Despite being on the market for a mere 10 days, the new Toyota Starlet Cross came close to cracking the list of SA’s 15 best-selling passenger vehicles in July 2024…
We saw it with the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and now something similar has happened with the Toyota Starlet Cross. Yes, despite hitting the market in South Africa just 10 days before the end of July 2024, sales of the Japanese firm’s most-affordable crossover soared, with the fresh nameplate coming close to crossing the 600-unit mark.
In the end, the new Starlet Cross achieved as many as 590 sales over the final 10 days of the month, enough for it to place 16th on the list of South Africa’s best-selling passenger vehicles for July. Interestingly, 576 units came via the dealer channel, with the remaining 14 taking the form of so-called “single” registrations (vehicles Toyota kept and licensed for its own use).
For context, the new model thus outsold the entire Stellantis stable (comprising 7 brands), which hit 573 units across the full month. Put another way, in just 10 days, the Starlet Cross managed more than double Mazda’s month-long effort of 240 units.
What was the vehicle that finished a single ranking ahead of the Starlet Cross in July, effectively keeping it from cracking the top 15 on debut? None other than the Suzuki Fronx on which it’s based as part of the 2 automakers’ strategic alliance. In July, Suzuki’s coupé-style crossover attracted 620 sales, with all but one sold through the dealer channel.
As a reminder, the Starlet Cross (which is badged as the Urban Cruiser Taisor in India, where it’s built) officially launched in Mzansi on 22 July 2024, though Cars.co.za revealed local pricing as early as 8 July. Positioned as Toyota SA Motors’ most-affordable crossover, the newcomer undercuts the Urban Cruiser by R42 600, with the 4-strong local line-up starting at R299 900 and running through to R359 300.
All Starlet Cross derivatives are powered by Suzuki’s ubiquitous 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine. As it does in various other Suzuki and Toyota applications, the K15B mill sends 77 kW and 138 Nm to the front wheels through either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed automatic transmission.
It’s early days, but this initial sales performance is certainly a strong sign the new Starlet Cross will turn out to be yet another significant Suzuki-built volume driver for Toyota SA Motors, potentially picking up where the old Urban Cruiser left off…
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