Bakkie holds it own against other locally-built favourites and Chinese offerings.
There were no surprises at the top of the sales chart in October as the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max kept its positions as South Africa’s top selling bakkies.
What makes for interesting reading is the dog fights going on in the shadows of the top table. It is here where the Mahindra Pik Up is wearing the mantle of being the best of the rest in holding off other popular locally built bakkies and the ever-increasing number of Chinese products.
The Mahindra Pik Up’s sales of 709 units last month might pale in comparison to that of the Toyota Hilux (2 793), Ford Ranger (2 217) and Isuzu D-Max (1 807), but still significant compared to the rest.
Solid fourth place for Mahindra Pik Up
There is plenty of daylight between the Durban-assembled Mahindra Pik Up and the fifth-placed Nissan Navara (418). The Rosslyn-built Navara has become the flag-bearer for Nissan since the discontinuation of the NP200 earlier this year.
The GWM P-Series (358) was the sixth most-popular new bakkie in Mzansi in October and the top-selling import one. GWM’s overall bakkie sales is expected to increase over the coming months after the introduction of the P500 range.
Slotting in at number seven on the list is the VW Amarok (298), which is built on the same assembly line as the Ford Ranger in Silverton.
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Number eight with sales of 128 units is another Toyota in the form of the Land Cruiser PU. Unlike the Toyota Hilux, which is manufactured in Prospecton, the Cruiser is imported.
Chinese bakkies in the mix
Rounding out the top 10 are two Chinese imports, the GWM Steed (116) and JAC T-Series (107). GWM has kept the Steed as a value-orientated light commercial vehicle, while the T-Series is an enticing value-focused leisure bakkie.
The JAC X-Series (73) falls just outside the top 10. Behind it is the Mahindra Bolero (37), Mitsubishi Triton (23) and Peugeot Landtrek (15).
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Mitsubishi will be banking on the all-new Triton that is introduced later this month. It will share a platform with the all-new Navara that is expected in 2026.
It will also be interesting to see the impact of the returning Foton Tunland in the coming months, along with the recently-introduced LDV range. The Chinese pair’s sales numbers are not available yet.
