Category Archives: Vehicle Sales

A total of 1,603 new vehicles were sold in Namibia during May. This constitutes the lowest new vehicle sales figure since January 2014. Sales fell 3.3% year on year after growing by 4.4% year on year in April. On a month on month basis sales of new vehicles fell by 8% although year to date sales set a record high with 9,148 new vehicles sold during the first five months of 2015.

The 12 month cumulative measure decreased to 22,611 from 22,664 in April, the first such decrease in 30 months. The magnitude of the decrease is very slight and does not indicate a material decline in the rate of growth of new vehicle sales.

Sales of passenger vehicles decreased by 15.4% month on month during May after sliding 4.4% month on month in April. On a year to date basis 4,080 new passenger have been sold eclipsing last year’s figure of 3,913. Once again Toyota and Volkswagen made up the bulk of new passenger vehicle sales, contributing 61% to the total, down from 70% in April. The roles have reversed however with Volkswagen outselling Toyota for the first time since June last year.

Total new commercial vehicle sales dropped a further 0.6% month on month in May after falling 29.7% in April. On a year to date basis the trend continues with record new commercial vehicle sales being recorded once again in May despite the comparatively poor figures recorded in April and May. Sales of new light commercial vehicles rose by 1.7% month on month, the only subsector to record an increase on a month on month basis. Sales of new medium commercial vehicles fell 45.9% month on month, with a total of 20 vehicles leaving the showroom floor. 57 new heavy commercial vehicles were sold during May, one less than in April. Sales of medium and heavy commercial vehicles on a month on month basis tend to be inconsistent and thus are not always indicative of the bigger picture. Both these categories have recorded record sales on a year to date basis during 2015 thus far.

The Bottom Line

Recent relative weakness in new vehicle sales can largely be attributed to the high base set during the first three months of 2015. The cumulative year to date figures convey a truer picture, with all subcategories posting record sales. A strong consumer base supported by expansionary fiscal policy and real wage growth should see the growth trend continue, although at a slower pace due to an elevated base.

1,742 new vehicles were sold in Namibia during April, after record sales of 2,150 in March. Sales rose 4.4% y/y coming off a high base as both March 2015 and April 2014 saw elevated sales levels. Month on month vehicle sales fell by 19.0% after being up 10.4% in March. The lower monthly numbers, compared to March, were on account of a 29.7% decrease in commercial vehicle sales and a 4.4% decline in passenger vehicle sales. At this point, total sales for the year stand at 7,555 vehicles, up 10.4% on the comparable period of 2014.

The 12-month cumulative measure increased further to 22,664 and is now 23.8% higher than a year ago, up 0.3% from the previous month. In our view the growth in the 12-month cumulative number is largely a result of a lower base in the previous year.

Sales of passenger vehicles decreased by 4.4% m/m to 870 vehicles sold during the month, down from the previous month’s 10.8% increase. On an annual basis, passenger vehicle sales rose, increasing 8.3% y/y after increasing 0.2% in March. Commercial vehicle sales fell 29.7% to a sales figure of 872 vehicles, down from 1,240 sold in March. On an annual basis, commercial vehicle sales continued to increased, up by 0.8% in April, which was due to higher sales numbers of light commercial vehicles on the back of government tenders coming through.

Once again Toyota and Volkswagen dominated the passenger vehicle market, claiming almost 60% between them. 33.4% of all passenger vehicles sold during April were Toyotas while Volkswagen made up 26.0% of the market. Toyota once again was the market leader in light commercial vehicles, having the lion’s share of sales at 43.8% of the market, followed by Nissan at 17.9%, and Ford in 3rd place.

The Bottom Line

The strong increase in vehicle sales is attributed to a number of factors, namely the on-going expansive fiscal and monetary positions of the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Namibia, as well as purchase of vehicles by Government.

Continued spending by the mining sector has helped drive vehicle sales during the past year while real wage growth and the strong local economy have bolstered sales. The strong state of the Namibian consumer can thus be well illustrated by vehicle sales figures. However as no cars are manufactured in Namibia, all new vehicles sold must be imported. Given the small, open, nature of the Namibian economy, this puts major pressure on the country’s balance of payments, which pressure cannot be sustained long-term.April vehicle sales are expected to be lower than March due in part to the high base and historically April sales are softer.

A record 2,150 new vehicles were sold in Namibia during March, up 10.4% m/m and 14.4% y/y. This comes off a high base as both February 2015 and March 2014 saw elevated sales levels, March 2014 also being a record month at the time. Month on month passenger vehicle sales rose by 10.8% after being up 10.4% in February to a record 910 units sold. On a year on year basis only 2 more passenger vehicles were sold than in March 2014 although the base month experienced exceptionally high sales. Commercial vehicle sales came close to record levels as well with month on month sales increasing by 10.1% and year on year sales increasing by 27.7%. As is expected during the record sales month the 12 month cumulative vehicle sales is up a further 1.2% to 22,590. Year to date new vehicle sales amount to 5,813, 12.3% up from last year’s already high base.

Once again Toyota and Volkswagen dominated the passenger vehicle market, claiming 57.8% between them. 36.5% of all passenger vehicles sold during March were Toyotas while Volkswagen made up 21.3% of the market. Nissan gained some market share and captured 5.6% of the March passenger vehicle sales while Kia lost some market share.

The light commercial vehicle segment breached the 1,000 vehicles sold level for the 6^th time within the year as 1,087 vehicles were sold in March, up 6.3% m/m. This space was also dominated by Toyota with more than 50% market share. Nissan captured almost 20% of the market share with the 20 other manufacturers sharing the remaining 30%. A record total of 93 heavy commercial vehicles were sold during March, up 19.2% m/m. 60 medium commercial vehicles were sold, another record, up 140% m/m from a low base.

The Bottom Line

The strong increase in vehicle sales is attributed to a number of factors, namely the on-going expansive fiscal and monetary positions of the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Namibia, as well as purchase of vehicles by Government.The Ministry of Finance has allocated N$984.5m to vehicle purchases in the 2014/15 National Budget, this is N$517.8m or 111.0% more than what was spent on vehicles during the previous financial year. With the financial year ending in March is possible that government has spent any under-allocation of this budget during the month propping up the sales statistics. It is not unusual for March to be a record month due partially to the government year-end.

Continued spending by the mining sector has helped drive vehicle sales during the past year while real wage growth and the strong local economy have bolstered sales. The strong state of the Namibian consumer can thus be well illustrated by vehicle sales figures. However as no cars are manufactured in Namibia, all new vehicles sold must be imported. Given the small, open, nature of the Namibian economy, this puts major pressure on the country’s balance of payments, which pressure cannot be sustained long-term. April vehicle sales are expected to be lower than March due in part to the high base and historically April sales are softer.