The December vehicle numbers exclude data from Mercedes-Benz
South Africa which has halted reporting sales and export figures after
receiving a directive from German parent company Daimler.
“Despite the fact that detailed sales of Mercedes-Benz
vehicles were not reported during December - new vehicle sales ended the year
2011 on a relatively buoyant note,” Naamsa said.
Factoring in a conservative estimate of Mercedes-Benz'
figures for December, vehicle sales would have increased by about 14.5% y/y to about 45 200 units.
Industry sales for 2011 were up about 15.9% at an estimated
571 425 units compared to the number of vehicles sold the previous year.
Assuming economic growth of 3% and 3.5% for South Africa in 2012, vehicle sales are seen at around 611 500 this year, Naamsa said, adding however that the next 12 months are likely to be challenging.