South Africa January 2020: VW Polo Vivo snaps first lead in two years, Haval H2 in Top 20

The previous generation VW Polo remains in production in South Africa, sold under the Polo Vivo name.

The South African new vehicle market edges down -5% year-on-year in January to 40.259 registrations. Toyota (-26.8%) is hit very hard this month but nevertheless manages to hold onto the manufacturers top spot at 20.5% share vs. 19.7% for the Volkswagen Group (+8.6%) which in contrast manages the largest gain in the Top 5. Ford (-7.3%) climbs back onto the podium above Nissan (-26%), with Hyundai (+1.9%) rounding out the Top 5 with a slight uptick. Renault (+71.5%) and Suzuki (+61.4%) are once again the heroes of the month, going completely against the depleted market to post spectacular year-on-year gains. Notice also Kia (+7.4%) up in the remainder of the Top 10. Below, newcomer Haval remains at #13 with 2.3% share, while Peugeot-Citroen (+596.4%), Porsche (+68%), Mitsubishi (+21.4%) and Mahindra (+14.3%) are among the best performers.

Model-wise, the VW Polo Vivo (+14.2%) ends 16 consecutive monthly wins by the Toyota Hilux (-4%) , lodging its first pole position in exactly two years, since January 2018. The VW Polo (-29.9%) rallies back up to the third step of the podium but takes a steep fall compared to January 2019, as does the Ford Ranger (-20.9%) in 4th place. However the Renault Kwid (+94.6%), Suzuki Swift (+72%) and Ford Ecosport (+66.7%) post fantastic gains in the remainder of the Top 10. The Toyota Hiace (#10) tops recent launches just above the VW T-Cross (#11), with the Haval H2 (#19) breaking into the South African Top 20 for the first time and the Hyundai Venue (#28), Kia Seltos (#35), Haval H1 (#36) and Hyundai Atos (#43) in tow. The Indian-made Renault Triber lands at #158 with its first 20 South African units sold this month.

Previous post: South Africa 2019: Toyota Hilux and VW Polo Vivo most popular, Renault Kwid shines in weakest market in 9 years (-2.8%)

One year ago: South Africa January 2019: Toyota Hilux threatened by new generation VW Polo

Full January 2020 Top 38 All-manufacturers and Top 260 All-models below.