New car sales are likely to increase by 8% in 2022. This follows growth of 22% in 2021 following the collapse in sales in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the related lockdowns.
According to Mikel Mabasa, the CEO of Naamsa, in 2021 nearly 500 000 new vehicles were sold, compared to the 380 000 sold in 2020. These included passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
Vehicle exports also increased in 2021 compared to 2020. Last year nearly 300 000 vehicles were exported, compared to 271 288 in 2020.
Mabasa estimated that exports were likely to grow by 15% this year.
BusinessLive quoted Mabasa as saying: ‘The market is expected to continue its gradual recovery during the year but at a slower pace. At this stage a year-on-year improvement of around 8% in aggregate new-vehicle sales is projected for 2022.’