Clearer vehicle sales picture now available

Image: Free Digital Photos

This means the AMH/AAD sales figures for the period January-April 2013 are now available to subscribers of the various RGT SMART Motor Data products.

The previous policy of AMH and AAD, which was to release only aggregated sales figures for its various brands in major segments each month, has been frustrating for those in the industry who need to track trends in the South African automotive market. This situation has become more significant over the years as the sales by AMH and AAD have grown dramatically and they are now often in the top three among the various groupings in terms of total monthly sales.

"This is an important development and we at RGT SMART, which processes all the retail new vehicle sales data and circulates it to industry bodies such as NAAMSA and individual subscribers, is now able to provide a far better service to our clients," commented Paul De Vantier, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at RGT SMART.

Aggregated monthly sales total

"The more comprehensive the data we provide the more informed are the decisions that can be made by vehicle manufacturers and distributors, government departments and economists. Obtaining desegregated figures from those companies that had not previously provided detailed sales figures is a big step forward, even if there is still a five-month lag with AMH/AAD. The number of companies that are now not reporting is minimal in terms of sales volume," added De Vantier.

AMH started reporting an aggregated monthly sales total from January 2003, with a total of 12,986 units reported for the 2003 calendar year. The reporting changed to aggregated sales in major segments from January 2005, where the monthly total was already a significant 4 686 units.

The next step by AMH was to provide RGT SMART with aggregated numbers by segment and sales channel, which RGT SMART used to compute sales estimates for the various model ranges which it provided to subscribers.

A big move forward came in February 2012 when AMH and AAD provided detailed sales data by model and sales area for the period January 2006 to December 2009. Four months later the two companies provided the same disaggregated data for the period January to December 2010.

This week's development makes real progress in terms of cutting the lag further, with the two companies providing detailed data from January 2011 to April 2013.
In future AMH/AAD will disclose monthly aggregated sales by major segment, as in the past, but will also provide actual monthly disaggregated data five months in arrears.

RGT SMART, custodians of new vehicle sales figures for close to 30 years, prides itself on the credibility, integrity and accuracy of the data it provides to a wide range of businesses and organisations.