Of the top 50 selling vehicles in South Africa in 2013, over 126 000 where bakkies, or pickups for the international market. That's roughly 25% of all vehicles sold. That's pretty impressive, and shows SA's appetite for things other than passenger cars. This can be attributed to a couple of facts which I will point below, as we compare bakkies in South Africa from 2013 sales.

  1. Toyota Hilux

  2. Ford Ranger

  3. Chevrolet Utility

  4. Nissan NP200

  5. Isuzu KB

  6. Nissan NP300

  7. Volkswagen Amarok

  8. Toyota Land Cruiser PU

  9. Nissan Navara

  10. Mazda BT-50

According to SACCI (the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry), business confidence in the country in 2013 was the lowest its been in the past five years. Given this, we would expect business owners to invest less in capital expenditure such as bakkies. However, as the sales volumes from last year indicate, that's not the case. To qualify this, the most likely reasons are that light commercial vehicles are just that – commercial vehicles – used for the purposes of getting businesses running. To hold back on purchasing another one or replacing an older one could have negative implications to the business. And if you look at the Business Confidence Index for the whole of 2013, it was [positively] impacted by the slow rise in overall car sales.

Continuing with a look on businesses as a driver for the huge bakkie sales, it's also worth noting of the 100% back VAT incentive that SARS has put in place for business owners. No doubt this plays a huge role in encouraging the continued purchase of LCVs. However, it's also worth noting that the tax break only applies to single cab/super cab bakkies. Going back to our sales volumes, we noticed that the Chevrolet Utility and Nissan NP200 dominated in this arena. Similarly, single and super cab variants of the top ten outsell their “big brother” double cabs. So indeed the government subsidy does work. Of the 30 best selling model derivatives in 2013, all entrants except the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok sold more single cabs than double cabs. The number 1 selling single cab bakkie was the Chevrolet Utility 1.4 (with aircon) with a total 5753 units. That's almost 33% of all of the vehicle's 2013 sales. The leader in the double cab sized bakkies was the Toyotal Hilux 3.0 D-4D RB Raider, which sold 2260 units. That number is a measly 6% of all Hilux 37495 bakkies purchased.

The best month for bakkie sales was March, while December was the worst month. These months had 11698 and 8548 units respectively. Comparing 2013's quarters, we can see a steady decrease in sales in the first three months, and a very sharp decrease in the last quarter.

Toyota Hilux

Toyota Hilux is the undisputed king of South African bakkies. Buy a Hilux today, and you'll drive it for a generation! That guarantee has made this Toyota stay atop of this segment of the market. Overall, Toyota had 33% of the entire market for bakkies, with the Hilux and Land Cruiser PU both in the top 10 best selling bakkies. In 2013, the Hilux had its best month in March, where 3637 where sold. That's a whole 1003 more than during January, its worse performing month. The most popular model derivative was the Toyota Hilux 2.0 VVT-i, with 3579 units. Brief specs of this model reveal a 2.5 litre, 4 cylinder engines, that can power 118 kW and 241 Nm of torque. Toyota did something great and made the Dakar version of the same bakkie. This beast is pretty awesome, and simply putting Dakar Rally on its backside, has had us kissing the Hilux's behind and wanting to grab one...for a few good thousand rands more of course. The Toyota Hilux has the widest range to choose from compared to any other bakkie in South Africa. It comes in a total of 23 flavours, from the best selling 2.0 VVT-i, to the special edition Hilux 4.0 V6 4x4 Raider Auto DC Dakar.

Ford Ranger

With a total 19 859 Ford Rangers in 2013, this member of the top ten, often seen as a more luxurious alternative to the Hilux has done great to keep up with all the hype around it. However, the Ford Ranger is a distant number two on the list, as such Toyota's Hilux outsells Ford's Ranger 2:1. Of that whole number, 2006 Ford Ranger 2.2TD Hi-Power XL D-Cab where sold, making this double cab the favourite among South Africans. Overall, January 2013 left the Ranger unpopular compared to November last year. On these two months it sold 1255 and 1937 units respectively. Ultimately, Ford had nine derivatives of the double cab Ranger, which gives us ample choice to choose from. Just like Toyota, Ford entered the Dakar Rally with hopes of clinching the title. Team Ford built 2 bakkies for the race that took place in South America from 05 – 18 January 2014.

Chevrolet Utility

It's been a tight race to the top of the half-ton bakkie for the GM-owned Chevy Utility. When Ford discontinued the Bantam, they virtually left the half-ton market opened for pickings. The guys who've picked it up are Chevrolet, and they've done a pretty good job at it. Thus, the overall 17 470 units of the bakkie sold last year. The ute, spotting exotic shades such as lime and more common colours such as black and white (8 palettes in all) sold most as a 1.4 litre edition. According to Chevy, the 1.4L consumes 7.2 litres in every 100 km trip. That's pretty good on the fuel efficient side, and is also available in a 1.3 litre engine. Economy aside, safety has been taken to the highest of priorities by the guys who make these bakkies up in the friendly city, Port Elizabeth. With two airbags for both the driver and passenger, the Chevy Utility has done a first in the sub-one ton segment. General Motors' woes in 2014, relating to ignition switch faults, and other problems have resulted in the company's largest car recall ever. And although it is technically a “new” company now after it came out of bankruptcy in 2010, GM could still be liable for many charges against it by drivers of its now used Chevrolet bakkies and other brands. Luckily, South Africa has been relatively unaffected by the recalls. That could change, but every car maker seems to be prone to these nowadays; that certainly won't deter us from buying more vehicles however.

The Chevrolet Utility's best sales month was in May, and its worst month was in December. 1853 and 1026 units where sold on either month.

Nissan NP200

16 007! That's the number that Nissan's NP200 clocked in 2013. It was a tight race that Chevy's Utility ended up winning. While the Utility had its worst month in December, like most of the entrants in the top ten, September was the one month that was dismal for the Nissan NP200. The figure of 726 units was a complete outlier! In 6 different months out of the 12 of 2013, the NP200 beat the Utility in sales, further showing that the two are the closest competing bakkies out there. However, looking at specs, whereas the Utility comes in only with a 1.4 litre engine, the NP200 has has standard 1.5 litre diesel and 1.6 litre petrol engines; where the entry level of the latter was the best model derivative compared to others.

The thing about both the Utility and NP200 is that they're very similar on paper, and the very close number of sales either one generated can only mean that drivers just buy either one because they prefer the one brand over the other, along with pretty much the same extended warranties.

Isuzu KB300

For a bakkie that spotted fifth position overall, with a total 14 309 units, no Isuzu KB300 model derivative featured on the top 30. But our favourites have been the KB300 Double and Extended cabs. One of the things that stood out for us with the latter, was that even though its quite a big bakkie, and with a big engine, we clocked 8 litres/100 km on the gauge. That's fairly economical when you look at the Extended Cab against something like the 3.2 MZ-CD SLE High Ride 4x2 6MT Diesel. In the same year, General Motors SA indicated it would part ways with Isuzu's local arm, and but he KB300 would remain in its production line in Port Elizabeth. I figure this is GM's was to compete with a more formidable bakkie against the Hilux and Ranger, where GM's Utility cannot compete. Besides the bakkie itself, Isuzu's Drive Academy has been a great success to test drive their bakkies. There are few off-road experiences than the ones prepared by the guys here, and being open to non-Isuzu drivers as well is a bonus. You can watch the YouTube videos here.

Nissan NP300

The Nissan NP300 is one of three bakkies from Nissan in the top 10. While the NP300 may compete directly with its 'brother', the Navara, somehow, this variant of bakkie has won the hearts of South Africa. Steady sales in 2013 meant that the NP300 sits at number 6 on the list. That was 8 156 of NP300s that buyers jetted off with. While January was a good month for the NP300 (949 sales in all), December proved very tough, much like for the rest of the market for bakkies. But arguably the most striking fact about here is that the Nissan NP300 sells almost twice its nearest rival, the Volkswagen Amarok. So as things stand, we can safely assume that the Nissan NP300 bakkie will remain ahead of the other four for a long time.

VW Amarok

Volkswagen wants to be the biggest car maker by 2016. That's a pretty bold aim, and even bolder yet given Toyota's spectacular comeback from the horrifying days of the global recession and the largest car recall in recent memory. But VW is putting where its mouth is and investing a lot to make sure it gets to the point where it can claim the coveted title. One such move has been in South Africa, where VW has invested a lot to carve out a piece of the very lucritive market for bakkies in South Africa. Their answer has been the Amarok, which is something of a beast compared to what's being offered out there. A beast yes, but possibly the most luxurious bakkie yet.

Toyota Land Cruiser PU

While the Hilux and others have position themselves as might workhorses, Volkswagen has gone further and made the Amarok a very easy bakkie to drive; one that can be enjoyed by everyone, and for both work and play [read off-roading]. However, while the Amarak can certainly compete head on with the likes of the Toyota and Ford Ranger, four years on, South Africans have not poured their hearts out for the Amarok. Simply put, we've kept our wallets closed for this VW bakkie, and more splashed cash very freeingly for its alternative. At a total 4767 units sold in 2013, Volkswagen's entry into this class of cars has been very, very disappointing. The Amarok's best month was April, where 589 units of the bakkie where sold. It's worst month was December, where it sold a measly 282 units. In contrast, industry leader, the Toyota Hilux, was welcomed by a whopping 2659 South Africa (and since you're dying to know, December was the Hilux's second worst month after January).

The calling to be in the wild is one that many South Africans will experience at least once in their lifetimes. That's where the Toyota Land Cruiser PU comes into. As the name suggests, this is a (pickup) bakkie version of the Land Cruiser, which comes in SUV. A safari on Kruger National Park is incomplete without a ride on one of these Toyotas. It's most certain that game rangers could do their jobs just as easily with other bakkies, but this is one market that Toyota has cornered and dominates without rival. In 2013, sales of the Toyota Land Cruiser PU averaged 252 units per month. That was on the back of a 411 units high in August 2013, and a 191 units low two months earlier, in June. It was the eighth most popular LCV in South Africa, with a total of 3028 bakkies sold. In contrast, the market leader – Toyota Hilux has on average 3125 unit sales each month! Being eighth on the list makes the Cruiser PU a winner compared to the bottom three bakkies – Nissan Navata and Mazda BT-50. This bakkie has certainly conquered South Africa's bush, and feels just as home in the rest of Africa's tough terrain.

Nissan Navara

The Nissan Navara was once a favourite among South Africans, but it seems to have been reduced to a second class bakkie by none other than its counterpart, the Nissan NP300. If you're not sure what I mean, check out last year's popularity of the Navara vs. the NP300 – there is no popularity for the Navara. It's glory days are long over, and the NP300 can only continue to shine. But recent developments have had us questioning Nissan's strategic moves, and this is why.

The NP200 features among our lives as a nimble bakkie that's mainly used for work related functions. The NP300 can be viewed as an extension of the NP200 – bigger, more powerful, more leisurely and pricier of course. Where then, does the Navara fit into this? In recent weeks, Nissan has been hinting at the roll-out of a new Navara, and from the looks of it, the latest rendition of the bakkie might be a more leisure-focused bakkie, while performing all the functions that a bakkie is supposed to. I'd day, think the VW Amarok or top of the range Ford Ranger – they're more than just bakkies, they're for the road trip with friends, the outings to the beach with family, and they're not shy to sell the idea of comfort to hardcore bakkie drivers who would otherwise opt for something more rugged.

Two years ago, Nissan South Africa planned capital expenditure of over R1-billion for their Rosslyn plant, with the aim to increase production of Nissan cars and bakkies to over 100,000 units per year by 2016. That was a major commitment, and could bare fruit more easily with a new Navara, which could be built here. With sales of 2708 in 2013, the Navara was a dismal performer. Compare that to the 8156 units sold of the Nissan NP300, and you see the long way the former has to go to translate the title of most powerful bakkie in South Africa into sales. This is not asking for much from a bakkie that won Best Bakkie of the the Year in 2010.

Mazda BT-50

A bakkie with an appealing SUV-like interior, curvaceous exterior, and the insides of a beast are more or less the ways the Mazda BT-50 can be described. Mazda, which has since broke away from Ford Motor Company of South Africa borrows many of the same elements of Ford's flagship Ranger bakkie (because of a shared platform). The two are not identical, as that would be unfair to car buyers paying a higher premium for the Ford badge. Rather, as indicated, many components of the BT-50 are shared with the Ford Ranger. In any case, the BT-50 bakkie compares dismally in terms of sales to other bakkies, let alone the Ford Ranger. The Mazda BT-50 sold the least amount of units in 2013 compared to other bakkies. A total 2552 of these bakkies were sold.

By the numbers, the Mazda BT-50 could easily be ignored in terms of the overall picture, but there are worse candidates out there. To put things into perspective, the BT-50's total sales were less than Toyota's lowest sales month (January). Compared to its cousin, the Ford Ranger, Mazda's bakkie sold almost 8 times less units than the Ranger.

Author: Pierre Theron