We’ve crunched the numbers and calculated market share to see which of South Africa’s top 10 automakers grew and which ones shrunk in 2022…
The year 2022 was an intriguing (not to mention encouraging, considering the multitude of headwinds facing the market) one for South Africa’s new-vehicle industry, with total sales growing 13.9% year on year to 528 963 units. But which of the country’s mainstream automakers grew along with – or indeed faster than – the local market? And which ones shrunk?
Well, we’ve spent some time consolidating the sales figures for South Africa’s 10 best-selling automakers of 2022, which in turn gave us the opportunity to compare the latest numbers with 2021’s statistics. As a result, we were able to identify the winners and losers out of the top 10 companies last year.
Of course, we should point out a couple of caveats. Toyota’s figures, for instance, include the Lexus and Hino brands, while the Volkswagen Group incorporates Audi sales. In addition, Chery started reporting local sales figures to Naamsa only in July 2022, so unfortunately couldn’t be considered for this list. BMW and Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, don’t consistently communicate full figures to the organisation (though both German firms may well have finished just outside the top 10 anyway).
Still, this certainly proved a worthwhile exercise, giving us a useful overview of the respective performances of the main players in South Africa’s new-vehicle market (scroll to the bottom of the story to see the full top-10 list). Here’s what we found…
Just 2 automakers in the top 10 shed sales in 2022
In pure volume terms, only 2 automakers out of the top 10 shed sales compared with 2021. Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa – which has gradually shifted its global and local focus away from passenger cars towards light-commercial vehicles – was the hardest hit, with its registrations falling 15.39% year on year to 26 335 units.
The Blue Oval brand was heavily reliant on the Ranger bakkie (17 342 units), which accounted for a hefty 65.85% of the automaker’s local sales. When all was said and done, Ford fell from 4th place in 2021 to 7th position in 2022, with its market share declining from 6.70% to 4.98% over the same period.
The Volkswagen Group’s slowdown wasn’t quite as extreme as that of its Dearborn-based global alliance partner, with the German firm’s 2022 total falling 2.48% year on year to 69 801 units. Its top seller was again the Polo Vivo, with SA’s most popular passenger car making up nearly 30% of the firm’s local sales.
Meanwhile, registrations of the likewise Kariega-built Polo hatchback fell nearly 14% (to 15 697 units), resulting in the supermini being overtaken on the passenger-vehicle charts by the likes of the Suzuki Swift, Toyota Urban Cruiser and Toyota Corolla Cross. Still, even though the VW Group’s market share in South Africa dropped from 15.41% to 13.20%, the automaker quite comfortably held onto 2nd place in the overall list.
The biggest volume growers in the top 10 in 2022
So, which automakers in the top 10 experienced the strongest year-on-year growth? Well, as you might have guessed, Suzuki Auto South Africa was the standout brand here, swelling its sales a whopping 71.04% (compared with 2021) to 47 178 units. The Japanese firm’s local division thus rocketed up the rankings from 6th to 3rd, boosting its market share from 5.94% to a very respectable 8.92% in the process.
A little more unexpectedly, Renault also registered impressive year-on-year progress, finishing on a final tally of 27 251 units (+29.61%). Though its market share increased only marginally (from 4.53% to 5.15%), the French firm’s performance was enough to see it climb a spot to 6th overall.
Of course, much of the sales growth both Suzuki and Renault enjoyed in 2022 can be traced back to the budget products they import from India. Every model in Suzuki Auto SA’s range (bar the outgoing Vitara), for instance, is now sourced from the subcontinental country, including the aforementioned Swift hatchback that claimed 2nd spot on the list of SA’s best-selling passenger vehicles in 2022 (with 17 282 sales). Renault, meanwhile, relied heavily on the likes of the Kwid, Kiger and Triber to boost its sales volumes last year.
However, there was another brand that also continued its sharp upward trajectory in 2022. Haval posted total sales of 22 644 units last year, an improvement of 18.79% compared with 2021. The Chinese automaker thus climbed a place to 9th overall (just behind Kia), while also edging its market share forward from 4.10% to 4.28%.
Other interesting bits and bobs from the top 10
No prizes for guessing Toyota was again the best-selling automaker in 2022, meaning the Japanese firm has led the South African new-vehicle market for 43 years straight. With 32 203 sales, the Hilux was again the country’s top seller, accounting for almost a quarter of the company’s 132 035 units. Despite immense production challenges at Prospecton caused by the KwaZulu-Natal floods in mid-April, Toyota still managed to grow its sales 12.22% year on year (though its market share fell slightly, from 25.33% to 24.96%).
Though Hyundai expanded its sales 7.67% to 36 047 units, it ended up dropping off the podium to 4th largely thanks to Suzuki’s resounding success. Nissan (30 487 units, up 1.04%) held steady in 5th and Kia (22 766 units, up 12.92%) in 8th, while Isuzu fell a place to 10th despite growing sales 7.05% year on year to 21 274 units.
South Africa’s 10 best-selling automakers of 2022
1. Toyota – 132 035 units (+12.2%)
2. Volkswagen Group – 69 801 units (-2.5%)
3. Suzuki – 47 178 units (+71.0%)
4. Hyundai – 36 047 units (+7.7%)
5. Nissan – 30 487 units (+1.0%)
6. Renault – 27 251 units (+29.6%)
7. Ford – 26 335 units (-15.4%)
8. Kia – 22 766 units (+12.9%)
9. Haval – 22 644 units (+18.8%)
10. Isuzu – 21 274 units (+7.0%)
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