With Suzuki sales still soaring, has the budget-friendly Japanese brand pushed ahead of Volkswagen Group Africa in Mzansi? Let’s examine the Q1 2025 sales figures…
In the opening quarter of the year, South Africa’s new-vehicle market registered year-on-year growth of 10.5% to move to 144 426 units. When examining the automaker sales charts, Q1 2025’s battle for 2nd place is what stands out.
Yes, while Toyota SA Motors is predictably way out front with 35 555 units sold (a year-on-year increase of 6.2% and a hefty market share of 24.6%), Suzuki Auto SA has now officially pushed ahead of Volkswagen Group Africa to secure 2nd place.
Suzuki vs VW Group: total sales in Q1 2025
After finishing ahead of its German rival in each of the 3 months of Q1 2025, Suzuki ended this reporting period on a total of 17 727 units. Our calculations suggest this figure represents a 19.8% increase compared with the Hamamatsu-based firm’s performance in the opening quarter of 2024 (when it placed 3rd).
Meanwhile, local sales from VW Group Africa – which, of course, includes the Audi brand – dipped 1.5% year on year to 15 838 units. The Wolfsburg-based automaker’s local division thus found itself 1 889 units behind Suzuki and in an unfamiliar 3rd place (so, down a ranking from Q1 2024).
For perspective, it’s worth noting that in the full year of 2023, VW Group Africa was a comfortable 18 018 units ahead of Suzuki. However, in 2024 as a whole, the Japanese brand closed the gap to 6 912 units (not an insignificant number, but far closer). Though just a quarter of 2025 has passed thus far, Suzuki appears well placed – based on its current trajectory, anyway – to secure 2nd place overall in a full year for the very first time.
Does VW have anything in its arsenal to counter Suzuki’s sustained rise? Well, though the Kariega-built Polo Vivo remains extremely popular (though found itself just behind the Swift in Q1 2025 sales), the company will be hoping its next locally made model – a small SUV known as the Tera in Brazil but as-yet-unnamed for Mzansi – will add significant volumes. However, local production of that model is scheduled to start only in early 2027…
Other interesting stats from the top 10 in Q1 2025
What else happened on the list of SA’s 10 best-selling automakers in the 1st quarter of 2025? Well, Hyundai Automotive SA climbed 3 spots from its Q1 2024 ranking to grab back 4th place, with local sales increasing a healthy 25.3% year on year to 8 937 units.
Chinese firm Chery registered even stronger year-on-year growth of 28.7% to end the quarter on 5 739 units, moving up 2 rankings to 7th. However, it was Mahindra – which climbed from 12th to 9th – that boasted the most robust growth in the top 10, with the Indian firm’s sales surging a remarkable 71.9% year on year to 5 326 units.
Meanwhile, Nissan was the biggest loser in the top 10, falling from a strong 4th place in Q1 2024 to a lowly 10th in Q1 2025. With the NP200 half-tonne bakkie – which had served as the brand’s chief volume driver in Mzansi – having gone out of production in March 2024, the Japanese firm’s local sales in this latest reporting period declined 45.2% year on year to 4 962 units.
SA’s 10 best-selling automakers in Q1 2025
1. Toyota SA Motors – 35 555 units (+6.2%)
2. Suzuki Auto SA – 17 727 units (+19.8%)
3. Volkswagen Group Africa – 15 838 units (-1.5%)
4. Hyundai Automotive SA – 8 937 units (+25.3%)
5. Ford Motor Company of SA – 8 274 units (+9.4%)
6. Isuzu Motors SA – 6 790 units (+7.8%)
7. Chery SA – 5 739 units (+28.7%)
8. GWM SA – 5 535 units (+18.2%)
9. Mahindra SA – 5 326 units (+71.9%)
10. Nissan SA – 4 962 units (-45.2%)
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