Namibia 2010: Hilux in the lead

The Namibian car market appears to be very similar to the South African one. The Toyota Hilux should lead the sales by far, ahead of the VW Polo Vivo (the sedan is clearly preferred here), Opel Corsa KB and Toyota Yaris. The Isuzu KB, Nissan Hardbody and Toyota Corolla are also successful.

This speculation is based on the observation of the streets of the capital Windhoek through recent YouTube videos. Please get in touch if you have more info about the Namibian car market.

More street scenes and street videos below.

Rwanda 2010: Corolla the car of choice

The majority of cars in circulation in Kigali are Toyota Corollas of various generations, and the last gen should continue the tradition and lead the models ranking in Rwanda, with the Toyota Hilux and Nissan Hardbody also popular.

Street video and street scenes below.

Madagascar Q2 2010: JAC Tojoy among best-sellers

JAC Tojoy

Still very limited, the new car market in Madagascar is dominated by Asian brands: Toyota is in the lead in Q2 2010 at 11.8% (down from 17.9% in Q4 ’09), ahead of Nissan and Mitsubishi. However the big novelty in Q2 is the thunderous arrival of two Chinese brands in the Top 10: JAC in 5th at 7.3% and BYD in 8th at 5.1%.

Given JAC only sells one model in Madagascar, this means the JAC Tojoy is already within the best-selling models in the country, along with the Mitsubishi L200 (probably the best-seller), Nissan Hardbody, Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. Remember we’re talking 30 to 50 units sold in the space of 3 months to be best-seller in Madagascar.

More commentaries, Top 10 brands ranking table, street scenes and videos here: 

Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 2010: A fast evolving market

Great Wall Hover

3,380 new cars were sold in Cote d’Ivoire during the first 6 months 2010, up 22% on 2009. The full year figure is expected to hit 7,000 units for the first time since 1994.

The Ivoirian market is evolving quickly: previously dominated by French passenger cars, it has transitioned into an Asian 4WD landscape due to the degradation of the country’s roads. Toyota leads the sales at 16.1% market share and should in all likeliness place the Toyota Hilux at the top of the models ranking, with the Mitsubishi L200 and Nissan Hardbody also strong.

The latest trend in the Ivoirian car market is the shift towards low-cost 4WDs: the arrival of Chinese brands (8.1% of the market in 2010) is a big factor in this, with the Great Wall Hover already well established. The Dacia Duster has also started extremely well in Cote d’Ivoire. Other popular cars include the Toyota Yaris Sedan, Daca Logan, Hyundai Accent and Peugeot 207.

More commentaries, Top 10 car brands ranking table, street scenes and videos below.

Malawi 2010: Hilux leads the way

Like many other African markets, Malawi is ‘owned’ by Toyota, which should place the Hilux and Corolla on top of the sales, and the Fortuner, Land Cruiser 70 and Hiace a bit lower. The Nissan Hardbody also seem quite successful.

Street scenes and street videos below.

Cameroon: Hilux on top

The car market in Cameroon is still relatively limited with 3,167 new vehicles sold in 2007 (vs. around 75,000 yearly used car sales). Toyota holds close to half the market (40% in 2004 – last official figures) and should place the Hilux ahead of the ranking in the country.

Other successful models in Cameroon include the Toyota Hiace, Nissan Hardbody, Suzuki Grand Vitara and Mitsubishi L200. More than half the cars in circulation are various generations of Toyota Corolla and Starlet (many of them as taxis) but the latest Corolla has not made its mark.

Street scenes below.

Ghana 2010: Mitsubishi Pajero very popular

Ghana appears to be one of the more mature African car markets, with a full variety of models available and a very fragmented structure. Among the most popular new cars are the Mitsubishi Pajero, Toyota Hilux, Nissan Hardbody, Mitsubishi L200, Tata Indigo, Toyota Corolla and Fortuner.

Surprisingly the Pontiac Vibe also seem to be successful, as well as the Ford Ranger, Tata Indica, Honda CRV, Toyota Yaris Sedan and Mahindra Pick-up. The Dacia Logan also appears in the streets of Accra. The Iranian Saipa 111 (aka Kia Pride) in ubiquitous as a taxi, and the same goes for 1991 Opel Astras which all seem to travel to Ghana to finish their busy lives.

Street scenes and videos below.

Zambia: Toyota king

Toyota Hilux in Livingstone, Zambia June 2007

The Zambian car market shows the strength of Toyota: at least 1 in every 3 cars is a Toyota Corolla! In all likeliness the Corolla is still the best-selling car in the country these days, with the Hilux also extremely popular.

Also worth noting are the Nissan Hardbody (aka Frontier), Mitsubishi Colt (aka L200) and Toyota Camry. This commentary is based on my observations in the streets of Livingstone in June 2007. Please get in touch if you have more info!

Street Scene in Livingstone, Zambia June 2007

More photos below.

Botswana: Hilux and Corolla in the lead

Toyota Hilux in Kasane, Botswana June 2007

Toyota ‘owns’ the Batswana market with 1,958 sales and 40% market share in 2007, ahead of Nissan at 8% and VW at 5%.

Observation in the country in 2007 showed two cars clearly dominating the sales: the Toyota Corolla and Hilux. Pick-ups are very popular in Botswana, with the Isuzu KB (aka D-Max) likely to be ranked 3rd, the Opel Corsa cabbie possibly #4 and the Nissan Hardbody (aka Frontier) in 5th.

Street scene in Kasane, Botswana June 2007

More commentaries and pictures below.

Zimbabwe

Toyota Corolla in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe June 2007

With the economic crisis striking the country, new cars are extremely rare in Zimbabwe. In this context the Toyota Corolla, Isuzu KB (aka D-Max), Mazda B-Series and Nissan Hardbody (aka Frontier) should lead the rankings.

A plethora of all generations of Corollas can be seen in the streets, but surprisingly very few Hilux. This estimation is based on my observation of the streets of Victoria Falls during my stay there in June 2007.

Isuzu KB in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe June 2007

More pictures below.