August auto sales hit a high

August new vehicle sales rallied 36,9% year on year to 46 377 units, 12.2% up on the already good sales results for last month.

"The impending CO2 emissions tax levied by Government from September appears to have had at least one positive result: SA consumers have bought more new cars during August than any other month in the past two years," says vice president marketing, sales and service, Dean Stoneley. "We anticipate continued growth through the remainder of the year."

Positive growth

Passenger car sales rose 49,7% on August 2009 to 33 541 cars, 14,8% more than last month. Even Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) sales returned to positive growth despite not being affected immediately by emissions tax. LCV sales ended 4,7% better than July and 8,9% improved over the same time last year.

Heavy commercial vehicles virtually doubled sales during August (up 92,9% on August 2009), while medium (up 8,7%) and extra heavy commercial vehicles (up 44,3%) continued their strong performances. Bus sales declined 38% over the same month last year in the wake of the Soccer World Cup.

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) in August increased sales 53,1% on July. In its first full month of sales, the new Ford Figo moved 1142 units to make the newcomer the fourth best selling passenger car in South Africa. The company's Fiesta also surged to over 1000 units to secure sixth spot in the country's Top 10 best selling passenger cars.

"The importance of the sub-B segment is critically evident as consumers assert the importance of affordability in SA's new vehicle market," continues Stoneley. "All but one Figo was sold through the dealer network, clear indication that consumers have embraced the value proposition offered by Figo and the buoyant activity in this segment."

"Based on the good performance of the Ford Figo and Ford Fiesta, FMCSA achieved its highest market share amongst Naamsa reporters for the year with 12.1% for August," concluded Stoneley.

Notes:

Sales figures quoted from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) include overall sales figures reported by Associated Motor Holdings. These figures are also included in the numbers quoted for the corresponding month in the previous year.

TOP PERFORMING NEW PASSENGER VEHICLES August 2010

	Model	Volume
1.	VW Polo Vivo	2229
2.	TOYOTA Corolla	1339
3.	VW Polo	1236
4.	FORD Figo	1142
5.	CHEV Spark	1122
6.	FORD Fiesta	1050
7.	TOYOTA Fortuner	1044
8.	MERCEDES C-Class	957
9.	BMW 3-Series	762
10.	VW Polo Vivo Sedan	729

TOP PERFORMING NEW LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES August 2010

	Model	Volume
1.	TOYOTA Hilux	2628
2.	CHEV Corsa Utility	1195
3.	ISUZU KB	1002
4.	TOYOTA Quantum	967
5.	NISSAN NP200	792
6.	FORD Ranger	720
7.	NISSAN NP300 Hardbody	579
8.	FORD Bantam	573
9.	NISSAN Navara	288
10.	MAZDA BT-50	262

Source: Naamsa