The first half of 2022 is already behind us! Let’s take a look back at year-to-date sales figures and pick out the winners and losers on South Africa’s new passenger-vehicle market…
In the first half of 2022, South Africa’s new passenger-vehicle market enjoyed a 20.9% increase in sales compared with the same period last year. Out of an industry total of 253 442 units, as many as 176 245 new passenger vehicles were registered locally in that time. As always, there were some winners and some losers.
It’s been a remarkable year thus far, with the industry continuing its steady recovery from myriad pandemic-related challenges and the market leader’s production facility in KwaZulu-Natal being hit by devastating floods. Cat amongst the pigeons or business as usual?
Well, we decided to break out the calculator, look a little deeper and collate six months of sales figures in order to identify the winners (and, in some instances, the losers). Of course, we should point out certain brands (such as Chery and Mercedes-Benz) don’t report sales to Naamsa while some others (like Porsche) report only aggregate figures.
First, we’ll list the top-selling passenger-car brands, then the most popular passenger vehicles overall (a list dominated by hatchbacks and crossovers), before taking a detailed look at two interesting sub-segments: sedans and bakkie-based SUVs. Right, let’s jump in…
SA’s 5 best-selling passenger-car brands in 2022 so far
Despite not being able to build a single Corolla Cross, Corolla Quest or Fortuner at its Prospecton production facility since the floods of mid-April, Toyota (37 151 units, excluding Lexus) managed to retain the passenger-vehicle sales lead (note these figures don’t include light-commercial sales; we’ll examine bakkies in a separate article) in the first half of 2022, more than 8 000 units ahead of the Volkswagen brand (28 647 units, excluding Audi).
Suzuki, meanwhile, cemented itself in third place over the first half of the year, incrementally improving its tally every single month to finish the reporting period on an impressive 21 889 units. Hyundai (16 498 units) managed a comfortable fourth place, ahead of Renault (14 068 units) in fifth.
While Kia (10 204 units) didn’t manage to crack the top 5, it was the only other manufacturer to break into five figures, while Ford – having recently discontinued passenger cars such as the Fiesta and Figo – had to settle for a six-month tally of 5 536 units (thanks largely to the efforts of the evergreen EcoSport), meaning the Blue Oval brand was beaten by the seemingly ever-growing Haval (6 791 units).
If we exclude low-volume, high-end brands such as Bentley, Lamborghini and Ferrari, brands that found themselves at the foot of the passenger-vehicle table included Subaru (376 units), Citroën (250 units) and Alfa Romeo (134 units).
1. Toyota – 37 151 units
2. Volkswagen – 28 647 units
3. Suzuki – 21 889 units
4. Hyundai – 16 498 units
5. Renault – 14 068 units
SA’s 5 best-selling passenger vehicles of 2022 so far
What about the top sellers in terms of passenger-car model ranges? Well, hatchbacks took the first three places, before crossovers completed the top 5. As has historically been the case, the Kariega-produced Volkswagen Polo Vivo hatchback was one of the big winners, leading the charge with nearly 9 500 units registered in the first six months of the year. The Indian-built Suzuki Swift (8 810 units) grabbed a very strong second, a mere 659 units off the pace.
VW’s Polo hatchback (7 976 units) thus had to be content with being shoved down into an unfamiliar third place, while the likewise locally built Toyota Corolla Cross (7 216 units) took fourth despite just 362 units being registered in the final two months of the reporting period thanks to the Prospecton factory being well and truly shuttered. Had the floods never happened, the Corolla Cross would surely have given the Vivo a run for its money.
Toyota’s Suzuki-built Urban Cruiser claimed fifth spot with 7 188 units sold, keeping the likes of the Toyota Starlet (6 900 units), Volkswagen T-Cross (5 185 units) and Haval Jolion (4 843 units) out of the top 5.
1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 9 469 units
2. Suzuki Swift – 8 810 units
3. Volkswagen Polo (hatch) – 7 976 units
4. Toyota Corolla Cross – 7 216 units
5. Toyota Urban Cruiser – 7 188 units
SA’s 5 best-selling sedans of 2022 so far
Although a lack of consistent reporting from BMW and Mercedes-Benz means we don’t know how many 3 Series and C-Class units (never mind the brands’ raft of other saloons) were registered in South Africa in the first half of the year, it’s nevertheless a fascinating exercise to tally up sedan sales, particularly as many automakers have exited this part of the market in recent years owing to an apparent lack of demand.
There’s certainly still demand for the Volkswagen Polo Sedan (2 944 units) – soon be succeeded by a fresh three-box model – which was 2022’s best-selling sedan up to the end of June. However, the race against the ultimately second-placed Toyota Corolla Quest (2 245 units) would have been exceedingly tight had the KZN floods not forced production of the prolonged lifecycle sedan to grind to a halt. The Nissan Almera (1 626 units) grabbed a comfortable third, with the Kia Pegas (939 units) and Suzuki Dzire (759 units) rounding out the top 5.
There was no space for the likes of the Honda Amaze (678 units), Corolla Sedan (597 units), Suzuki Ciaz (366 units), Honda Ballade (277 units), Audi A4 (260 units), Audi A3 Sedan (191 units) and Lexus ES (103 units), while the Alfa Romeo Giulia (57 units), Lexus IS (33 units), Audi A6 (15 units), Jaguar XF (4 units) and Volvo S90 (1 unit) found themselves towards the very bottom of the pile.
1. Volkswagen Polo Sedan – 2 944 units
2. Toyota Corolla Quest – 2 245 units
3. Nissan Almera – 1 626 units
4. Kia Pegas – 939 units
5. Suzuki Dzire – 759 units
SA’s 5 best-selling bakkie-based SUVs of 2022 so far
The Toyota Fortuner (3 862 units) positively dominated the seven-seater bakkie-based SUV segment, again despite a lack of local production in part of April and all of May and June. The Ford Everest (1 024 units) was the only other contender to reach four figures, while the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (560 units) interestingly snuck in ahead of the Isuzu MU-X (485 units). With only a limited number available, the Nissan Terra closed out the top 5 with a tally of 118 units.
1. Toyota Fortuner – 3 862 units
2. Ford Everest – 1 024 units
3. Mitsubishi Pajero Sport – 560 units
4. Isuzu MU-X – 485 units
5. Nissan Terra – 118 units
