Toyota enjoyed its usual dominant lead with the company selling a total of 11,786 vehicles. Following a buoyant 2025 that sawnew vehicle sales reach 10-year highs, 2026 has kicked off on a positive note for the industry, with sales increasing by 7.5% year-on-year, according to Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. A total of 50,073 new vehicles were sold last month, representing an increase of 3,479 units over the same month in 2025.
85.4% of these sales took place through dealer channels, while the rental industry accounted for 10.9%, followed by industry fleets (2.1%) and government sales (1.6%). Passenger vehicle sales increased by 7.1% year-on-year, to 34,710 units, while the light commercial vehicle and bakkie market, at 10,996, grew by an impressive 11.0% after a sluggish year marked by the absence ofNissan’s NP200. Medium and heavy vehicle sales, on the other hand, decreased by 5.9% and 4.3%, respectively.
Vehicle exports also started the year on a semi-positive note, with a volume of 24,568 units representing a gain of 0.6%. Naamsa noted that the proliferation of trade-restrictive measures and evolving industrial policies in advanced economies is testing South Africa’s export competitiveness.
