How many hybrids and EVs were registered in South Africa in the 1st half of 2023? Well, sales were up 47.1%, according to official figures from Naamsa…

Are so-called “new-energy vehicles” becoming more popular in South Africa? Well, Naamsa has released official sales figures for electric vehicles (EVs), traditional hybrids and plug-in hybrids covering the 1st half of the year. And it seems these types of powertrains are indeed gaining some sort of traction.

According to the representative body, new-energy vehicle (NEV) sales – that is, battery-powered vehicles, traditional hybrids and plug-in hybrids, but seemingly not mild hybrids – for the opening half of 2023 increased by 47.1% year on year to 3 146 units. For the record, that figure represented 1.18% of the industry total of 265824 units at the year’s halfway point.

Haval Motors SA launched the hybrid Jolion at the start of 2023.

Predictably, traditional hybrids made up the bulk of the NEV figure, with 2 561 units registered locally from the start of January to the end of June 2023. Key local players in this segment include dual-powered versions of Toyota’sCorolla hatchandsedan, theCorolla Crossand theRAV4, plus various Lexus models as well as theHonda Fitand Haval’sH6andJolionhybrids.

Meanwhile, fully electric vehicles accounted for 502 units in H1 2023, matching the local EV sales tally for the whole of 2022. That figure is expected to grow further as more affordable battery-powered vehicles hit the local market in the coming months. For instance, though the BYD Atto 3 is now available locally, fully electric contenders such as the Volvo EX30 and GWM Ora are technically still in the pre-order phase.

Local order books for the fully electric Volvo C40 Recharge opened in February 2023.

Finally, just 83 units of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) were sold in Mzansi in the 1st half of 2023. Examples of such vehicles include the T8 versions of Volvo’s XC60 and XC90, along with BMW’s refreshed X5 xDrive50e plus the P300e and P400e derivatives in Jaguar Land Rover’s line-up.

As a reminder, in 2022, overall NEV sales reflected a whopping year-on-year increase of 431.7% from (an admittedly low base of) 896 units in 2021. Note this tally comprised just 0.88% of SA’s total new-vehicle sales for the year.

The refreshed BMW X5 is available locally in PHEV guise, now badged as the xDrive50e.

Naamsa says a “timely” policy framework to “support investment decisions for NEV manufacturing” and “safeguard export volumes” into the European market is “imperative for the domestic automotive industry’s inevitable transition to eco-friendly vehicles”.

“Driving a meaningful NEV transition in South Africa will require a careful balance between incentivising a sustained shift in domestic market demand to NEVs; establishing an appropriately aligned, renewable energy-based charging infrastructure; and supporting a shift in South African vehicle production, away from ICE vehicles to a mix of hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles,” said Naamsa.

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