Spurred on by the one percent increase in VAT from April first and substantial hike in the fuel price, the South African market trend was mirrored in Brazil, Australia and the United States, with the latter in particular posting a sizable 6.4% gain in the wake of a stronger economy, heavy vehicle discounts and surge in pick-up and SUV sales.
Sales in the United Kingdom though remained under pressure with a drop of 15.7%, influenced by uncertain political matters, air quality regulations and a massive 37.2% drop in the sales of diesel vehicles.
As a comparison, here is how South Africa's Top 10 best sellers from March stacked-up against those from the United States, UK, Australia and Brazil.
SOUTH AFRICA
UNITS SOLD: 49 233 - (+1.1%)
| POS | MAKE | UNITS |
| 1 | Toyota Hilux | 3 825 |
| 2 | Volkswagen Polo Vivo | 2 756 |
| 3 | Ford Ranger | 2 753 |
| 4 | Volkswagen Polo | 2 212 |
| 5 | Nissan NP200 | 1 562 |
| 6 | Toyota Quantum | 1 540 |
| 7 | Toyota Fortuner | 1 274 |
| 8 | Isuzu KB | 1 273 |
| 9 | Toyota Corolla / Auris / Quest | 1 189 |
| 10 | Hyundai Grand i10 | 1 032 |
AUSTRALIA
UNITS SOLD: 106 988 - (+4.4%)
| POS | MAKE | UNITS |
| 1 | Toyota Hilux | 4 348 |
| 2 | Ford Ranger | 4 064 |
| 3 | Toyota Corolla | 3 218 |
| 4 | Mitsubishi Triton | 3 109 |
| 5 | Mazda3 | 2 780 |
| 6 | Hyundai i30 | 2 719 |
| 7 | Nissan X-Trail | 2 504 |
| 8 | Mitsubishi ASX | 2 337 |
| 9 | Mazda CX-5 | 2 261 |
| 10 | Toyota RAV4 | 1 952 |
BRAZIL
UNITS SOLD: 200 101 - (+8.8%)
| POS | MAKE | UNITS |
| 1 | Chevrolet Onix | 12 918 |
| 2 | Ford Ka | 9 803 |
| 3 | Hyundai HB20 | 9 217 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Prisma | 6 616 |
| 5 | Renault Kwid | 6 454 |
| 6 | Volkswagen Polo | 6 149 |
| 7 | Volkswagen Gol | 5 877 |
| 8 | Fiat Strada | 5 595 |
| 9 | Nissan Kicks | 5 532 |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla | 5 395 |
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITS SOLD: 474 069 - (-15.7%)
| POS | MAKE | UNITS |
| 1 | Ford Fiesta | 19 272 |
| 2 | Volkswagen Golf | 13 966 |
| 3 | Nissan Qashqai | 12 018 |
| 4 | Vauxhall Corsa | 11 718 |
| 5 | Ford Focus | 9 403 |
| 6 | Ford Kuga | 8 964 |
| 7 | Mini | 8 720 |
| 8 | Mercedes-Benz A-class | 7 184 |
| 9 | Mercedes-Benz C-class | 7 155 |
| 10 | Kia Sportage | 6 583 |
UNITED STATES
UNITS SOLD: 1 653 529 - (+6.4%)
| POS | MAKE | UNITS |
| 1 | Ford F-series | 87 011 |
| 2 | Chevrolet Silverado | 52 547 |
| 3 | Nissan Rogue | 42 151 |
| 4 | Ram | 41 307 |
| 5 | Toyota Camry | 35 264 |
| 6 | Toyota RAV4 | 34 937 |
| 7 | Honda Civic | 32 584 |
| 8 | Chevrolet Equinox | 31 940 |
| 9 | Honda CR-V | 31 868 |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla | 31 392 |
