.jpg "February 2025 Vehicle Sales: Domestic demand holds firm as export volumes decline")
The Automotive Business Council underscores that the South African new vehicle sales extended its domestic growth trajectory in February 2026, reflecting not merely cyclical uplift, but increasingly entrenched domestic economic stabilisation. Strengthening credit extension, moderating inflation, fiscal consolidation credibility, and incremental logistics reform have collectively underpinned domestic demand conditions.
However, exports have weakened in the month of February 2026 with vehicle export sales at 24,221 units, reflecting a year-on-year decrease of 9,463 units, or 28,1%, compared to the 33,684 vehicles exported in the corresponding month last year. The industry’s export performance remains subject to heightened protectionism across several of South Africa’s key export markets, while increasingly stringent decarbonisation requirements in destination markets continue to weigh on the competitiveness of South African vehicle exports.
Aggregate domestic new vehicle…
