Data from the 2022 AutoTrader Mid-Year Car Industry report shows that as the fastest growing body type globally, it was no surprise that SUVs had the most number of searches over the first six months of the year on the online car market.
It said that it attracted more than 56 million searches using the body-type filter over the last six months.
Single and double cab bakkies, however, continue to claim high search volumes, resulting in bakkies retaining the highest searches when combining both build trains. This has a large part to do with consumers being more body-type conscious when it comes to bakkies versus other body types, said AutoTrader.
Volkswagen leads the body-type specific searches appearing in 4 of the top 6 categories (out of 18) and again filling the top three spots for hatchbacks. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupé continues to show popularity for consumers looking for a sportier executive sedan, said AutoTrader.
The below chart takes into account all listings for 2022 – indicating both average price and average mileage by body type. This enables dealers to gauge whether or not their stock price is market-related, said AutoTrader.
Heightened car shopper interest for brands that have a manufacturing presence in the country is also reflected. In 2022, the top three most enquired on brands were Toyota, Volkswagen and BMW. Together they generated over 40.9% of all consumer enquiries, said AutoTrader.
Other key insights from the report:
- The Audi RS E-Tron GT was the top searched and top viewed electric vehicle.
- Volkswagen was the most searched-for brand, bumping BMW into second.
- The Toyota Hilux was the most searched for, and most enquired on, model.
- The Volkswagen Golf GTI continues to be the most searched-for variant.
- BMW was again the most viewed car brand.
- The Volkswagen Polo was the most viewed model.
- Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 was the most viewed variant.
AutoTrader noted a 9% increase in average used car prices YoY (R389,145 to R423,964), a 2% increase in used average car mileage YoY (75,830km to 77,147km), while the average year model is 2017.
It said that the intersection between price, mileage and body type shows that the hatchbacks continue to offer the best value for money, given that, on average it has the lowest mileage. Like previous reporting periods, the trade-off is a higher average vehicle age.
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