New vehicle sales in SA started the year well by rising to 47,978 units in February, a gain of 7.3% compared to February 2024 and following a 10.4% increase in January.
Continuing the trend of 2024, passenger car sales rose while there was a decline in sales of light commercial vehicles, which include bakkies and minibuses. In the first two months of 2025 there were 21,703 light commercials sold in the country, respective drops of 9.1% and 11.3% compared to January and February 2024.
The discontinuation of the popular Nissan NP200 half-tonne bakkie in March 2024 played a big factor in the decline and at present there is no replacement model in the pipeline.
SA’s best selling vehicle remains a bakkie, namely the Toyota Hilux which has enjoyed a long spell of several years as the country’s favourite.
Despite being overtaken by the Suzuki Swift in January, the Hilux returned to the top spot last month with 2,683 units sold, and it is the overall best seller after the first two months of 2025 with 5,240 units.
The current Hilux was introduced back in 2016 but continues to outsell rivals like the Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max which have introduced newer generation models. The success of the Hilux, built at Toyota’s Prospecton factory in Durban, stems from its long-held reputation for durability and Toyota’s renowned after-sales service. The next-generation Hilux is expected in the next year or so but the present Hilux, now nine years old, has been kept fresh with regular updates, the most recent being the introductions of the sporty GR-S and 48V mild hybrid derivatives in 2024.
Most of the Hilux’s success can be attributed to its single-cab workhorse models. The country’s best selling double cab, and second most popular bakkie overall, is the Ford Ranger launched in December 2022 and built at the blue oval’s local factory in Silverton near Pretoria. It has sold 4,026 units year to date.
The Isuzu D-Max, built in Gqeberha, remains SA’s third best selling bakkie with 3,337 units in January-February. Formerly called the KB, the name changed when the seventh-generation one-tonner range was introduced in 2022.
The Mahindra Pik Up is SA’s fourth most popular bakkie on 1,065 units so far this year and has a range of 32 models comprising single cabs, double cabs and chassis cabs. The Indian brand has established a strong market presence with pricing that undercuts the establishment. It builds the Pik Up in Durban on a semi-knocked down (SKD) basis but plans to become a fully fledged local manufacturer.
It is followed by the imported, retro-styled Toyota Land Cruiser 79 pick up which is popular with farmers and has sold 1,065 units this year. In sixth is the locally built Nissan Navara with 710 sales. The VW Amarok, based on the Ford Ranger and built at the same Silverton plant, is ranked seventh with a 13-strong range comprising mostly leisure double cabs.
Hyundai’s long-serving H100 single cab workhorse, launched in 2004, is in eighth place.
Unlike in the passenger car market which has been disrupted by the huge growth of Chinese brands in the past couple of years, SA’s light commercial segment remains a stronghold for locally built bakkies. GWM, which has been around for several years, is the best Chinese performer in the segment in ninth place with its imported P-Series one-tonner, which has sold 333 units year to date. The more workhorse-orientated GWM Steed is 13th on 199 units.
The segment is being challenged by a growing number of Chinese brands of which only GWM, Foton and JAC report their sales figures. The JAC T-Series (comprising the T6, T8 and new T9) collectively sold 240 units in January-February.
A notable performer is the Foton Tunland one-tonner which returned last year after six years off the market. The latest G7 range is a competitively priced bakkie imported by Mandarin Parts Distributors, a subsidiary of Combined Motor Holdings. Foton only started reporting its sales figures in February and sold 201 units, placing it 12th overall, but it would be the best selling Chinese bakkie if combined with January’s figures which were estimated at just under 200 units.
The imported Peugeot Landtrek, available in four variants, has recorded 147 sales so far this year. It was launched as an import in 2021 but from 2026 will be built for the local and export markets at a new factory in Coega, Eastern Cape.
The imported new-generation Mitsubishi Triton was launched in November with an 11-model range and has sold 121 units this year.
Year to date best selling bakkies in SA
- Toyota Hilux — 5,240
- Ford Ranger — 4,026
- Isuzu D-Max — 3,337
- Mahindra Scorpio Pik-Up — 1,564
- Toyota Land Cruiser 79 — 1,065
- Nissan Navara — 710
- VW Amarok — 523
- Hyundai H100 bakkie — 420
- GWM P-Series — 333
- JAC T-Series — 240
- Suzuki Super Carry — 204
- Foton Tunland G7 — 201 (February sales only)
- GWM Steed — 199
- Kia K2700 — 153
- Peugeot Landtrek — 147
- JAC X-Series — 129
- Mitsubishi Triton — 121
- Mahindra Bolero — 99
- Kia K2500 — 43
- Nissan NP200 — 18
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