South Africa April 2024: First market lift in 9 months, Omoda C5 and Jaecoo J7 land in Top 50

The Jaecoo J7 enters the South African Top 50 in April.

38,172 new vehicles found a South African home in April, marking a return to positive territory for the first time since July 2023 at +2.2% year-on-year. The year-to-date tally is now down -4% to 168,970. Exports freefall -23.9% to 23,394 for the month and are off -9.1% to 105,058 year-to-date. Toyota (-9.4%) continues to easily dominates the manufacturers charts with 22.4% share and despite a year-on-year loss. This month Suzuki (+35.1%) overtakes the Volkswagen Group (+2.5%) to snap the 2nd place overall. Ford (-6.8%) is up three spots on March to #4, distancing Hyundai (-10%) also in difficulty year-on-year. Chery (+70.4%), including Omoda and Jaecoo,  is up three ranks on last month to a record 6th place, above 2,000 sales for the first time, passing fellow Chinese fare GWM (+9.2%). Isuzu (+7.5%) also manages a positive result at #7. 

The Toyota Hilux (-4.3%) holds onto the top spot in the models charts for just 21 units above the Ford Ranger (-5.8%). The VW Polo Vivo (+17%) climbs back up three spots on last month to #3 as does the Suzuki Swift (+41.9%) to #4. The Toyota Corolla Cross (+22.8%) rounds out the Top 5. The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (+37.9%) and Nissan Magnite (+97.4%) also impress in the remainder of the Top 10. Below, notice the arrival inside the Top 50 of two models by brands affiliate with Chery: the Omoda C5 at #38 and the Jaecoo J7 at #50, marking the first time the Jaecoo brand appears in any of our rankings. Note the J7 officially launched in South Africa on 12 April.

Previous month: South Africa March 2024: Nissan NP200 bows out in style (#2)

One year ago: South Africa April 2024: Ford Ranger topples Toyota Hilux for #1, new Toyota Vitz lands

Full April 2024 Top 38 All manufacturers and Top 50 models below.