Industry total sits at 40 390 vehicles sold locally for the month. However, if one looks at the total number of bakkies sold within the past month, the figure seems a bit less gloomy. We have provided a list of the most well-known bakkies and how they fared in the sales chart over this past month.
Volkswagen Amarok: VW’s bakkie will certainly increase its figure of 268 units as soon as the updated model with a potent 3.0-litre V6 diesel arrive towards the latter half of the year;
Chevrolet Utility: The small Utility is a favourite amongst locals as we use them for business and private use, explaining why there were 930 sold last month;
Nissan NP200: Much like its Chevrolet rival, the NP200 is a workhorse that many use as basic transportation, too. There were some 449 of these sold, last month;
Mahindra range: The light commercial side of Mahindra consists of three models: the Genio, the Scorpio and the Bolero. All bakkies, which, when combined, sold 128 units last month;
Mitsubishi Triton: The Triton has always been a solid seller for the Japanese brand, however, it is getting on and its replacement is on the way, which would explain why the brand only sold two units;
Mazda BT-50: The BT-50 shares its mechanicals with the highly successful Ranger and yet it posted just 68 unit sales; it could be that the model is due for a facelift this year as its design had divided opinion during its time in the market;
Nissan Navara: The Navara is an old vehicle now; it notched up 18 sales in April however, Nissan desperately need to introduce the new version. It’s Hardbody and NP300 Hardbody relatives make up for the side though with 47 and 479 units respectively;
Toyota Hilux: Its looks may have enthusiasts across car forums debating but there’s no arguing with 3 221 units in one month. The new Hilux is here and it’s proving to be a massive success already. The pick-up version of the Land Cruiser also did well for the brand, with 246 units sold in April;
Ford Ranger: The Ranger is arguably the best lifestyle bakkie one can buy; its sales figures reflect this with some 2 413 units sold this past month;
Isuzu KB: The KB is a solid product; like the Toyota it is widely trusted locally for its predecessor’s strength and durability, which is why it notched up 1 004 sales last month;
JMC Vigus: Representing the Chinese contingent, the Vigus racked up six sales last month, showing a mild interest in this bakkie from local buyers.
Tata Xenon: The Xenon managed just 12 unit sales last month, reflecting the tough economic times.
The figures add up to over 9 000 bakkies sold last month, almost a quarter of all vehicles sold in South Africa, which has a market with more than ten different vehicle types, including hatchbacks, sedans, trucks, vans, MPVs, coupés, cabriolets, SUVs, Crossover SUVs and supercars to name a few. We truly are a nation obsessed with bakkies and it appears this is set to remain that way for a while.
For the full write up on the Naamsa figures click here.
