Motor industry continues to surprise itself

Vehicle sales continue to power ahead, despite monthly predictions of a slowdown. September sales across all segments of the industry registered “surprisingly strong gains,” according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). “The latest sales figures exceeded industry expectations and were cause for optimism. The new car market for 2011 was likely to show an improvement of about 15%, in volume terms, on the 2010 figures,” it adds. Exports of South African-produced motor vehicles during September 2011 at 25 933 units were 106.9% on last September’s 12 534 units, which were affected by industry-wide industrial action. So far, the industry seems to have avoided the effects of the “double dip” recession in the West. “The direction of the global economy remains uncertain, and international financial markets are characterised by extreme volatility and turbulence. This could impact on future export sales. However, at this stage, there are no indications of cutbacks in export orders,” says Naamsa.