The numbers are in! Here’s your monthly look at South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies, this time for June 2023…
South Africa’s new-vehicle industry registered largely unexpected year-on-year growth of 14.0% in June 2023, finishing the month on 46 810 units. As was the case in May 2023, the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment was responsible for much of this positive momentum, with sales in this part of the market increasing a whopping 57.1% year on year to 13 945 units (though admittedly off a somewhat low base).
So, what happened on the list of South Africa’s best-selling bakkies? Well, the Prospecton-produced Toyota Hilux – which is set to gain mild-hybrid assistance in 2024 – retained the top spot, enjoying a particularly strong month with 3 792 units (or a month-on-month increase of 35.5%) registered in June 2023. According to the firm, 1 886 units took the form of double cabs, with 1 391 being single cabs and 515 extended-cab derivatives. For the record, Toyota SA Motors has just hiked Hilux pricing, a move that sees the top-spec model breach the R1-million mark.
The Silverton-built Ford Ranger – which has likewise just been hit with a price increase – thus had to settle for 2nd place (after narrowly taking 1st in April 2023). While the Blue Oval bakkie’s tally of 2 099 units was enough to secure the runner-up spot, the 3rd-placed Struandale-manufactured Isuzu D-Max (including the prolonged-lifecycle Gen 6 line-up) was just 146 units behind on 1 953 units. Interestingly, there’s still no sign of the D-Max Arctic Trucks AT35 derivative, which Isuzu Motors SA confirmed for the local market back in May.
The half-tonne Nissan NP200 (1 108 units) – which is produced in Rosslyn – held steady in 4th position, while the Mahindra Pik Up (662 units) and GWM P-Series (430 units) likewise retained 5th and 6th, respectively. The latter Chinese range recently gained a fresh flagship derivative in the form of the P-Series LTD.
The Rosslyn-built Nissan Navara finished June 2023 on 417 registrations, which saw it climb 2 positions to 7th. The Toyota Land Cruiser 79 (342 units) and Volkswagen Amarok (273 units) each thus dropped 1 place to 8th and 9th, respectively. The GWM Steed (99 units) again grabbed the final spot, though failed to crack 3 figures.
Best of the rest in June 2023: bakkies outside the top 10
So, what about those bakkies that didn’t manage to break into the top 10 in June 2023? Well, the Jeep Gladiator was best of the rest, though of its 83 registrations as many as 80 fascinatingly came via the rental channel. Next was the Mitsubishi Triton (69 units), followed by the Peugeot Landtrek (59 units).
JAC’s T-badged bakkies – the Chinese automaker unfortunately reports only a combined figure for its T6 and T8 line-ups – finished June 2023 on a total of 59 units. Then came the Mahindra Bolero (34 units), with the Mazda BT-50 again bringing up the rear with just 5 units.
Export winners in the bakkie segment in June 2023
What about the export market? Well, the Toyota Hilux moved back into top spot, with 3 957 units shipped off from the Prospecton factory in KwaZulu-Natal in June 2023. That meant the Ford Ranger was relegated to 2nd, with its export tally dropping to 2 373 units. Of course, whether or not the Ranger’s export number includes the new Volkswagen Amarok built at the same Silverton factory remains to be seen (though Ford SA has again emphasised the figure is indeed “Ranger only”).
The D-Max (427 units), Navara (364 units) and NP200 (6 units) again made up the numbers on the export charts. As has been the case for the past few months, the official Naamsa report furthermore showed a handful of imported models being exported from local shores in June 2023, this time in the form of the Triton (13 units), P-Series (9 units) and Steed (1 unit).
10 best-selling bakkies in South Africa for June 2023
1. Toyota Hilux – 3 792 units
2. Ford Ranger – 2 099 units
3. Isuzu D-Max – 1 953 units
4. Nissan NP200 – 1 108 units
5. Mahindra Pik Up – 662 units
6. GWM P-Series – 430 units
7. Nissan Navara – 417 units
8. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 342 units
9. Volkswagen Amarok – 273 units
10. GWM Steed – 99 units
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