Rental agencies stocked up for Namibia’s peak tourist season, acquiring a total of 54 rental vehicles in June, according to the latest figures from Cirrus Capital.
The Toyota Hilux emerged as the most popular choice among rental agencies. The preference stems from the Hilux’s renowned off-road capabilities, suited for exploring Namibia.
Statistics from the Hospitality Association of Namibia confirm the popularity of northern regions during the mid-year, attracting roughly a third of all tourists compared to other seasons.
“There were 54 rental agency purchases in June ‘24 as the peak tourism season in Namibia is underway. The Toyota Hilux dominated the rental agency purchases as 49 units were sold to rental agencies in the month, while 5 Toyota Fortuner units were sold,” the report read.
The Cirrus Capital report also indicates a 2.8% month-on-month rise in total vehicle sales for June, reaching 993 units primarily driven by a robust commercial vehicle segment, experiencing an 18% increase compared to May.
Passenger vehicle sales, however, dipped by 13.9% driven by an increase in commercial vehicle sales, up to 597 units sold (18%) from 506 in the previous month and offsets a decline in passenger vehicle sales which came to 396 units (down 13.9%) from May’s total of 460.
Light commercial vehicles saw strong sales in June 2024 reaching 510 units, an increase from 442 units sold in May. This momentum continues a positive trend for the year so far, with a total of 3,152 LCVs sold – the highest volume since 2016.
Moreover, sales of medium-sized commercial vehicles (MCVs) also grew slightly in June, with 21 units sold compared to 15 in May.
However, heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) saw a small dip, reaching 15 units sold in June from a peak of 20 in May, which was the highest monthly total since July 2017.
Extra heavy commercial vehicles (XCVs) showed a jump in sales, rising to 45 units in June from 26 units in May. Bus sales also experienced a modest increase, with 6 units sold in June.
It was reported that Toyota dominated the passenger vehicle market in May 2024, accounting for 52% of all sales with 207 vehicles sold.
The top four brands remained unchanged from the previous month, with Volkswagen holding the second position, followed by Kia and Suzuki.
However, Volkswagen sales experienced a significant decline, dropping by 52.3% to just 42 units compared to 88 units sold in April.
“In the passenger market, there were 63 Toyota Fortuner units sold – five less than the previous month. There were 37 Corolla Cross units sold, down from 49 in May, while 27 Starlet units were sold (down from 34) there were 26 Toyota Prado units sold after just one was sold in the previous month,” the report reads.
