South Africa · Governance
What drove South Africa’s October 2026 new-vehicle sales and exports
South Africa sold 61,890 new vehicles domestically in October, 10.4% more than a year earlier. Export volumes also rose in October, but exports in the first ten months of 2026 were still 8.3% below the same period of 2025.
Sources checked
Local sales
Shared scale · 0 vehicles to 45,084 vehicles
Exports
Shared scale · 0 vehicles to 45,084 vehicles
Switch between local sales and exports. Units are vehicles in both views.
Passenger cars accounted for most of the domestic gain
Domestic passenger sales rose from 39,704 in October 2025 to 45,084 in October 2026, a gain of 5,380. The industry total rose by 5,839, so passenger cars accounted for about 92% of the net increase. Light commercial vehicles added 291 domestic sales. Source 1
The largest gain in exports came from light commercial vehicles
Exports of light commercial vehicles rose from 10,437 to 12,974, adding 2,537 units. Passenger exports fell by 377, from 25,228 to 24,851. Extra-heavy commercial vehicle exports rose from 89 to 242. Across all categories, October exports increased by 2,264 units to 38,117. Source 1 Source 2
The ten-month record shows a different export picture
Domestic sales for January to October reached 554,081, up from 493,427 over the same period of 2025. Exports fell from 348,662 to 319,748. The light commercial export count alone declined from 124,655 to 93,043 over that period. October’s improvement did not erase the cumulative shortfall. Source 1 Source 2
Domestic manufacturer positions differ from export positions
Toyota led the October local manufacturer table with 14,495, while Volkswagen Group SA recorded 6,515 local sales and 12,913 exports. Toyota recorded 7,110 exports. The flash report includes an estimated BMW Group local figure and limits the manufacturer table here to the 15 highest local sellers, so it should be read within that scope. Source 1