March 2025 was the South African new vehicle industry's best sales month in two years, with the market showing incredible resilience in the face of economic uncertainty.

A total of 49,493 new vehicles were sold last month, an increase of 12.5% versus the same month last year, and marking six consecutive months of growth.

Passenger vehicle sales, at 33,447 units, saw an impressive year-on-year gain of 25.3%. However bakkies and light commercial vehicles, at 13,328, declined by 8.4%. Keep in mind that this figure reflects the 2024 discontinuation of the Nissan NP200 half-tonner.

Medium and heavy commercial vehicle sales declined by 1.8% and 0.5% respectively, while industry-wide vehicle exports grew by 7.1%.

The one-tonne bakkies put on a stellar performance, however, with the Isuzu D-Max taking second spot in the bakkie race with an impressive 2,250 sales, and the Ford Ranger also breaching the 2,000 unit mark with 2,179 sales.

The Mahindra Scorpio (1,215) and Nissan Navara (835) also performed better than usual last month.

On the passenger car front, the new-generation Suzuki Swift (1,608) lost some ground to the Volkswagen Polo Vivo (1,703) after its particularly strong start to 2025, while the Toyota Corolla Cross was third with a solid 1,570 sales.

50 top selling vehicles in South Africa: March 2025

Toyota Hilux - 2,923
Isuzu D-Max - 2,250
Ford Ranger - 2,179
Volkswagen Polo Vivo - 1,703
Suzuki Swift - 1,608
Toyota Corolla Cross - 1,570
Hyundai Grand i10 - 1,344
Nissan Magnite - 1,223
Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up - 1,215
Chery Tiggo 4 Pro - 1,102
Haval Jolion - 1,102
Toyota Starlet - 1,075
Suzuki Fronx - 1,052
Toyota Starlet Cross - 957
Volkswagen Polo - 932
Nissan Navara - 835
Kia Sonet - 817
Toyota Fortuner - 793
Mahindra XUV 3XO - 774
Suzuki Ertiga - 749
Toyota Urban Cruiser - 706
Renault Kwid - 572
Toyota Hi-Ace - 569
Omoda C5 - 559
Suzuki Baleno - 504
Toyota Prado - 495
Toyota Land Cruiser PU - 476
Volkswagen T-Cross - 468
Volkswagen Polo Sedan - 423
Hyundai Exter - 421
Chery Tiggo 7 Pro - 420
GWM P-Series - 402
Toyota Rumion - 399
Renault Kiger - 363
Renault Triber - 350
Ford Everest - 343
Toyota Vitz - 322
Suzuki Jimny - 315
Hyundai i20 - 309
Jetour Dashing - 304
Haval H6 - 303
Hyundai Venue - 303
BMW X1 - 293
BMW X3 - 281
Volkswagen Amarok - 275
Suzuki Eeco - 246
Foton Tunland - 236
Ford Territory - 227
Nissan Magnite PV - 220
Suzuki S-Presso - 216

In the manufacturer race, Toyota led the way as usual, with 11,660 sales, followed by Suzuki Auto (5,284), Volkswagen (4,913), Hyundai (3,103) and Ford (2,907).

But could the looming Value Added Tax (VAT) increase be partly responsible for last month's vehicle sales surge?

“While the pending increase in VAT only amounts to R500 per R100,000 we expect that some purchase decisions will have been accelerated by its imminent implementation,” said WesBank's marketing head Lebo Gaoaketse

“While interest rates remained unchanged during the month, their levels have alleviated some affordability, stimulating demand in the market for new vehicles. WesBank has also experienced a reduction in balloon amounts financed year-on-year, reinforcing the positive improvements in affordability in the market,” Gaoaketse added.

Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.

IOL