Toyota sold just under a third of all vehicles in January

Toyota South Africa enjoyed a fantastic start to the new year, selling 9 033 units in January. This was equivalent to 26% of the 34 748 vehicles sold in South Africa thus far.

The Hilux bakkie was the manufacturer’s best-selling vehicle with 2 661 units moved in the month.

“Testimony to the enduring appeal of the Hilux nameplate is the fact that it still managed to garner the top spot for SA’s best-selling commercial vehicle,” said Leon Theron, Toyota’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

“What’s also really telling is that 2 383 of these Hilux sales were via the dealer channel – higher throughput than any other model sold in SA,” said Theron.

Toyota sold 5 015 new passenger vehicles in January, which represented a 21% market share in the competitive vehicle segment.

The manufacturer credits its strong showing in the category to the popularity of its SUV range, as the Fortuner and RAV4 both contributed significantly with 820 and 436 units sold respectively.

Affordable vehicle models also maintained their popularity. The Corolla Quest (1 024), Starlet (995), Ayga (512) and Avanza (421) contributed significantly to the automaker’s success.

Upmarket vehicles had more modest sales, the Land Cruiser and Prado sold 187 and 156 units apiece, while the Lexus NX and LS sold 11 and 10 units, respectively.

“In the light of the first month’s sales, I’m cautiously optimistic about 2021,” said Theron about the local market’s outlook.

“We’re still battling COVID-19, consumer sentiment is low and unemployment is rife… but we continue pinning our hopes on the resilience of our nation. We also believe in the strength of our dealer network, the loyalty of our customers, the commitment of the entire TSAM workforce as well as the quality of products.”

Picture: MotorPress