Bakkie fans, the figures are in! Here’s your monthly look at South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies, this time for November 2023…
In November 2023, South Africa’s new-vehicle industry registered a year-on-year decline of 9.8% to finish on 45 075 units. The light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment wasn’t spared, though the drop here wasn’t quite as sharp as it was overall, with this part of the market falling 3.9% year on year to 12 941 units.
So, what happened on the list of South Africa’s best-selling bakkies? Well, the Prospecton-produced Toyota Hilux held steady in 1st place, with as many as 3 073 examples registered round Mzansi during November 2023. For the record, that’s the 7th time this year the bakkie has breached the 3 000-unit barrier. Interestingly, however, the Hilux was the only vehicle in the top 10 to experience a month-on-month drop in sales.
Meanwhile, the Ford Ranger retained the runner-up position, though the Silverton-built bakkie closed the gap somewhat to the Hilux, with sales of the Blue Oval brand’s contender increasing 20.6% month on month to 2 234 units. The Struandale-manufactured Isuzu D-Max range (1 662 units) – which will soon gain fresh X-Rider derivatives – similarly improved its showing compared with October 2023, holding steady in 3rd place.
So, the podium was unchanged in November 2023. But what about the rest of the top 10? Well, fascinatingly, there was no real jostling here either, with the Nissan NP200 (1 152 units) – of which production is scheduled to end in March 2024 – and Mahindra Pik Up (606 units) staying in 4th and 5th, respectively. The Rosslyn-built Nissan Navara (402 units) also slightly improved its tally month on month, again ending in 6th.
As was the case in the preceding month, the Volkswagen Amarok (367 unit) – the joint recipient of the 2024 International Pick-up Award with the Ranger alongside which it is built – took 7th ahead of the Chinese-manufactured GWM P-Series (284 units) in 8th. With a refreshed version (complete with 4-cylinder power) set to make local landfall soon, the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 (260 units) retained 9th, while the GWM Steed (105 units) again closed out the table.
Best of the rest in November 2023: bakkies outside top 10
So, which bakkies didn’t make it into the top 10 in November 2023? Well, JAC’s T-badged bakkies (the Chinese automaker unfortunately reports only a combined figure for its T6, T8 and new T9 line-ups) managed 69 registrations, while the Peugeot Landtrek ended the month on 45 registrations. Though the latter model is currently imported from China, local production is due to start in Coega (near Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape) by “early 2026”.
Next came the Mitsubishi Triton (41 units), ahead of the Mahindra Bolero (33 units). Finally, the Mazda BT-50 (7 units) again didn’t manage to crack double figures, while the Jeep Gladiator brought up the rear on 4 registrations. As a reminder, the facelifted Gladiator is scheduled to make local landfall only towards the end of 2024.
Export winners in SA’s bakkie segment in November 2023
What about the export market? Well, the Ford Ranger pushed ahead in November 2023, with 8 597 units sent overseas. That meant the Toyota Hilux was forced into 2nd position on the export charts, with 6 486 examples shipped off during the month.
The D-Max (612 units), Navara (281 units) and NP200 (20 units) again made up the numbers on the export charts. As has been the case for a number of months now, the official Naamsa report furthermore showed a few imported models being exported from local shores in November 2023, this time in the form of the Mitsubishi Triton (46 units), GWM P-Series (19 units) and GWM Steed (2 units).
10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa for November 2023
1. Toyota Hilux – 3 073 units
2. Ford Ranger – 2 234 units
3. Isuzu D-Max – 1 662 units
4. Nissan NP200 – 1 152 units
5. Mahindra Pik Up – 606 units
6. Nissan Navara – 402 units
7. Volkswagen Amarok – 367 units
8. GWM P-Series – 284 units
9. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 260 units
10. GWM Steed – 105 units
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