This body style posted the highest sales growth in Q1 2024

This relatively uncommon body style enjoyed the strongest year-on-year sales growth in South Africa’s new light-vehicle market in Q1 2024, climbing nearly 40%…

While the SUV and hatchback body shapes led the charge in pure volume terms in the opening quarter of 2024, another – far less mainstream – body style posted the strongest year-on-year growth in South Africa’s new light-vehicle market.

According to the folks over at Lightstone Auto, local sales of the extended-cab bakkie body style grew a considerable 39.4% year-on-year in Q1 2024. Of course, it’s worth keeping in mind that this segment is relatively small in pure volume terms, having accounted for just 2.5% (up from 1.7% in Q1 2023) of all light-vehicle sales in the period.

*Toyota’s Hilux accounted for more than half of SA’s total extended-cab sales in Q1 2024.*

As a reminder, there are currently just 3 contenders in South Africa’s extended-cab bakkie space: the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max (incidentally, the country’s 3 best-selling bakkies overall). In the reporting period, this trio accounted for a total of 3 104 extended-cab sales.

For the record, in the opening quarter of 2024, the Hilux led the way in the local extended-cab sales contest, with 1 592 units of the Xtra Cab registered. The Ranger Super Cab found itself in 2nd (949 units), ahead of the D-Max Extended Cab (563 units) in 3rd.

*Nearly 1 000 examples of the Isuzu D-Max Extended Cab were registered locally in Q1 2024.*

Interestingly, Lightstone Auto’s dataset furthermore suggests the 2nd-most improved body style in year-on-year growth terms over the 1st quarter of 2024 also came from the light-commercial vehicle segment. Yes, sales of the panel-van body shape (including the likes of the Suzuki Eeco, Toyota Quantum and Volkswagen Caddy) climbed 36.8%, year on year.

However, the SUV/crossover was – rather predictably – the top-selling body style in Mzansi’s new light-vehicle market in Q1 2024, accounting for 29.5% of sales with 36 400 units, according to Lightstone Auto. In pure volume terms, the 5-door Hatchback was next (31 616 units), though these 2 body shapes declined by 9.3% and 3.4% year on year, respectively.