Toyota sales continue to gain momentum in third quarter
Despite forecasts of a bleak economic outlook in the South African market by some analysts, the local motoring industry has – especially in the third quarter of 2017 – shown some optimistic buoyancy. The country’s most loved car brand Toyota is once again leading the charge with a total of 10 751 units sold in August.
The month’s star performers include segment leaders Toyota Hilux (3 392), Quantum Bus (1 443); Fortuner (1 070); RAV4 (651) and Avanza (531). The latest Naamsa sales report sees Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) registering a respectable total of 5 360 passenger vehicles and an admirable total of 5 140 light commercial vehicles (LCV).
There have been some good showings by Hino trucks in the medium and heavy commercial vehicles with totals of 140 and 111, respectively. Hino 300 had another strong month, achieving a 22.1% share of the medium commercial segment.
On the luxury vehicles front, Lexus shifted no less 12 LC 500 units, 19 NX and 18 LX models respectively.
Commenting on the results, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at TSAM Calvyn Hamman says: “It’s almost usual of our brand to buck trends. While the economic outlook remains uncertain – with official unemployment figures estimated at 28% – Toyota sales have continued to show resilience. The locally-built Hilux is once again both a segment and plate leader in the local market year-to-date, and this is – of course – testament to what a good product this vehicle is.
We are grateful to the entire Toyota team and dealers across the country for their continued efforts towards making Toyota a market leader, but we cannot be complacent because there is always room for improvement. Our mandate is to create customer smiles and to continue making Toyota, Lexus and Hino brands of choice for our market.”
Despite the overall decline in the sales of passenger vehicles over the past few years, it is worth noting that Toyota leads brand representation in the top 10 bestsellers year-to-date; with Fortuner, Etios, Quest and RAV4 – all doing exceptionally well in their segments.
The slight decline in the sales of passenger vehicles – especially sedans – over the years is a trend that could be attributed to the local market’s growing appetite for double-cab bakkies.
Via: Toyota South Africa Motors