Toyota South Africa : Business As Usual

Toyota is a big player in the RSA. For passenger cars #2, but add light commercial vehicles and it is comfortably numero uno. Car demand here is a mix of standards, both better and lesser quality have a market. Doing both is what achieves the best results as many including Toyota do.

Some models you may be unfamiliar with.

The Etios is the second best seller in the range and it is a small car made in India and Brazil. It is sold only in selected markets where a budget car has a solid clientele.

The Fortuner is a mid-sized SUV built on a Hilux platform and is sold in many countries but few mature markets. It's a vehicle that is tough but lacks the driving refinement required in some nations.

Fifth comes the Avanza, a small MPV made especially for the Malaysian market and is sold in Asia and Africa. Again a model ideally suited for the RSA.

Toyota was the leading passenger car brand until 2010 when its slice of the pie was reduced quite substantially. Since then, it has steadily won back market share and is now close to winning back its top spot.

Summary: Conditions for car sales here are challenging, as overall sales slip downward presently. Some are struggling, others have the right mix of product to do well. Toyota have that mix, so for them it's business as usual.

	Toyota Passenger Car Sales : RSA
	Make/Yr	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
	Corolla	16,452	14,827	21,265	24,894	17,499
	Etios	14,950	24,367	18,661	16,270	12,768
	Fortuner	12,004	10,893	10,088	8,385	11,060
	RAV4	1,044	3,269	5,012	5,306	5,021
	Avanza	4,202	5,215	5,084	4,801	4,904
	Yaris	8,802	3,738	2,620	2,318	2,023
	Aygo	2,888	739	70	768	2,021
	Prado	1,540	1,090	1,763	1,777	1,321
	L Cr 200	478	633	800	778	1,077
	L Cr SW	-	-	378	362	236
	FJ Cruiser	1,321	612	229	195	153
	GT86	689	711	385	187	66
	Prius	36	22	18	9	37
	Innova	753	441	77	52	2
	Verso	486	248	93	-	-
	Total	65,645	66,805	66,543	66,102	58,188
	Share	14.9%	14.8%	15.2%	16.0%	16.1%

Data source: Naamsa.