TOYOTA South Africa has retained its position as market leader with 7 528 unit sales recorded during the holiday month of April. This gives Toyota a margin of 1 767 units ahead of its closest contender, and has resulted in a market share of 21,5% for the month.

"April figures reflect a tough month for the domestic motor industry owing to low productivity levels coupled with the political instability that kicked the month off," commented Calvyn Hamman, Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing. "Toyota however, managed to secure its market-leader position in the face of these conditions," added Hamman.

Toyota at Forefront

(

April remained a favourable month for Toyota on the SUV front with 985 Fortuner and 426 RAV4 units finding new homes, placing Toyota at the forefront of the large and medium SUV segments.

"The Fortuner has cemented its top position since making its local debut one year ago, and still resonates with SUV buyers seeking superb off-road credentials with outstanding refinement, even during months with leaner overall sales," concluded Hamman.

Furthermore, dealers logged a total of 10 908 Toyota Hilux sales during the first four months of 2017, reinforcing its position as the nation's brand of choice.

​Toyota Models

April sales also held steady for a selection of specialist Toyota models, most noticeably the Land Cruiser 200, gaining 82 new owners; as well as the Land Cruiser 79 and Quantum, which achieved 204 and 1 109 sales respectively.

The Toyota C-HR retailed 222 units in its second month on the market. The model's launch sales trajectory has normalised due to global supply constraints from a single-source plant.

Despite the commercial vehicle market facing similar economic and political challenges, Hino achieved a 20,5% share of the MCV market for the month.