The South African new vehicle market has yet to turn the corner, with September seeing a year-on-year decline of 4.1% overall - see our full industry insight here.

While the bakkie and light commercial vehicle market tanked by a worrying 17.1%, the passenger car sector registered growth of 2%, fuelled by demand from the rental industry.

Despite the bakkie slump, which could have been partially caused by the departure of Nissan’s once-popular NP200, the Toyota Hilux (2,942 units) and Ford Ranger (2,382) both enjoyed robust sales last month.

But the passenger cars and SUVs were really cooking with gas, with the newly facelifted Volkswagen Polo Vivo leading the way with 2,407 sales. The Toyota Corolla Cross saw some sales growth too, with just over 2,000 examples finding homes in September.

The Toyota Fortuner (1,086) and Hyundai Grand i10 (1,062) were runners-up in the passenger market, while the usually-popular Suzuki Swift receded to 539 units as it runs out in preparation for the new-generation model.

Interestingly, in a sure sign of the times, the Toyota Starlet and Suzuki Baleno were both ousted by their crossover siblings, the Starlet Cross and Suzuki Fronx, albeit by a narrow margin. Hyundai’s newly introduced Exter also saw an impressive performance, with 453 units sold, despite it only being launched later in the month.

50 top-selling vehicles in South Africa: September 2024

1. Toyota Hilux - 2,942

2. Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 2,407

3. Ford Ranger - 2,382

4. Toyota Corolla Cross - 2,045

5. Isuzu D-Max - 1,592

6. Toyota Fortuner - 1,086

7. Hyundai Grand i10 - 1,062

8. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro - 990

9. Volkswagen Polo - 948

10. Nissan Magnite - 869

11. Suzuki Fronx - 850

12. Toyota Vitz - 814

13. Haval Jolion - 812

14. Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 782

15. Renault Kwid - 776

16. Suzuki Baleno - 752

17. Suzuki Ertiga - 717

18. Toyota Starlet Cross - 713

19. Kia Sonet - 710

20. Toyota Starlet - 626

21. Suzuki Swift - 539

22. Hyundai Exter - 453

23. Nissan Navara - 451

24. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro - 450

25. Toyota Urban Cruiser - 441

26. Toyota Corolla Quest - 416

27. Suzuki Ciaz - 410

28. Volkswagen T-Cross - 409

29. Suzuki Dzire - 399

30. Haval H6 - 387

31. Toyota Hi-Ace - 386

32. Hyundai Venue - 370

33. Renault Kiger - 356

34. GWM P-Series - 350

35. Omoda C5 - 328

36. Suzuki S-Presso - 325

37. Volkswagen Amarok - 325

38. Volkswagen Polo Sedan - 310

39. Hyundai i20 - 303

40. Toyota Rumion - 298

41. Suzuki Jimny - 266

42. Renault Triber - 264

43. Volkswagen Tiguan - 256

44. Kia Pegas - 231

45. Suzuki Grand Vitara - 217

46. Suzuki Eeco - 215

47. BMW X1 - 211

48. Ford Territory - 208

49. Volkswagen Kombi - 204

50. Chery Tiggo 8 Pro - 174

Click here to see the top 15 manufacturers in September.

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