India was the top country of origin for vehicle imports into South Africa despite the lengthy COVID-19 lockdowns and overall declines in vehicle sales in 2020, according to a latest auto report. 

The Automotive Export Manual report released on Friday by the Automotive Industry Export Council said that India had been established by several global brands as a production hub for entry-level and small vehicles, and most of the vehicles imported from India fell into these categories. Volkswagen’s Polo Vivo was the only vehicle in these segments that was manufactured locally in South Africa in 2020. 

The 87,953 units imported from India accounted for 43.2 per cent of total passenger cars and light commercial vehicles imported by South Africa. Nine of the top-10 selling vehicles in 2020 were South African-built passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. An interesting trend is that South African motorists are more inclined to rather drive bakkies (pick-ups), which have both commercial and leisure vehicle applications, than passenger cars. 

This has been good news for Mahindra SA, the local subsidiary of the Indian automotive manufacturer. The Mahindra Pik Up has been the fastest-growing range of bakkies in the past three years.