The Volvo EX30 Leads The Way As BEV Sales Continue To Grow In South Africa – CleanTechnica

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In the first 6 months of this year, 749 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were sold in South Africa. A total of 931 BEVs were sold in the whole of 2023, meaning that the total number of BEVs sold in the first six months of 2024 was 80% of the total for the whole of the previous year! This is very encouraging, as sales of BEVs have been quite slow in South Africa over the past 5 years or so. The slow sales of BEVs can be attributed to several reasons, including:

1. A limited number of models available in South Africa compared to similar markets. However, the range of BEVs offered in South Africa is improving, which gives us hope for the future.
2. High import duties and taxes applicable to electric vehicles in South Africa. Petrol and diesel vehicles imported from the EU into South Africa have a customs duty of 18%, while for electric vehicles it is 25%. There are also the Ad Valorem Customs Excise Duties and VAT.

There is some hope on the availability of models now, as more OEMs are offering quite a decent range of models. One of the most recent models to be introduced in the South African market is the Volvo EX30. The Volvo EX30, which is positioned as one of the lowest priced full-size electric vehicles in South Africa (starting from just under R800,000, about $44,000), has already raced to the top of the sales charts!

In the first 6 months of 2024, the Volvo EX30 reached 281 sales in South Africa. Volvo took the top two positions on the sales charts, in fact, with the XC40 in second place with 81 units sold. The Volvo XC40 was the top selling BEV in South Africa in 2023, getting 150 sales across those 12 months. It looks like it’s well on course to sell more units by the end of this year, but the EX30 should take the top position nonetheless. Volvo has a third model in the top 10, with the C40 in 10th position, having gotten 12 sales during the first 6 months of this year.

BMW models have traditionally dominated the BEV sales charts in South Africa, up until last year. Models such as the old i3, the iX3, the iX, and the MINI Cooper SE have regularly been amongst the top selling models in South Africa. Despite losing the top selling position to Volvo, BMW Group still has 6 models featuring in the top 10. The BMW iX3 sold 79 units in the first 6 months of the year, enough to secure the third position on the chart. The BMW iX was in fourth with 68 sales, and the MINI rounds out the top five with 37 sales. The all-new MINI is launching in South Africa later this year, which should see MINI’s sales start to grow again.

It is interesting to see that Great Wall Motors’ Ora 03 has made the top 10. The little EV from the Chinese OEM is one of the more affordable models on sale in South Africa, and it was launched in South Africa late last year.

Speaking of Chinese EV companies, it is quite strange to see that BYD is not yet featuring in South Africa’s BEV sales charts despite launching two models in the market. BYD launched the ATTO 3 last year and recently launched the smaller and more affordable Dolphin earlier this year. Perhaps BYD needs to ramp up its operations in South Africa as well as get a bit more aggressive with its marketing.

The motor vehicle manufacturing industry is one of the most important sectors in South Africa, contributing 4.3% (2.4% manufacturing and 1.9% retail) to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). 633,332 vehicles were produced in South Africa in 2023. 399,594 vehicles were exported, which was a new record for exports according to naamsa. On the retail side, including imports, domestic vehicle sales in 2023 increased by only 0.5% year on year in 2023 — to 532,098 units, compared to 529,556 units in 2022. About 99% of domestic vehicle sales are internal combustion engine vehicles, which his why it’s good to see that  BEV sales are starting to grow. It’s still slow, but there is clear progress. Apart from a few plug-in hybrid models, there aren’t many electric models that are assembled or manufactured in South Africa. All the BEVs sold in South Africa are imported from overseas. This is something that South Africa needs to look at urgently as the transition to electric accelerates across the world, including in many markets where South African based manufacturers currently export their ICE models.