These were SA’s top selling car brands in a strong month for the industry

Following a strong first quarter, South Africa’s automotive sector continued to show resilience in April, says motor industry umbrella body Naamsa.

Domestic new vehicle sales were 42,401 units, an 11.9% increase over the 37,899 sold in April 2024.

The new passenger car market grew the most last month and at 30,101 units registered a gain of 16.9% compared with April 2024. Light commercial vehicles, including bakkies and minibuses, were up 3.2% to 9,961 units.

“Despite fewer selling days in April compared with April 2024, due to the configuration of public holidays as well as formidable global headwinds, the new vehicle sales performance encouragingly continued the upward momentum of the first quarter into the second quarter,” said Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa.

“While the new US tariff measures are concerning, the resilience and competitiveness of the South African automotive exports remain steadfast.

“Despite a brief return of load-shedding and domestic political uncertainty because of the VAT saga during the month, the domestic macroeconomic environment provided a degree of stability. Inflation fell to 2.7% year-on-year in March, marking the lowest level since June 2020, aided by a notable easing in fuel and education costs.”