Every now and then, a discontinued nameplate briefly returns to South Africa’s new-vehicle sales charts. Remarkably, there were 5 such instances in March 2023. Let’s take a quick look at the fleetingly resurrected…
We noticed something rather interesting when combing through South Africa’s detailed new-vehicle sales charts for March 2023. Sales of as many as 5 nameplates that are technically no longer available locally were reported, each adding a tiny handful of registrations to its brand’s overall tally.
Yes, this quintet of vehicles briefly returned from the dead, appearing on the sales charts despite no longer being listed on their respective manufacturer’s local website. How, you ask? Well, we’re guessing it’s simply a case of old stock finally having been shifted. Let’s take a closer look…
Jaguar XF
The Jaguar XF was quietly discontinued in South Africa around November 2022, with the British firm’s local division confirming to Cars.co.za the following month that the sedan was officially “no longer available in South Africa” (bringing to an end the brand’s long run of saloon models, with the XE axed in 2021 and the XJ killed off in 2019). However, a single example of the XF luxury sedan was – rather unexpectedly, it must be said – registered in March 2023, after having not appeared on the charts for months.
Mahindra XUV500
The Mahindra XUV500 – which had last received an update in 2018 – was put out to pasture towards the end of 2022, when the new XUV700 touched down in South Africa as its successor. Despite the lack of new XUV500 stock coming into the country, the Indian brand’s local division sold 2 units in March 2023 (along with 4 units in the opening month of the year and zero in February).
Mahindra KUV100 Nxt
When recently examining the performances of SA’s least-expensive new cars, we noticed Mahindra KUV100 Nxt sales had tapered off markedly through 2022 (falling from 175 units in May to just 5 units by December). Now, the diminutive model has disappeared from Mahindra South Africa’s website, but 3 examples were nevertheless registered on the sales charts in March 2023.
Toyota Prius
In September 2022, after a 17-year run on the local market, Toyota South Africa Motors silently pulled the plug on the Prius nameplate, putting its pioneering hybrid out to pasture for good. In addition to the 3 units registered locally in March 2023, the Japanese firm sold 2 examples in the opening month of the year (and none in February).
Nissan Terra
In April 2022, Nissan South Africa told Cars.co.za all of its “limited” Terra stock had already been “allocated to customers”, with no plans to import more units. Indeed, the so-called “Fortuner fighter” didn’t even make it onto Nissan SA’s website. Somehow, though, 4 more examples of the ladder-frame SUV found homes in March 2023, in addition to a single unit registered the preceding month.
6 more cars to exit SA in the coming weeks or months
Any honourable mentions? Well, there are at least 6 models that will be scrapped locally in the coming weeks or months. For instance, stock of the no-longer-in-production Ford EcoSport appears to be fast running dry, with just 280 units sold locally in March 2023 (down from 866 units in the same month in 2022).
The Kia Rio should be around until the end of the year (the next-gen model unfortunately won’t be produced in right-hand-drive form), but its tally slipped to 185 units last month. Time is running out for the Toyota Agya (178 units), too, which will soon be replaced by the Vitz (which is effectively a rebadged Celerio).
The Hyundai Atos (144 units) is no longer in production, just like the Suzuki Vitara Brezza (239 units) and Toyota Urban Cruiser (269 units), though the latter will soon be replaced by a larger (Hyryder-based) model of the same name.
Related content
Fresh front-runners: 20 best-selling passenger cars in Q1 2023
