Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA), which consists of Audi and Volkswagen, ended 2021 with a combined market share of 25.5%. This means one in every four vehicles sold locally was either a Volkswagen or Audi model.
“To end off 2021 as South Africa’s leading passenger car brand is truly an amazing achievement for VWSA. 2021 was a challenging year for our company and our industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the global semi-conductor chip shortages. We are especially proud of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand’s 20.1% market share, which is the highest of all Volkswagen markets worldwide,” said Robert Cisek, VWSA Chairman and Managing Director.
In 2021, VWSA delivered 71 577 vehicles (Volkswagen Passenger Cars – 60 959, Audi – 5 712, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – 4 906) to customers in the local market; an increase of 8 095 vehicles compared to 2020.
With total sales of 60 959 units in 2021, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand sold 7 640 more vehicles when compared to 2020. The performance of Volkswagen Passenger Cars was boosted by its strong dominance in the A0 segments. The Volkswagen brand was the undisputed leader in the competitive A0 Hatch, A0 Sedan and A0 SUV segments. The Polo Vivo retained the crown of South Africa’s most popular passenger car with 21 877 units sold last year. The T-Cross ended 2021 with full- year sales of 7 516 units.
Despite limited Caddy supply last year, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles still sold 4 906 units, an improvement of 13% when compared to 2020. The Amarok was the best-selling model range with 1 770 units sold.
The local premium market faced severe challenges in 2021 due to a consumer buy-down trend; however Audi remained one of the top three premium brands in South Africa. Audi achieved 18.4% share of the premium market and recorded 5 712 sales in 2021. The brand’s best-selling model range was the Audi Q3 with 900 vehicles sold last year.
“Our sales performance last year was ably supported by our strong and dedicated dealer network. More than 70% of total sales were channelled through our dealer network. I also wish to convey our sincere gratitude to our loyal customers who have ensured that Audi and Volkswagen are still South Africa’s most loved passenger brands,” concluded Cisek.
Eight new Audi and Volkswagen vehicles will be launched in the local market in 2022
2022 will be an exciting year for the Volkswagen Passenger Car brand which will see the introduction of four new vehicles. These include the all-new Golf 8 R, high-performance Tiguan R, Taigo which is a compact SUV as well as Volkswagen’s only sedan derivative, the Polo Sedan. The best-selling Polo will receive a facelift in the first quarter of the year and so will the Tiguan Allspace and the sporty T-Roc in the second half of the year.
2022 will be a monumental year for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, which will see the launch of the best-selling new Caddy range as well as the new Amarok. The Amarok’s world premiere and global media launch will both take place in South Africa later this year.
The Audi brand celebrates the launch of a fully-fledged e-tron range this year. This will include the introduction of the e-tron 55, e-tron 55 Sportback and e-tron S Sportback (performance derivative) as well as the much-anticipated e-tron GT and high performance RS e-tron GT. The rest of the year will see the introduction of the all-new Audi RS3 Sportback and Sedan as well as the facelift to the luxury S8 Sedan.
