FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S RESPONSE
New vehicle sales continued to decline in November according to figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (NAAMSA). New car sales totaled 52 400 (including AMH sales), a 14.5% decline on the previous month’s figures and a 14.4% decline when compared to the corresponding month in 2006.
Year to date figures are also down with growth at a rate of negative 4.3%. Passenger sales accounted for 33 036 units, a decrease of 18% on the previous month; while 15 956 commercial vehicles were sold, a decrease of 7.5% on the previous month.
Ford Motor Company sales totalled 5 863 units during November, of those 3 096 were passenger cars and 2 750 were commercial vehicles. The Ford Fiesta was Ford’s top selling passenger vehicle with 518 units sold while the Mazda2 topped the sales charts for Mazda with 697 units. The Ford Bantam was Ford’s top selling commercial vehicle with 1 597 units.
“Car sales continue to feel the pressure of increased interest rates and difficult trading conditions,” comments Jacques Brent, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. “Fleet sales were strong during October and thus figures were slightly inflated last month. In November it once again became evident that private buyers are under pressure as the brakes continue to be applied to consumer spending largely due to the interest rate hikes.”
With just one trading month left in 2007 year-to-date sales currently stand at 631 123 units a decrease of 4.3% over the corresponding figures of 2006.
TOP PERFORMING NEW PASSENGER VEHICLES November 2007
- Toyota Corolla/RunX/Verso 2 767
- Toyota Yaris 2 737
- VW Polo/Classic 2 668
- VW CitiGolf 1 838
- Mercedes C-Class 1 790
- Opel Corsa 1 132
- BMW 3-Series 1 010
- VW Golf/Jetta A5 945
- Nissan Tiida 859
- Toyota Avanza 823
TOP PERFORMING NEW LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES November 2007
- Toyota Hilux 2 953
- Opel Corsa Utility 2 117
- Ford Bantam 1 597
- Isuzu KB 1 427
- Toyota Hi-Ace 1 139
- Nissan Hardbody 1 051
- Ford Ranger 812
- Toyota Quantum 687
- Mitsubishi Colt 410
- Nissan 1400 328
Source: Naamsa
