Half of the cars sold in South Africa this year have connections to India. According to a report, the cars are either manufactured by companies like Mahindra and Tata or have components made in India. Sales figures of the past year have shown Mahindra has taken a leading role in South Africa, especially in its Pikup series.
Besides, 84 per cent of all the Japanese-branded light vehicles sold in South Africa in 2024 were imported from India, adding that just 10 per cent were actually built in Japan. Chinese imports accounted for just 11 per cent of vehicle sales in 2024, while 36 per cent of all the vehicles sold in South Africa in that year were imported from India, either directly or indirectly by established Japanese and Korean brands.
If sales of pickups and light commercial vehicles are excluded, India’s share grew to almost half of the South African market in the first half of 2025. The first five months of 2025 showed that 49 per cent of all passenger vehicle sales were imported from India. Most of these vehicles emanate from the Maruti Suzuki operations in India. The company also supplies Japanese brand Toyota vehicles such as the Starlet, Starlet Cross, Vitz and Urban Cruiser.
