Has the Hilux managed to hold off the Ranger in the 1st half of the year? And what about SA’s worst-selling bakkies? Here’s a look at H1 2024’s winners and losers…
In the 1st half of 2024, sales in South Africa’s light-commercial segment – which includes bakkies, mini-buses and vans, though is dominated by the former – shrunk 9.4% year on year to 69 311 units . But how have sales panned out for individual contenders in the bakkie space?
Well, with a few choice stabs at a calculator, we’ve tallied up the sales figures for the opening half of 2024, allowing us to identify South Africa’s best-selling bakkies, year to date. Naturally, we’ll also take a look at the bakkies that failed to crack the top 10 in H1 2024…
Hilux retains 1st as Ranger grows year on year
At the halfway point of the year, the Toyota Hilux found itself in an entirely familiar position – right at the head of the pack. In this 6-month reporting block, the Hilux was the only contender to crack the 3 000-unit mark in a single month, a feat it achieved in both February and March . Still, it’s interesting to note the Prospecton-produced bakkie’s nevertheless formidable total of 15 745 units represented a 16.2% year-on-year decline (compared with the corresponding period in 2023 ).
Meanwhile, the Silverton-manufactured Ford Ranger enjoyed a 4.1% year-on-year increase in sales – the only instance of growth in the top 5 – to finish H1 2024 on 12 212 units. Though that puts the Blue Oval brand’s bakkie a significant 3 533 units off the pace, it’s a far smaller margin than the 7 075-unit difference that split these nameplates in H1 2023. For the record, the Ranger’s best performance of the year so far came in May 2024 , when 2 216 units were registered.
The Isuzu D-Max – which is manufactured in Struandale in the Eastern Cape – has made 3rd place in the bakkie-sales race very much its own and that was again the case at the halfway point of 2024. Though D-Max registrations fell 5.5% compared with H1 2023, this model’s tally of 9 449 units saw it comfortably take the final place on the podium. The D-Max breached the 2 000-unit mark only once in the opening half of the year, hitting 2 095 sales in March 2024 .
Despite production having ceased at the end of the 1st quarter of the year, the Nissan NP200 returned an H1 2024 tally of 5 955 units, 11.9% down on the corresponding period last year. That was enough for the now-defunct half-tonner to retain 4th place, with the KwaZulu-Natal-assembled Mahindra Pik Up again completing the top 5. For the record, sales of the Indian brand’s bakkie dropped 6.5% year on year to 4 186 units.
Navara holds steady as P-Series and Amarok climb
The Rosslyn-made Nissan Navara – which looks set to welcome a new Warrior flagship derivative, though possibly only in 2025 – achieved marginal year-on-year sales growth of 3.5% to finish H1 2024 on 2 443 units and retain 6th place. Meawhile, the GWM P-Series (2 055 units) climbed a ranking to 7th, despite sales of this Chinese model slipping 1.4%, year on year.
Not far behind, the Ford-built Volkswagen Amarok also gained a place, grabbing 8th position in the opening half of 2024, with local sales surging 37.9% year on year (the strongest growth in the top 10) to 2 002 units. That saw the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – which enjoyed a refresh in February – fall 2 spots to 9th, ending the reporting period on 1 998 units (down 14.9%, year on year). Finally, the GWM Steed again closed out the top 10, with registrations improving 6.8% year on year to 626 units.
South Africa’s slowest-selling bakkies in H1 2024
What about the bit-part players? Well, JAC’s T-Series range – the Chinese automaker unfortunately reports only a combined figure for its T6, T8 and T9 line-ups – effectively placed 11th with 612 units. Next came the Peugeot Landtrek , which enjoyed a 110.7% year-on-year increase to a still modest 373 units. That meant the Mitsubishi Triton (292 units) had to settle for 13th position, though a new-generation model is expected to make local landfall later in 2024.
Next came the Mahindra Bolero with 246 units, followed by the since-discontinued Mazda BT-50 (42 units). The Jeep Gladiator closed out the list of 15 with 24 registrations. It’s worth noting that the likes of LDV (with its T60 ) and Foton (with the Tunland G7 ) don’t currently report figures to Naamsa. In addition, we’ve focused on traditional bakkies here, excluding models such as the Hyundai H100, Kia K Series, Volkswagen Transporter Pick Up and Suzuki Super Carry from this exercise.
South Africa’s 10 best-selling bakkies in H1 2024
1. Toyota Hilux – 15 745 units (-16.2%)
2. Ford Ranger – 12 212 units (+4.1%)
3. Isuzu D-Max – 9 449 units (-5.5%)
4. Nissan NP200 – 5 955 units (-11.9%)
5. Mahindra Pik Up – 4 186 units (-6.5%)
6. Nissan Navara – 2 443 units (+3.5%)
7. GWM P-Series – 2 055 units (-1.4%)
8. Volkswagen Amarok – 2 002 units (+37.9%)
9. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 1 998 units (-14.9%)
10. GWM Steed – 626 units (+6.8%)
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