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Toyota and Hilux make history in 2016

Toyota’s “tougher” new Hilux has made history by achieving sales leadership in South Africa for the 44th time in the past 47 years by notching up a 2016 retail total of 35,428 – 3,000 units ahead of its nearest competitor. By recording 3,074 sales for the month of December, the iconic Hilux comfortably edged out its closest rival by 409 units.

Toyota was also the only manufacturer to scoop an additional five segment bests for the month:

  • C-segment – Corolla (614 units);
  • Compact MPV – Avanza (271 units);
  • SUV – Fortuner (958 units);
  • People Carrier – Quantum (916 units);
  • Specialist Off-Roader – Land Cruiser 79 pickup (185 units).

Other notable sales performances were recorded by:

  • Etios – 597 units;
  • RAV4 – 377 units;
  • Prado – 99 units;
  • Land Cruiser 200 – 80 units.

And in the quest for overall sales leadership, Toyota (assisted by the Lexus and Hino brands) was once again the top choice for South African motorists, shifting a chart-topping 117,071 vehicles in 2016, which equates to a market share of 21,4 percent.

What’s telling is that the number-two and number-three placed manufacturer achieved market shares of 15,8 percent (86,472 units) and 13,5 percent (73,856 units) respectively. This means that Toyota led the sales race in 2016 by an unassailable 30,599 and 43,215 units respectively.  Incidentally, this is the 37th year in an unbroken run since 1980, that Toyota has grabbed the number one sales spot in SA.

On the commercial front, Hino sold 232 units in December 2016, with Hino 300 and Toyota Dyna combining to achieve a 20.8 per cent share in medium commercials.

Commenting on Toyota’s performance, Calvyn Hamman, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing concedes that, 2016 has been an extremely challenging year, yielding the lowest domestic sales in three years.

“That said, Toyota’s achievement has been nothing short of remarkable. The last time Toyota recorded a percentage share this high was in 2010 when we pulled off a 20,5 percent market share. Our current 21,4 per cent market share means that for every five new vehicles sold in this country, one is a Toyota product,” Calvin said.

“And, while the overall market fell by 11,4 per cent in volume terms, Toyota experienced a marginal decrease of just 4,8 percent over 2015 which is the testament to the strength of our brand. In this time of economic uncertainty, consumers are far more discerning when it comes to parting with their hard-earned cash. Toyota’s QDR* (Quality, Durability and Reliability) has undoubtedly played a big part in keeping our loyal base of fans while conquesting new buyers. I’d like to use this opportunity to thank each and every one of our customers for putting their faith in Toyota and its affiliate brands and I know that they will be rewarded with a deeply satisfying motoring experience,” Calvyn concluded.

*Quality Awards

Reinforcing Toyota’s quality are a number of awards the company achieved during 2016. In the 2016 Vehicle Quality Survey by Ipsos, Toyota South Africa Motors stood out with the total of twelve Gold awards; five in the Passenger category and a further seven in the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) category.

Hilux was certainly the hero for Toyota in the survey achieving the best quality score for the Petrol Single Cab (37). It won a further two category awards including Best Diesel Single Cab and Best Diesel Double Cab. Hilux was also awarded the best One-Ton Single Cab Commercial Vehicle Brand and the Best Double Cab Commercial Vehicle Brand. In fact, Toyota made it a clean sweep in the LCV category by pipping its competitors and winning the Best Light Commercial Vehicle Brand overall. A highlight was the award for the Best Light Commercial Vehicle Plant, the Gold award for its manufacturing facility located in Prospecton, KwaZulu-Natal.

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) also scooped the Sunday Times Top Brand award as the best-regarded car brand in the Consumer category in 2016. It is the second time that TSAM has won an award in this category.

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