Is it business as usual again now that Toyota has resumed production of the Hilux in KZN? Let’s take a closer look at South Africa’s best-selling bakkies for August 2022…
After losing its crown for the past few months, the Toyota Hilux is back on top in August 2022. The last time the Prospecton-built bakkie found itself at the summit of the list of South Africa’s best-selling bakkies was back in April 2022, before the Japanese automaker began to feel the full effects of the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal.
With precisely zero units rolling off the line in Durban for a number of months, the Hilux was forced to settle for second place in May, fourth in June and fourth again in July. Now that the factory is back online and production of the bakkie – as well as the Corolla Cross, Corolla Quest, Fortuner and Hi-Ace – has resumed, the Hilux has shot right back to the top of the sales charts.
As many as 3 417 units of the Hilux were registered around the country in August 2022. The bakkie’s sales resurgence (plus that of the aforementioned Hi-Ace) was at least partially responsible for the 13.1% year-on-year increase in domestic sales of new light-commercial vehicles, bakkies and mini-buses to 13 281 units in August. Expect that trend to continue in the coming months as Toyota starts to clear its considerable backlog of orders (and rolls out the long-awaited GR-Sport derivative).
Despite coming close to matching its sales tally of July 2022, the Silverton-built Ford Ranger (1 791 units) – which will very soon be replaced by the new-generation model – was pushed down to second place. It will be interesting to see what happens with Ranger registrations in the next couple of months as the Dearborn-based firm’s local division makes the transition to the new model.
Isuzu’s D-Max narrowly missed out on pipping the Ford Ranger to second place.
Meanwhile, the Struandale-produced Isuzu D-Max (1 789 units) was breathing down the Ranger’s neck in August, ending up in third position, a mere two units behind the Blue Oval bakkie. Like the D-Max, the Rosslyn-manufactured Nissan NP200 (1 397 units) fell one spot compared with the previous month, finishing in fourth.
Bolstered by a trio of special-edition models, the Mahindra Pik Up (896 units) put in yet another solid showing, holding steady in fifth. The Nissan Navara (661 units) and GWM Steed (440 units) likewise retained their July positions, with both tallies growing month on month.
Despite markets such as Australia struggling to secure stock of the Toyota Land Cruiser 79, the farm-favourite bakkie enjoyed a strong August and moved up one place to eighth, with as many as 401 units registered. The GWM P-Series (138 units) slipped one to ninth, while the outgoing Volkswagen Amarok closed out the table with 128 sales.
Best of the rest in August 2022
Mitsubishi’s updated Triton range enjoyed a little month-on-month growth in August.
So, how did the market’s smaller players fare? Well, the recently refreshed Mitsubishi Triton (68 units) took the “best of the rest” gong in August 2022, ahead of the Mahindra Bolero (37 units) and Peugeot Landtrek (36 units). Jeep Gladiator registrations fell to 13 units and Mazda BT-50 sales to a mere four units. JAC, meanwhile, reported a combined figure of 72 units for its T-badged (T6 and T8) range.
Export winners in August 2022
Ford was again top of the export charts, with 6 910 examples of its Ranger shipped overseas in August, ahead of a resurgent Toyota Hilux (3 069 units). The Nissan Navara (539 units) and Isuzu D-Max (342 units) were next, while the Nissan NP200 (54) again made up the numbers.
10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa for August 2022
1. Toyota Hilux – 3 417 units
2. Ford Ranger – 1 791 units
3. Isuzu D-Max – 1 789 units
4. Nissan NP200 – 1 397 units
5. Mahindra Pik Up – 896 units
6. Nissan Navara – 661 units
7. GWM Steed – 440 units
8. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 401 units
9. GWM P-Series – 138 units
10. Volkswagen Amarok – 128 units
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