Registrations of passenger cars fell by 2.5% in 2014, while commercial vehicle sales rose by 3.3%. The outlook for both categories is positive over the forecast period, although weak consumer confidence and a depreciating rand (which is boosting the price of imported cars) will constrain growth in the near term. Rising household income, poor service and security on public transport and the long distances between major centres encourage domestic car use.
According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), the automotive sector contributes around 7% of South African GDP. The sector also accounts for around 10% of the country's exports and is also a major employer (second only to the mining sector).
Vehicle production was held back in 2014 by a four-week strike in the metal and engineering sector which, according to NAAMSA, led to a net loss of around 16,000 vehicles. Export sales of vehicles increased by just 0.2%, to 276,874 units. Assuming there is no repeat of the industrial action, a rebound in export sales is expected in 2015, helped by a pick-up in South Africa's key export markets and the extra competitive edge provided by a weak rand.

Automotive report 2

Overview 2

Passenger cars 3

Commercial and other vehicles 5

Production 7

Fuel sources 8

Industry publishing schedule 11

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