The major car brand that went from selling over 1,000 cars per month to under 190 in South Africa

In the first half of 2016, Mazda was selling over 1,000 new cars per month in South Africa.

Fast forward 10 years, and Mazda is selling roughly 200 new cars per month in the country.

This was evident when looking at historic data from Naamsa’s new vehicle sales reports, which measure the number of new cars sold in South Africa each month.

Mazda stood out as one of the brands which has suffered a large drop in sales over the past 10 years, with close to an 80% decline.

An example of the decline can be seen by comparing the February 2016 report with today’s.

Mazda had a particularly good month, selling 1,148 vehicles. This consisted of:

• Mazda CX-5 – 377 vehicles sold
• Mazda 3 – 293 vehicles sold
• Mazda CX-3 – 227 vehicles sold
• Mazda 2 – 179 vehicles sold
• Mazda BT-50 – 65 vehicles sold
• Mazda MX-5 – 6 vehicles sold
• Mazda 6 – 1 vehicle sold

However, data from February 2026 shows that Mazda sold 223 new vehicles in the country.

Its total sales for February were therefore lower than the sales of only its CX-5 from 10 years earlier.

In the most recent Naamsa report, which covers July 2026, Mazda also recorded its lowest monthly sales for the year to date, with 189 cars sold.

The graph below shows the number of new cars Mazda sold in South Africa from January-July 2016 to January-July 2026.

Not alone

Mazda is not alone in its decline, with iconic brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi suffering sales drops in South Africa in recent years.

A factor in the decline has been Chinese car brands offering motorists powerful vehicles and luxury features at much lower prices.

GWM and the Chery Group are standout players in this battle and have quickly become the country’s best-selling brands.

The Chery Group includes Chery, Omoda/Jaecoo, Jetour, Lepas, and iCAUR.

In July 2026, Chery, Jetour, and Omoda/Jaecoo sold a combined 6,245 new vehicles locally.

This not only put the Chery Group ahead of Mazda and the German luxury brands – it placed it above Suzuki, VW, Hyundai, and Ford in terms of sales for the month in South Africa.

GWM, which includes the Haval brand, took seventh spot in July, with 2,504 cars sold.

Toyota was the only brand with higher sales than its Chinese competitors, reporting 14,142 new vehicles sold during the month.

SUVs and Crossovers

Where the Chinese brands have seen big success locally is in the SUV and crossover segments.

A combination of “all-round” ability and a host of advanced features, paired with lower prices than competing brands, has resulted in a boom in sales.

The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, Haval Jolion, Jetour T2, and Omoda C5 are among the best-selling cars in the country – and all fall into either the SUV or crossover categories.

It must be noted, however, that this is not only a case of South Africans buying the cheapest SUVs and crossovers they can find.

The starting price of the Jetour T2, for example, is R569,900 – making it far from a “cheap” car.

Rather, buyers have flocked to it for the perceived value it provides at the price point.

This includes the base model, which offers a large touchscreen display, a digital instrument cluster, a panoramic camera, a sunroof, and adaptive cruise control.

These features are not always available on base models from competing brands, including those from Japanese and German companies.

This puts established car brands such as Mazda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi in a position where they need to decide how to approach South African buyers to distinguish themselves from Chinese competitors.