Hopes of a sustained improvement in new-vehicle sales were dealt a blow on Monday when August’s figures showed a 4.9% decline from a year earlier.
Vehicle manufacturers and importers association Naamsa reported that 43,588 new cars and commercial vehicles were sold last month — down from 45,854 in August 2023.
A year-on-year improvement in July had raised hopes that several months of market decline had finally ended. But though car sales were up 3.1% in August to 30,022, the overall market was dragged down by a 21.5% slump in sales of light commercial vehicles, predominantly bakkies and minibus taxis. From 14,460 in August 2023, the number plunged to 10,709.
Heavier commercial vehicles offered a mixed performance. Sales of medium-sized trucks rose 8.1%, but those of heavy and extra-heavy trucks fell 23.5% and 9%, respectively.
After eight months of 2024, aggregate new-vehicle sales totalled 333,662 — which was 6.1% lower than 355,199 at the same stage last year.
Export volumes also suffered last month. Compared with August 2023, they fell by 34.3% to 28,073. For the year to date, they are 16.8% in arrears, down from 253,699 to 211,035.
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