Touted as alternatives to the since-departed Nissan NP200, just how well are small passenger-car-based panel vans selling in SA? A look at February 2025’s figures…
The demise of the Nissan NP200 may have signalled the end of the half-tonne bakkie segment in South Africa, but it also sparked an upswing in the number of small passenger-car-based panel vans on the local market. So, just how well are these models selling?
Well, we sorted through the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) sales statistics for February 2025 in a bid to find out. For the record, we found sales figures for as many as 8 models – most of which were launched locally over the past year, once the NP200’s fate had been confirmed – operating in this space.
Of course, there are other compact models in the LCV segment that may well have gained some of the market share once held by the NP200 – we’re looking at you, Suzuki Super Carry (107 units in February) and Eeco (231 units in February) – but here we’re going to focus specifically on passenger-car-based iterations.
Interestingly, Chery Auto SA reported zero registrations of what is the segment’s 9th contender, the Tiggo 4 Pro Panel Van, in February. In addition, Volkswagen Group Africa has yet to launch its latest challenger, which will be based on the Kariega-built Polo Vivo and likely revive the “Xpress” badge when it hits the market in the 3rd quarter of this year.
But back to February 2025. Last month, the Nissan Magnite Move was the segment’s top seller, with 247 units (104 of which went to the rental industry) registered. Interestingly, at R224 900, the recently launched Magnite Move is the most affordable model here, though also features the lowest payload – a mere 250 kg, way down on the NP200’s capacity of 800 kg.
Then came the Hyundai Grand i10 Cargo (128 units), the only other vehicle in this segment to crack 3 figures. In fact, the next best was the Kia Picanto Runner, which took 3rd place despite attracting just 7 sales, followed by the Hyundai Venue Cargo (6 units), with the latter boasting the highest payload in the class at 620 kg.
The Kia Sonet Runner (4 units) and Mahindra XUV 3XO Panel Van (4 units) shared 5th, ahead of the Renault Triber Express (2 units) and Renault Kiger Express (1 unit) in 7th and 8th, respectively. Interestingly, Kia is not yet actively marketing the latest versions of its Picanto Runner and Sonet Runner, while Mahindra has likewise yet to add the XUV 3XO Panel Van to its website (the Kiger Express is still to debut on Renault SA’s website, too).
SA’s small car-based panel van sales for February 2025
1. Nissan Magnite Move – 247 units
2. Hyundai Grand i10 Cargo – 128 units
3. Kia Picanto Runner – 7 units
4. Hyundai Venue Cargo – 6 units
5=. Kia Sonet Runner – 4 units
5=. Mahindra XUV 3XO Panel Van – 4 units
7. Renault Triber Express – 2 units
8. Renault Kiger Express – 1 unit
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