Attached is a copy of naamsa’s quarterly review of business conditions for the South African motor vehicle manufacturing industry during the third quarter of 2023, as submitted to the Director-General, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
Industry vehicle sales, export, and import statistics for 2014 through 2022, together with current projections for 2023 and 2024, are reflected on the attachment to the submission.
KEY FEATURES: THIRD QUARTER 2023
- Aggregate new vehicle sales during the third quarter 2023 recorded a decline of 1,8% compared to the corresponding quarter 2022 but an increase of 6,3% compared to the second quarter 2023;
- New energy vehicle sales by 17 industry brands increased by 111,9% from 953 units in the third quarter 2022 to 2,019 units in the third quarter 2023;
- Third quarter 2023 aggregate industry employment as at 30th September 2023 totalled 33,620 reflecting an increase of 123 jobs compared to the 33,497 industry head count as at the end of June 2023;
- Average industry capacity utilisation levels during the third quarter 2023 continued to reflect the recovery in vehicle production to pre-pandemic levels but the ongoing global semi-conductor shortage impacted OEMs differently while loadshedding at supplier level, unplanned outages and logistics challenges also impacted the operations of the companies in the various segments to different degrees;
- Aggregate capital expenditure by the major light vehicle manufacturers in 2022 amounted to R7,1 billion, linked to new generation model investments;
- During the third quarter 2023 vehicle exports increased by 19,1% to 116,362 units compared to the 97,689 units exported in the corresponding quarter 2022; and
- The naamsa CEOs Confidence Index, as an in-house leading business confidence indicator of current and future developments in the domestic automotive industry, reflects the sentiment expressed by the naamsa CEOs for the third quarter 2023 compared to the third quarter 2022 as well as automotive business conditions and the country’s economy in general for the next 6 months.
