The year 2018 saw new vehicle sales decline by 1.0 percent versus 2017, from 557 703 units to 552 190. Naamsa is predicting a modest improvement in South African vehicle sales in 2019, with an estimated total of 558 000 units essentially matching 2017's figures.
Downward in December
In the final month of 2018, the vehicle market shrunk by 1.9 percent year-on-year, according to figures just released byNaamsa and while passenger car sales remained largely flat, with a 0.2 percent decline, light commercials were down by a more worrying 7.0 percent. Medium commercials declined by 10.1 percent, while the heavies recorded an improvement of 13.8 percent over December 2017.
A big silver lining, however, was that exports rose by a whopping 56.3 percent in December, versus the same month in 2017, the volume rising from 20 107 to 31 437 units, and contributing to 2018's record export figure of 351 154 units.
Hilux still strong, Kwid surprises
The local sales charts saw the usual status quo maintained at the top, with Toyota's Hilux followed by the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Ranger, while Renault's entry-level Kwid had a surprisingly strong month, surging to sixth place overall with 1354 sales. Volkswagen's Kombi also enjoyed a better than usual month, racking up 408 sales.
TOP 30 – DECEMBER 2018
| Toyota Hilux | 2907 |
| Volkswagen Polo | 2051 |
| Ford Ranger | 1931 |
| Volkswagen Polo Vivo | 1711 |
| Nissan NP200 | 1572 |
| Renault Kwid | 1354 |
| Toyota Quantum | 1245 |
| Toyota Fortuner | 1027 |
| Hyundai Grand i10 | 906 |
| Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest | 858 |
| Renault Clio | 775 |
| Hyundai i20 | 619 |
| Isuzu D-Max | 593 |
| Nissan NP300 Hardbody | 539 |
| Datsun Go | 508 |
| Kia Picanto | 508 |
| Toyota Etios | 507 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 485 |
| Renault Sandero | 449 |
| Ford Figo | 424 |
| Isuzu KB | 420 |
| Suzuki Swift | 419 |
| Toyota Avanza | 416 |
| Toyota Rav4 | 410 |
| Volkswagen Kombi | 408 |
| Mazda CX-5 | 389 |
| Ford Everest | 385 |
| Ford EcoSport | 332 |
| Volkswagen Amarok | 323 |
| Kia Rio | 304 |
Source: IOL Motoring.
