside the top 10
So, which bakkies didn’t make it into the top 10 in January 2024? Well, the JAC T-Series – the Chinese automaker unfortunately reports only a combined figure for its T6, T8 and new T9 line-ups – was next on 98 units, finishing ahead of the Mitsubishi Triton (48 units) and Mahindra Bolero (31 units).
Interestingly, the Mazda BT-50 – which has long found itself at the very foot of the table, having managed just 69 sales over the whole of 2023 – had its best month for some time, ending January 2024 on still-modest 15 units. Next came the likewise imported Peugeot Landtrek (12 units), which is expected to go into production in Coega (near Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape) by early 2026.
That meant the Jeep Gladiator (a facelifted version is set to launch in Mzansi only towards the end of 2024) brought up the rear in the opening month of the year, with just 3 units sold.
10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa for January 2024
1. Toyota Hilux – 2 645 units
2. Ford Ranger – 1 914 units
3. Isuzu D-Max – 1 336 units
4. Nissan NP200 – 969 units
5. Mahindra Pik Up – 578 units
6. GWM P-Series – 351 units
7. Nissan Navara – 296 units
8. Volkswagen Amarok – 222 units
9. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 127 units
10. GWM Steed – 104 units
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