We’ve sifted through the sales figures, done some maths and identified South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies of 2023. Here’s where your preferred pick-up placed…
Right, with 2023 now firmly in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to tally up the sales figures and identify South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies for the year. For the record, Mzansi’s light-commercial vehicle segment ended 2023 on 151 499 units, representing an encouraging year-on-year gain of 11.6% (bearing in mind the total market was flat at 532 098 units, just 0.5% up on 2022’s effort).
So, which bakkie was the undisputed sales king of South Africa (no prizes for guessing that one)? And which pick-up was the least popular overall? Well, let’s break down the figures from the past 12 months and answer those very questions and more…
SA’s 5 top-selling bakkies in 2023
The order of the top 5 was unchanged compared to 2022, though there were some appreciable sales gains to report. For instance, not only was the Toyota Hilux again South Africa’s best-selling bakkie – not to mention Mzansi’s most popular vehicle overall – but the Japanese stalwart improved its tally 16.1% year on year to a whopping 37 382 units (keep in mind its 2022 performance was somewhat hamstrung by the devastating KwaZulu-Natal floods that saw Prospecton shuttered for a few months).
Meanwhile, the Ford Ranger again took the runner-up position, though sales of the Silverton-manufactured bakkie rocketed 42% year on year to 24 618 units. While that put the Blue Oval brand’s contender a considerable 12 764 units behind the Hilux, it also saw the gap to the 3rd-placed Isuzu D-Max widen to 5 656 units (in 2022, just 280 units separated these bakkies). For the record, the Struandale-made bakkie improved its performance 11.1% year on year to 18 962 units.
And what about the Nissan NP200? Well, sales of South Africa’s only half-tonne bakkie fell 1.1% year on year to 12 721 units. As a reminder, production of the NP200 at Nissan’s Rosslyn facility is due to wrap up in March 2024, with no immediate replacement lined up. Finally, the KwaZulu-Natal-assembled Mahindra Pik Up again completed the top 5, with a virtually unchanged tally of 8 063 units (+0.2%).
Bottom half of the top 10 in 2023
Despite suffering a 24.2% year-on-year decline to 4 596 units, the Rosslyn-manufactured Nissan Navara managed to retain 6th position. However, the GWM P-Series was right on its tail in 7th position with 4 462 units (+6.7%), climbing a place compared with its 2022 performance.
The Toyota Land Cruiser 79 likewise gained a spot compared with the previous year, with sales of the seemingly evergreen contender growing 13% to 3 975 units. Interestingly, local registrations of the 8th-placed 70 Series bakkie tapered off towards the end of the year, likely due to the fact that the refreshed model – complete with the long-awaited option of the Japanese firm’s familiar 2.8-litre, 4-cylinder (GD-6) turbodiesel engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission – will soon launch in Mzansi.
The most substantial year-on-year improvement was registered by the Volkswagen Amarok – now built by Ford alongside the Ranger – with sales of this model surging 76.6% to 3 348 units. In the process, the Wolfsburg-based firm’s bakkie climbed a spot to ninth overall. The GWM Steed thus had to settle for the final position in the top 10 (down 3 rankings), suffering the largest year-on-year sales decline (falling 74.7%) to finish on just 1 142 units.
5 bakkies at the foot of the 2023 sales charts
So, what about the bakkies languishing at the foot of the table? Well, each of these slowest-selling models failed to crack 4 figures for the year, though the 11th-placed Mitsubishi Triton at least moved up a spot, with its registrations growing 8.3% year on year to 729 units.
Meanwhile, sales of the Mahindra Bolero declined by a considerable 57% (the local range was rationalised to just a single derivative in 2023) to 349 units, which saw the Indian-built bakkie slip a ranking compared with 2022. Despite a 19.5% drop in local registrations, the Peugeot Landtrek (343 units) retained 13th position.
The Jeep Gladiator – a facelifted version of which is scheduled to touch down in the 2nd half of 2024 – enjoyed year-on-year growth of 73.3% to finish on 208 units (and gain a spot in the process), while registrations of the Mazda BT-50 plummeted 56.1% in 2023, with a mere 69 units sold during the year.
*For the record, we’ve focused on traditional bakkies here, excluding models such as the Hyundai H100, Kia K Series, Volkswagen Transporter Pick Up and Suzuki Super Carry. We were also not able to include the JAC T6, T8 and T9 ranges as the Chinese automaker reported only a combined number (which we tallied up to 647 units).
Total bakkie sales in South Africa for 2023
1. Toyota Hilux – 37 382 units (+16.1%)
2. Ford Ranger – 24 618 units (+42%)
3. Isuzu D-Max – 18 962 units (+11.1%)
4. Nissan NP200 – 12 721 units (-1.1%)
5. Mahindra Pik Up – 8 063 units (+0.2%)
6. Nissan Navara – 4 596 units (-24.2%)
7. GWM P-Series – 4 462 units (+6.7%)
8. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 3 975 units (+13%)
9. Volkswagen Amarok – 3 348 units (+76.6%)
10. GWM Steed – 1 142 units (-74.7%)
11. Mitsubishi Triton – 729 units (+8.3%)
12. Mahindra Bolero – 349 units (-57%)
13. Peugeot Landtrek – 343 units (-19.5%)
14. Jeep Gladiator – 208 units (+73.3%)
15. Mazda BT-50 – 69 units (-56.1%)
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