Fortuner, Fronx crack top 10! SA's best-selling passenger vehicles

The Toyota Fortuner and Suzuki Fronx put in their best sales performances of the year so far to crack the list of SA’s 10 best-selling passenger vehicles in September 2024…

In September 2024, South Africa’s new-vehicle market slipped 4.1% year on year to 44 081 units. However, passenger vehicles again showed marginal growth, improving 2% to 30 218 units, with the rental industry contributing a substantial 28% of that total.

As was the case in August 2024, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo – which recently benefitted from a facelift – ended the month at the very top of the passenger-vehicle charts, with 2 407 units sold. A whopping 1 089 units (or 45%) of the Kariega-built hatchback’s tally came via the rental channel.

*The updated VW Polo Vivo retained the leadership position in September 2024.*

The Toyota Corolla Cross also managed to cross the 2 000-unit mark in September, with its total of 2 045 registrations proving more than enough for it to comfortably retain the runner-up position. For the record, this locally made model benefitted from 363 sales to the rental industry last month.

The big news, however, was the performance of the likewise Prospecton-produced Toyota Fortuner, which registered its best effort of 2024 thus far to grab 3rd place (after ranking 12th in August). Breaking into 4 figures for the first time this year, the resurgent Fortuner ended the month on 1 086 sales, including 189 rental-industry registrations.

*Hyundai’s Grand i10 slipped a spot to 4th.*

That saw the Hyundai Grand i10 fall a ranking to 4th, with 1 062 units sold. For the record, since we’re examining the passenger-car segment here, that figure excludes light-commercial vehicle sales of the Cargo-badged panel van, which found a further 64 homes in September 2024.

As the highest-placed Chinese contender, the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (990 units) climbed 2 positions to 5th, while the locally built Volkswagen Polo hatchback (948 units) retained 6th despite likewise sliding back into 3 figures. The Nissan Magnite (869 units), meanwhile, moved up a spot to 7th, with its effort representing a hefty 61% of the Japanese brand’s overall figure for the month.

*The Suzuki Fronx outsold the closely related Toyota Starlet Cross in September.*

The Suzuki Fronx (850 units) put in not only its best showing of 2024 so far but also its top month ever, breaking into the top 10 and grabbing 8th place. Interestingly, the closely related Toyota Starlet Cross – which rocketed to 5th spot in its in first full month on sale – dropped off the list in September, with a still-impressive 713 units registered.

That said, the Toyota Vitz (814 units) – yet another Suzuki-built model in the Toyota stable – returned to the top 10 in September 2024, finishing in 9th position, just ahead of the Haval Jolion (812 units), which dropped a spot to 10th. Other models that made the cut in August but fell away last month were the Suzuki Swift (sales dipped to 539 units, with the new-gen model around the corner) and the Suzuki Ertiga (which managed 717 registrations).