|
Market segment |
Oct 2013 |
Oct 2014 |
% change |
|
Passenger vehicles |
40,020 |
40,666 |
1.6% |
|
Light commercial vehicles |
13,886 |
15,827 |
14% |
|
Medium commercial vehicles |
999 |
937 |
-6.2% |
|
Heavy commercial vehicles |
456 |
531 |
16.4% |
|
Extra Heavy commercial vehicles |
1,154 |
1,312 |
13.7% |
|
Bus |
93 |
111 |
19.4% |
|
Vehicle exports |
24,192 |
32,169 |
33% |
|
Overall market (local) |
56,608 |
59,384 |
4.9% |
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) continued its market leadership, with 12,049 new units sold during October – this represents 20.3% of the total sales of 59,384 units reported by the National Association of Automotive Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). The company contributed 5,754 units to the export market, representing a 17.8% share.
Hilux remains Toyota’s strongest perfomer with a total of 3,421 bakkies being delivered during October. This model is also Toyota’s strongest export product with 5,361 units exported to Africa and Europe. On the passenger front, the Toyota Corolla/Quest combo recorded 2,254 sales; while the ever-popular Etios enjoyed a positive sales month with 1,671 units finding a home with South African families.
“New vehicle sales, especially in the light, heavy and extra heavy commercial sectors is proof of a resilient market showing positive growth, with close to 5% increase in sales compared to the same period last year,” says Dr Johan van Zyl, Toyota South Africa’s President and CEO, adding that the car rental channel enjoyed a particular strong month with a 25.2% increase on sales compared to October 2013.
“The market has exceeded all expectations and predictions – earlier this year forecasts indicated a 4% drop in overall sales for the year; but yet another strong month takes us to only 1.8% behind the 2013 year-to-date figure. If this trend continues, there is a strong chance that the market will end off 2014 with similar results to that of overall 2013 sales,” van Zyl concludes.