BYD sold more vehicles in South Africa in August than Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Subaru combined.
The difference was tiny, but the comparison was extraordinary. BYD recorded 609 sales, according to the latest new-vehicle figures from Naamsa, the Automotive Business Council. Mazda sold 245, Honda 196, Mitsubishi 138 and Subaru 24. Together, the four Japanese marques managed 603.
Each of those names has been part of South African motoring for decades. BYD is a recent entrant best known as a Chinese electric vehicle maker, although its local range is expanding into plug-in hybrids. It has now reached the point where one month’s sales can eclipse four established competitors combined.
Japan also owns the top two positions in the market. Toyota dominated August with 13,814 sales, while Suzuki took second place with 6,505. Together, they accounted for 35% of all new vehicles sold during the month. Their success makes the low volumes of their compatriots all the more startling.
Nissan occupies the uncomfortable ground between the Japanese leaders and the four stragglers. Its 786 sales in August were almost half the 1,487 recorded in March. It sold fewer than 800 vehicles in four of the five months from April to August.
This happened as South Africans bought cars in growing numbers. The total market increased from 47,979 vehicles in April to 57,898 in August. Nissan was therefore losing volume during a sales boom, a few months after disposing of its Rosslyn manufacturing plant to Chery.
Chery’s own numbers require some assembly. Naamsa lists Chery, Jetour and Omoda & Jaecoo separately. Combined, they sold 6,020 vehicles in August, giving the group third place behind Toyota and Suzuki, with Volkswagen fourth on 5,668.
Across the first eight months of the year, Toyota led with 98,609 vehicles. Suzuki was second on 47,116, followed by the combined Chery operations on 46,038 and Volkswagen on 42,432.
Jetour slipped from 2,034 to 1,952, while Omoda & Jaecoo dropped 13%, from 1,502 to 1,305. Since January, the main Chery marque has grown 22% and Jetour 26%. Omoda & Jaecoo has gone the other way, falling 8%.
GWM has also missed much of the wider market growth. Its sales edged up from 2,521 in January to 2,594 in August, an increase of 3%, compared with almost 16% for the total market between those months. The company remains a major player, but it is losing market share while its Chinese rival builds a much larger group presence.
BYD’s path has been less predictable. Its sales increased from 589 in March to 860 in July, then fell 29% in August. Even after that sharp drop, it outsold the four Japanese marques combined.
Some of the strongest numbers in the report were produced far from showroom floors. BMW recorded an estimated 1,299 domestic sales and exported 7,100 vehicles in August, equivalent to almost five and a half exports for every local sale.
Volkswagen exported 10,156 vehicles against 5,668 sold locally. Ford exported 6,825 and sold 3,202 in South Africa, while Mercedes-Benz exported 4,400 against estimated domestic sales of 567. These companies operate local factories whose economics extend far beyond their positions in the sales league.
The export totals also carry a warning. Domestic sales reached 430,693 vehicles for the first eight months, an increase of 12.5%. Exports fell 8.8% to 249,884.
* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx, editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za, and author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI – The African Edge”.
