FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S RESPONSE
The usual challenges posed by the April sales month to new vehicle sales were compounded by problems with the new eNaTIS vehicle registration system. The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) reported an expected slowdown in sales for the month due to the public holidays and extended school holidays that affected the number of selling days in April.
Total April industry sales came in at 48 523 including 4 935 AMH sales, a massive 15 530 units less than March 2007. Passenger car sales declined 15,9% compared to the 30 827 new cars sold in April 2006, while bakkies and minibuses increased 20,8% over the same period to sell 14 969 units in April.
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa’s sales for April reflected the industry trend, the company reporting a total sales figure of 4 881 domestic sales, of which 2 520 were passenger cars and 2 361 were light and medium commercial vehicles that include sales of the Ford F250.
The traditional top sellers at Ford Motor Company remained the Ford Fiesta (543 sales) in the passenger car market and the Ford Bantam (1 296 units) in the light commercial segment.
“The challenges posed by the introduction of the eNaTIS system were hard felt in April,” says Ford Motor Company’s, Jacques Brent. “It created a backlog of registrations at our dealers which didn’t help any of the sales figures this month. We know the new system will be a huge improvement going forward, but we have definitely felt the impact in our April sales numbers and look forward to a much improved May.”
“Overall, the passenger car market continues to soften in the face of new car price increases and petrol price hikes that have made consumers more cautious over new vehicle purchase decisions. However, South Africa’s economy continues to be buoyant and this is reflected in another increase in light commercial vehicle sales. April’s relatively slow sales result should not be taken out of context, however, and we believe the May results will balance the equation out, taking both months into account and represent a more accurate trend.”
The overall YTD growth has slowed, but still shows a 3,5% (incl. AMH) improvement.
TOP PERFORMING NEW PASSENGER VEHICLES April 2007
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VW Polo/Classic 2 389
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Toyota Corolla/RunX/Verso 2 181
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Toyota Yaris 1 999
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VW CitiGolf 1 424
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Opel Corsa 1 096
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VW Golf/Jetta V 1 022
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BMW3 Series 877
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Mercedes Benz C Class 772
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Toyota Fortuner 687
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Toyota Avanza 619
TOP PERFORMING NEW LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLE April 2007
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Toyota Hilux 3 233
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Opel Corsa Utility 1 897
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Isuzu KB 1 551
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Ford Bantam 1 296
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Nissan Hardbody 1 098
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Nissan 1400 860
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Toyota Hi-Ace 851
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Ford Ranger 555
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Toyota Quantum 554
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Mazda Drifter 440
Source: Naamsa
