New vehicle sales in SA increase for FIFTH consecutive month, with some surprises in the top 10

Motoring journalist Melinda Ferguson has the latest industry news on Weekend Breakfast, with Graeme Raubenheimer standing in for CapeTalk's Sara-Jayne Makwala King.

South Africa's new vehicle sales have picked up for the FIFTH month in a row.

The naamsa figures for February 2025 show an increase of 7.3 % year on year.

47,978 units were sold - 3,229 more than the 44,749 sold in February 2024.

SA's favourite brand Toyota remained top of the list with 11 743 vehicles sold.

Suzuki pipped Volkswagen to second spot, most likely thanks to strong sales for the new Suzuki Swift, says motoring journo Melinda Ferguson. 

Hyundai also outsold Ford in February.

"The growth in new vehicle sales is actually incredible - last year we just saw dip, dip, dip; now we're seeing grow, grow, grow."

"What's really exciting is that the passenger car market is holding very strong, likely because of interest rate drops, and also I think the talk about VAT increasing might have got buyers to rush towards the dealerships to get their cars before tax possibly goes up."

Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist

While sales of new passenger cars are holding their own, the news is not as good for sales of light commercial vehicles and exports.

Domestic sales of new light commercial vehicles, bakkies and mini-buses stood at 11,802 units for the month, a decrease of 1,504 units from last year.

Export sales declined by 4,861 units, or 8.6% year-on-year year, to 34,656 units in February 2025.

TOP 10 SELLING VEHICLE BRANDS in SA for FEBRUARY 2025

1. Toyota - 11 743 units

2. Suzuki Auto - 6 044

3. Volkswagen Group SA - 5 249 units

4. Hyundai Automotive SA - 3 074 units

5. Ford Motor Company - 2 900 units

6. Isuzu Motors SA - 2 298

7. Chery Auto SA - 1 924

8. GWM SA - 1 713 units

9. Mahindra - 1 610

10. Nissan - 1 497

For more detail, listen to the interview audio at the top of the article