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Managing 24 161 exports during March 2024 and representing a 4.9% decline from a year go, here is a look at who managed to top the export charts with Mercedes-Benz on top.

South Africa’s naamsa | The Automotive Business Council mentioned that the industry has been competing in a constrained business environment exacerbated by weak consumer demand and several public holidays and long weekends which further hampered the production and sales market. As a result, export sales recorded a decline of 8 975 units, or 27.1%, to 24 161 units in March 2024 compared to the 33 136 vehicles exported in March 2023.

At the top, the Mercedes-Benz East London plant, responsible for both right and left-hand drive C-Class models managed to take the top spot, trailed by a fair margin by German rivals BMW in Rosslyn and Volkswagen in Kariega. Ford and its Ranger production line and Toyota with its Durban plant rounded the list. Have a look below.

Top 5 Exporters for March 2024

• Mercedes-Benz – 6 800
• BMW – 5 554
• Volkswagen – 4 579
• Ford – 3 601
• Toyota – 2 033

With March at a close, the first quarter of the year has concluded with exports sitting 4.9% below the corresponding quarter in 2023. This shrink comes after a record 2023 period after a mixed performance during the first corner for the current year. Prospects for the balance of the year remain upbeat on the back of new model introductions by major exporters while the global economic cycle is expected to bottom out in the first half of 2024. Naamsa further adds that lower inflation, central bank easing and modest global economic growth are therefore expected to support the South African automotive industry’s export performance.

Article sourced from Alex Shahini: https://www.carmag.co.za/news/industry-news/top-5-exporters-march-2024/