According to a report by market intelligence firm Lightstone, half of the cars sold in South Africa in 2025 have connections to India. They are either manufactured by companies like Mahindra and Tata or contain components made in India. Sales figures from the past year reveal that Mahindra has taken a leading role in the region, particularly with its Pickup series.
Furthermore, Lightstone noted 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 actually built in Japan.
Shifting market dynamics
While the rising influx of Chinese brands is often perceived as the greatest threat to local manufacturers, Lightstone's data suggests that the vast majority of South Africa's imported cars actually originate from India. The high visibility of Chinese manufacturers like Haval and Chery on South African roads, driven by their popularity over the last three years, often creates a false impression that they lead the market in sales.
In reality, Chinese imports accounted for just 11 per cent of vehicle sales in 2024. In contrast, 36 per cent of all vehicles sold in South Africa that year were imported from India, either directly or indirectly through established Japanese and Korean brands. This figure was only slightly lower than the 37 per cent market share held by locally produced vehicles.
The rise of passenger vehicle imports
If sales of pickups and light commercial vehicles are excluded, India's market share grew to nearly half of the South African market in the first half of 2025, according to a report by Independent Online citing Lightstone data. Figures for the first five months of 2025 showed that 49 per cent of all passenger vehicle sales were imports from India.
Most of these vehicles originate from Maruti Suzuki operations. The company also supplies Toyota with several models, including the Starlet, Starlet Cross, Vitz, and Urban Cruiser.
"The growth in vehicle sales originating in India can be attributed to the large number of vehicle manufacturers now producing vehicles in the country, leveraging the relatively cheap cost of labour and overall manufacturing costs," said Andrew Hibbert, Auto Data Analyst at Lightstone.
Concerns for local manufacturing
While analysts note that this trend provides much-needed price relief for buyers, it remains a point of concern for the domestic automotive industry. They pointed to contrasting data from 2009, when approximately half of all light vehicles sold in South Africa were locally produced and only 5 per cent were sourced from India.
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