A total of 1,583 new vehicles were sold in Namibia during December. New vehicle sales decreased by 13.5% year on year and decreased 8.0% month on month. During 2015, a total of 21,246 new vehicles were sold, down 3.2% when compared to 2014. This slight decrease was largely due to an elevated base and strong vehicle sales in 2014.
Passenger vehicle sales rose by 4.4% month on month, from 588 in November to 614 in December, down from a high of 910 in March this year. On a year to date basis, total sales of passenger vehicles during 2015 slowed further by 6.2% to 9,035, while year on year sales fell by 25.4% off a high base. 2014 saw exceptional growth in passenger vehicle sales, setting a high base, which has proven to be unsustainable as the year to date percentage change in vehicle sales has shown.
Commercial vehicle sales decreased by 14.5% month on month as 969 vehicles were sold. On a year on year basis, total commercial vehicle sales for 2015 decreased by 0.9% as the growth rate in commercial vehicle sales declined steadily during the year, turning negative for the first time in 29 months in November. Light commercial vehicle sales decreased by 16.6% month on month and fell 5.3% year on year. Total light commercial vehicles for 2015 fell 1.9% compared to 2014. Medium commercial vehicle sales rose 4.2% month on month and fell 34.2% year on year, largely due to the low number of vehicles sold in this category. Total medium commercial vehicles for 2015 fell 2.5% compared to 2014. Heavy commercial vehicle sales rose by 12.5% month on month and 46.9% year on year. Total heavy commercial vehicles sold during 2015 rose 15.9% to 830 compared to 2014, taking it to a record year. Medium and Heavy commercial vehicle sales figures fluctuate greatly due to the low numbers of these vehicles that are sold on a monthly basis.
Toyota topped the number of vehicles sold per brand for the year at 8,178, a market share of 38.5%. 2,787 or 30.8% of the 9,035 passenger vehicles sold during the year were Toyotas, as well as 5,381 or 49.0% of the 10,989 light commercial vehicles sold in 2015. Volkswagen moved 2,169 passenger vehicles or 24.0% of the total passenger vehicles sold during the year. Volkswagen’s market share was 12.4% of the total. Nissan’s market share this year was 9.6% of the total vehicle sales and 15.7% of total light commercial vehicles sold.
The Bottom Line
We have seen exceptionally strong vehicle sales growth through 2014, fuelled by a strong consumer base supported by expansionary fiscal policy and real wage growth, but the latest figures show that this trend is losing momentum. Strong vehicle sales in 2014 have elevated the base substantially which has led to lower percentage growth figures, although the number of vehicles sold as a whole is still strong. We expect to see vehicle sales normalising somewhat at the levels seen this year. Downside risks to this are rising interest rates which may limit marginal lenders from qualifying for financing as well as banking sector liquidity which may limit the amount of loans available to finance vehicle purchases.