Although electric vehicles (EVs) have yet to make a meaningful impact on South African sales charts, Volvo is taking an early lead in this space.
The Swedish carmaker announced this week that it sold 467 electric vehicles in Mzansi between January and September 2024, which equates to an average of 51 units per month.
Among these the EX30 emerged as the country’s top-selling EV in the first three quarters of the year with 348 sales, or 39 per month on average. It was followed by the XC40 at 96 (10 per month) and the C40 at 23 (or 2.5).
Sadly it’s impossible to tell which its nearest rivals are on the sales charts as there is a complete lack of transparency among the other car companies that sell EVs. BMW, Mercedes and BYD, for instance, do not release detailed monthly sales figures to Naamsa.
Among those that do report, GMW’s Ora sold an average of just two units per month in the past three months, while Jaguar’s I-Pace, which is being run out at present, found just one home per month.
South Africa’s cheapest EV at present is the Dayun S5, which starts at R399,900, albeit as a city-sized car with a top speed of just 100km/h. Next up is the BYD Dolphin at R539,900 and the GWM Ora at R686,950. Volvo’s EX30 starts at R791,900 and its range also includes the high-performance Twin Motor Performance model, priced at R1,055,900, which accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds.
The German luxury options start at R1,179,400 for the Mercedes EQA250 and R1,205,000 for the BMW iX1.
However, EVs could become a more common sight on local roads in the coming years as government is planning subsidies for their purchase, as was recently announced at SA AutoWeek.
Volvo Cars SA Commercial Director Markus Cromwell said the carmaker aims to take its sales performance to new heights, particularly with the anticipated launch of the EX90 large SUV.
“As we move closer to our goal of becoming an all-electric automaker - and prepare to introduce the exciting EX90 flagship locally - we anticipate our EV sales figures will set new records,” Cromwell said.
IOL