..:: AUTO REPORT AFRICA ::..
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Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) ended the year 2019 as the clear leader in the passenger car segment as it dominated the passenger car market with 89 353 vehicles sold in the country during the year.
Commenting on the full-year results, Mike Glendinning, Director: Sales and Marketing, VWSA, said, “2019 was an incredible year for VWSA. Not only did the Uitenhage factory produce a record 161 954 vehicles, surpassing the previous record of 137 758 vehicles produced in 2011, VWSA also ended the year with 23.4% passenger market share (up 0.6% from 2018), meaning that close to a quarter of all cars sold in the South African market are from the Volkswagen Group,”
According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), South Africa recorded domestic sales of 536 626 units in 2019, a decline of 15 601 units or 2.8%.
The Polo Vivo was the best-selling passenger car in South Africa with 29 619 vehicles sold in 2019. The locally-manufactured model topped the A0 segment with a share of 24.5%. The Volkswagen Passenger brand also ended 2019 with a record-market share of 20.4% (0.6% improvement from 2018), the highest since 1996.
Premium brand Audi sold 8 495 vehicles in 2019 and ended off the year with a market share of 18.2%, which is up from the 17% market share achieved in 2018. The brand’s best-selling vehicle was the Audi A3 Sportback with 1 826 vehicles sold last year.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles reported deliveries of 8 397 units in the light commercial vehicles segment last year. The Commercial Vehicles brand achieved a market share of 5.2%, which is a growth of 0.1% when compared to 2018. The Amarok Double Cab topped the sales charts with 2 596 vehicles sold in 2019.
“Our strong sales performance in 2019 was ably supported by our dealer network as well as our customers who continue to put trust in Audi and Volkswagen products thus cementing VWSA as South Africa’s leading passenger car brand year after year,” concluded Glendinning.
Looking ahead
2020 will be an exciting year for VWSA which will see key model introductions for Volkswagen and Audi in South Africa.
This year, Volkswagen will launch the T-Cross 1.5 TSI 110kW and 70kW models, the T-Roc (Volkswagen’s sporty premium SUV which slots between the T-Cross and Tiguan), the special-edition Golf GTI TCR which will see only 300 units sold in South Africa, the all-new Golf 8 as well as a facelift in the T6 Commercial Vehicles range.
2020 will be an eventful year for the Audi brand with the introduction of new models like the all-new Audi Q3 Sportback, Audi A6 Sedan and Audi’s first fully electric vehicle, the Audi e-tron. In addition the Audi A4, A5, Q7 and R8 model ranges along with their high performance derivatives receive product improvements or facelifts this year. Audi’s S/RS performance vehicle portfolio will be bolstered with the new RS6, RS7, RSQ3, RSQ8 and the S8.
