Vehicle sales of commercial vehicles in South Africa were down slightly in 2018, declining 2.1% versus what was reported in 2017.

Light commercial vehicle sales were down 2.4%, dropping from 163,317 sales in 2017 to 159,452 in 2018, according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa. Medium commercial vehicles, however, were up by up 0.3% in 2018. Rising from 7,890 sold in 2017, to 7,913 sold in 2018.

The month of December alone also saw sales for these segments decline as well.  Light commercial vehicles dropped 7% in December, and medium commercial vehicles declined by 10.1%. However, heavy commercial vehicles saw 13.8% improvement, year on year.

“Interestingly, 2018 sales of medium and heavy commercial vehicles had recorded further improvement, in line with the trend over the second half of 2018, and the stronger sales suggested an improvement in capital investment sentiment in South Africa,” according to NAAMSA.

Cars, overall, saw a 0.8% decline in 2018, while total vehicles overall were down by 1%.

“The fall in new car and light commercial vehicle sales occurred despite the strong contribution by the car rental sector during the year, attractive sales incentives by automotive companies and an improvement in new vehicle affordability in real terms,” according to a release from NAAMSA.

The light- and medium-commercial segments are expected to rise to 162,000 and 8,000 vehicle sales, respectively.