India has emerged as the primary competitor to South African built Light Vehicles (LV), accounting for 36% of vehicles sold domestically compared to just 5% in 2009 (see graph below).

Around half of the 374 303 Light Vehicles (under 3.5t) sold in South Africa in 2009 were produced in the country, and the other half imported. Fast-forward 15 years, and 37% of the 484 806 Light Vehicles sold in the country were manufactured locally, while 63% were imported.

Share of Light Vehicle sales by origin country



While Indian-built vehicles accounted for 5% of all Light Vehicles sold in South Africa in 2009, this was behind Japan (12%), South Korea (10%) and Germany (10%). But by 2024 the picture had changed, with sales of Indian manufactured vehicles climbing to 36%, well ahead of China (11%).

The growth in vehicle sales originating in India can be attributed to the large number of vehicle manufacturers now producing vehicles in the country, leveraging the relatively cheap cost of labour and overall manufacturing costs.

For example, 84% of all imported Japanese-branded Light Vehicles sold in South Africa in 2024 were made in India (just 10% came from Japan). Other non-Indian nationalities importing vehicles built in India include German (9% of imported sales in 2024), South Korean (81% of imported sales) and French brands (74% of imported sales).

A potential reason for the shift from South African-built to imported vehicles could be a strategic change in direction by local manufacturers. Budget-friendly vehicles which were being made in South Africa, but have since disappeared from local production schedules, include the Chevrolet Spark, the Chevrolet Utility, the Ford Bantam, the Nissan NP200 and the Volkswagen CitiGolf.

This has increased the weighted average price (WAP) of South African-made vehicles compared to those imported from other global production centres (see graph below).

Weighted average price for Light Vehicle sales – local vs import



In 2009 the WAP of an SA-built Light Vehicle was R223 000, less than an imported Light Vehicle with a WAP of R277 000. But by 2024 the position had changed, with the WAP of R573 000 of a locally made Light Vehicle being higher than the R499 000 for an imported option.

The graph below demonstrates that Indian-built vehicles had a WAP of R123 000 in 2009 (just behind the Chinese-built WAP of R118 000), and these appear to have maintained their position as an affordable option in the domestic landscape with a WAP of R303 000 in 2024 (Chinese-made sales saw their WAP climb to R478 000 in 2024).

The graph also shows how the WAP of German and Japanese built vehicles has widened since 2015, and by 2025 were significantly higher than WAPs of South African, South Korean, Indian and Chinese built vehicles.

Weighted average price for Light Vehicle sales by origin country



Over the course of 2015, fifty-one (51) unique light vehicle makes reported new vehicle sales to naamsa. This has slipped to just forty-two (42) brands so far in 2025, with only thirty-four still active from a decade ago.