BAIC SA wins prestigious award in China
BAIC South Africa has won the prestigious Excellent Retail Award at the Chinese manufacturer’s 2024 BAIC global distributor business event.
- Industry News
- 17 May 2024
The State of the Motor Industry (Somi) event presented the opportunity for Toyota to give more info and show future product offerings planned for the local market.
Leon Theron, TSAM’s Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, showcased a number of all-new models.
Leon says Toyota bucked the negative retail trend by ending off the year on 142 612 units, which were not only the highest volume sold since 2007, but it also equalled the company’s best market share on record. Toyota has been the bestselling automotive brand in South Africa for 44 years, it’s also the only manufacturer with representation in just about all segments of the new vehicle market.
Given its topicality, Leon focused on Toyota’s dominance in the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) space:
Toyota’s overall share is 53% and a 22% increase in NEV volume sales over 2022. The Corolla Cross Hybrid makes up the lion’s share of Toyota NEV sales (55%), and on the Lexus side, Lexus NEV volumes accounted for a record 42.5% of total Lexus sales in 2023.
New models revealed at the event:
Enviro Automotive, an importer and local distributor of DFSK's electric vehicles (EV), announced new additions to its C-Series panel van and bakkie line-up to enhance its current offerings. In July 2022, Enviro Automotive introduced the DFSK brand in South Africa with the launch of the EC35 panel van and EC31 one-tonne bakkie.
Following the successful launch of several special edition models earlier this year across core Audi vehicle ranges, including the Q3 and Q3 Sportback Black Edition options, Audi South Africa has now added Urban Edition derivatives to the premium compact Q3 SUV and Q3 Sportback line-ups as well.
Chery has further expanded the appeal of the Tiggo 4 PRO with the introduction of a slick-shifting dual-clutch transmission (DCT) with additional technology and interior updates.