New vehicle sales figures for November reflected a continued weaken in demand for new vehicles as the year comes to an end. Total vehicle sales reported for the month were 50 806. 34 267 of those were passenger vehicles and 13 719 light commercial vehicles.

According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) the new sales data further reflects the effects of a slowing economy which can be attributed to the moderation in consumer demand and supply disruptions due to the ongoing strike in the car carrier industry.

The total number of new vehicles sold during November 2013 showed a decline of 4.6% from the 53 265 vehicles sold in the same month last year, while export sales also experienced a year-on-year drop of 4.8% compared to the 28 520 vehicles exported in November last year.

The new vehicle sales graph below shows how the brands performed throughout November 2013 compared to the corresponding month last year. Toyota maintained its top position yet again, while Mercedes-Benz has taken the fifth spot from Nissan who are sitting at sixth place with a total of 2657 units. Ford moved up one spot to third place and reported total sales of 5602 units, a slight decrease of 90 vehicles from last month’s 5692 vehicles. GMSA’s sales were again boosted by their light commercial vehicles which resulted in total sales of 5042.

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Passenger Vehicle Segment

The new passenger car sector experienced the steepest decline last month, as sales dropped by 5.9% year-on-year, or 2164 units, when compared to sales of 36 431 new cars during November 2012. The graph further demonstrates how each of the vehicle’s sales have fluctuated over the past year to now.

The Toyota Etios took over the number one spot leading with 2591 units, while Ford Figo dropped from third place to fifth with a total of 1172 units. The BMW 3 Series although not in the top 5 best selling passenger cars reported the second highest export sales ( 5917 units) after the Volkswagen Polo which exported a total of 7567 vehicles.

Top 5 Passenger Cars In SA For November 2013 (Compared to November 2012)

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Light Commercial Vehicle’s Segment

New light commercial vehicles fared slightly better with sales of 13 719 units during November, reflecting a decline of 610 units or year-on-year drop of 4.3% compared to the 14 329 vehicles sold during the corresponding month last year.

The graph below shows that the Toyota Hilux remains at the top of the top 5 list with an increase of 667 vehicles from last month’s 2894 vehicles sold. While the Ford Ranger aggressively moved up to second place with an increase of 421 vehicles from last month’s 1516 sales, surpassing both the Toyota Quantum which has moved down to third place and the Isuzu KB which didn’t make it to the top 5 but increased by 939 vehicles from last month’s 1232 vehicles. The Chevrolet Utility made it back into the top 5 list, slotting in at number 4 with a total of 1279 units.

Top 5 Light Commercial Vehicles In SA For November 2013 (Compared to November 2012)

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“Expectations of lower economic growth and above-inflation new vehicle price increases would contribute to a more difficult trading environment and further moderation in sales growth momentum.”

“But despite a less promising outlook for the automotive sector, the year as a whole would still represent the second or third best year on record in terms of domestic sales” says the association.