Half of cars sold in South Africa linked to India in 2025, study finds

Nearly half of the cars sold in South Africa in 2025 have links to India, either through manufacturers such as Mahindra and Tata or through components sourced from the country, according to a report by market intelligence firm Lightstone, PTI reported.

The report stated that sales data from the past year showed Mahindra taking a leading role in the South African market, particularly through its Pikup series. It added that 84 per cent of all Japanese-branded light vehicles sold in South Africa in 2024 were imported from India, while only 10 per cent were built in Japan, as per the Lightstone analysis cited by PTI.

The data suggested that while the expanding presence of Chinese brands is often viewed as the biggest threat to local manufacturers, most imported vehicles sold in South Africa actually originate from India. Lightstone said the strong visibility of Chinese manufacturers such as Haval and Chery on South African roads over the past three years has created a perception that they dominate sales, driven by their growing popularity among buyers.

However, Chinese imports accounted for just 11 per cent of total vehicle sales in 2024, while 36 per cent of all vehicles sold during the year were imported from India, either directly or indirectly through established Japanese and Korean brands. This figure was marginally lower than the 37 per cent share of locally produced vehicles, the report showed.

If Pikups and light commercial vehicles are excluded, India’s contribution rose to almost half of the South African market in the first half of 2025, Independent Online reported on its website, citing Lightstone data. Figures for the first five months of 2025 showed that 49 per cent of all passenger vehicle sales were imported from India.

The majority of these vehicles were supplied from Maruti Suzuki’s operations in India, with the company also exporting Toyota models such as the Starlet, Starlet Cross, Vitz and Urban Cruiser for the South African market.

Lightstone auto data analyst Andrew Hibbert stated that the growth in vehicle sales originating from India could be attributed to the increasing number of manufacturers producing vehicles there, supported by relatively lower labour and overall manufacturing costs.

Analysts said the trend has helped buyers through more competitive pricing but raised concerns for South Africa’s local automotive industry. They pointed to contrasting data from 2009, when around half of the light vehicles sold in the country were locally produced and only 5 per cent were sourced from India.