5 unforgettable South African car adverts

5 unforgettable South African car adverts

Before Nando’s ruled the controversial, yet funny, advertising scene in South Africa, there was Raj 1 and Raj 2 who were saving 68 600 bucks to buy a new Corsa Lite and the Fiat Palio driver who didn’t like to be touched on his car. TV advertising was the most elite space for brands to show off their latest models and rope in potential buyers. It cost a pretty penny as well to pay for television advertising so big brands splurged on adverts that would captivate South African’s interests enough for them to make a purchase. How times have changed.

The songs on the adverts were earworms and you would find yourself randomly singing – red, yellow, blue, this one’s for you, doo be doo be doo – without even realising it. We can’t forget these favourites!

1. Red, Yellow Blue VW Citi Golf advert

It was the craze that took South Africa by storm. Everyone wanted to own the Citi Golf in either red, yellow or blue. It came standard as a 5-door model and had a 1.3-litre engine. You couldn’t opt for any extras and they were only available in 3 colours.

2. VW David Kramer Advert

South African singer and actor, David Kramer, is synonymous with the VW Volksiebus advert. He collaborated with the VW brand for 13 years and created a string of adverts that remind us fondly of life in South Africa. His tunes were catchy and the storyline funny enough to keep viewers glued to the TV.

3. Corsa Lite with Raj 1 and Raj 2

Imagine the shock when we found out Raj 1 and Raj 2, from the hilarious Opel Corsa Lite adverts, were not really Indian. The brothers brought stomach-aching laughter to our homes, and too many tried to replicate their accents. Our favourite advert has to be the brothers catching bucks to buy a new Corsa Lite. Which is yours?

4. Fiat Palio and the cyclist

If you love cars you know how annoying it is when someone dares lean on or touch your vehicle unnecessarily. The worst is when someone opens their door into your car in the parking area then casually acts like nothing happened. The Fiat advert with the cyclist leaning on the bonnet is hilarious, and we were all thinking the cyclist deserved it.

5. Toyota Hilux and Buddy the dog

Buddy the dog was revolutionary, it was not easy to computer-generate a dog talking back then and yet Toyota pulled it off. The campaign with Buddy lasted a few years, and everyone followed the dog’s journey with the transformation of the Hilux.

Picture: Screengrab