Figures released by the Automotive Business Council showed that the new vehicle market declined 14.2% year-on-year last month! (May)
Applications for new vehicle finance declined by double digits, while used vehicles maintained stronger interest.
Total domestic new vehicle sales in May 2024, at 37 195 units, reflected a decline of 6137 units, from the 43 242 vehicles sold in May 2023.
Export sales also recorded a decline of 5 712 units, or 19,1% in May 2024 compared to the 29 947 vehicles exported in May 2023.
With all the political and economical uncertainties in the run up to elections and the high interest rates, sales for the medium and heavy truck segments of the industry reflected a poor performance for May 2024 at 533 units for (mediums) – 425 units (heavies) and 1 375 units (extra heavies) respectively, which reflects a 14,2% decline compering to the corresponding month last year.
While consumers will wait and see how the post-election politics plays out in June, we hopefully wait to see a recovery in the second half of this year alongside with a declining interest rate cut.
With highway crime escalating in SA, companies in the freight and transport logistics industries, and communities and organisations along the 200 km stretch of the N3 highway from Howick to Harrismith, are developing a pilot project to secure that portion of the highway.
The pilot project was aimed at testing the concept of using private and public security to provide physical security on the strategic stretch of road, said business lobby nonprofit Sakeliga Security Projects head Gideon Joubert.
The aim of the project was to use integrated local, private and State security resources, with an added intelligence component, to secure that part of the N3 in the public interest.
More than 80% of land freight in South Africa is by road and is vulnerable to truck attacks, looting and hijackings.
Joubert added that, “The first aim is to protect lives, and then to protect freight and equipment, and keeping the highway open and free of criminal elements”
In our May newsletter we mentioned the new eActros in Germany and to confirm what I said, – Daimler Trucks South Africa has announced its first fully battery-electric range of trucks.
The Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 (4×2 and 6×2 rigid) along with a truck tractor variant and the eActros 400 6×2 rigid and eCanter range focus on zero emission light and heavy duty distribution applications that form part of Daimler Global’s 100 percent CO2 neutral trucks and buses by 2050 goal.
CLC Trucks launched a brand new Website in May, please take a few minutes and pay us a visit at www.clctrucks.co.za
