Consumers’ heads are increasingly ruling their hearts regarding purchasing new vehicles, WesBank marketing head Lebo Gaoaketse said on Monday. Rather than being seduced by vehicle style and performance, more consumers are basing purchases on common sense.
“There are encouraging signs that the market’s growth is being shaped by disciplined consumer behaviour rather than exuberance,” he said.
“Affordability remains a clear priority. Even with improving economic indicators, households are aware of their limits. Buyers are approaching dealerships with well-prepared budgets, strong views on total cost of ownership and a preference for predictable finance structures.”
Affordability remains a clear priority. Even with improving economic indicators, households are aware of their limits.
— Lebo Gaoaketse, WesBank marketing head
Gaoaketse was speaking after motor industry association Naamsa released figures showing a continuation of the market recovery for new cars and commercial vehicles.
The 54,896 vehicles sold last month was 12.5% more than the 48,783 of November 2024. After 11 months of 2025, aggregate sales, at 547,966, are 15.4% ahead of last year’s 474,876 at the same stage.
At 39,158, car sales outperformed the previous November’s 35,287 by 11%. Year to date they are 20.1% ahead of 2024 — 386,826 against 321,966.
Brandon Cohen, chair of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association, said: “As we approach the end of 2025, the motor industry has once again shown that making sales forecasts is becoming more of an art than science. There are very few industry commentators who could have predicted the vehicle sales boom that we’ve seen in the second half of the year.”
He said low-cost imports were accelerating market growth: “The aggressive marketing of a wide range of affordable models from China and India is playing a major role in boosting retail sales.”
He added that the vehicle-rental industry was also a big contributor in November. It accounted for 21.2% of car sales and 16.3% of the total market “as operators optimistically fleet up ahead of the festive season, buoyed by an expected influx of international tourists”.
Light commercial vehicles, mainly bakkies and minibus taxis, outsold November 2024 by 20.5% last month and are up 6.6% for the year so far. That’s good news for the economy, said Gaoaketse. “The recovery in the light commercial segment is an encouraging signal for small businesses and fleet operators. Reinvestment in workhorse vehicles usually points to firmer business confidence and expectations of better trading conditions.”
As usual, it is a mixed bag for heavier commercial vehicles. So far in 2025, sales of medium and heavy trucks have risen 6.9% and 21.6%, respectively, but the market for extra-heavies is down 10.3%.
Naamsa said the improving overall market was helped by lower inflation and fuel prices and a “more accommodative interest-rate environment”. Together they “reinforce forward-looking confidence and lower the total cost of ownership for vehicle buyers”, it said.
The picture for vehicle exports was less bright. They fell 3.9% in November compared with the corresponding month of 2024, from 37,285 to 35,848. This was predictable given the effective loss of the US market. For the year so far, however, exports are 5.6% ahead, up from 361,174 to 381,315.
