Toyota emerged as the most sought-after car brand in Namibia during the first quarter of the year for both passenger and light commercial vehicles, with market shares of 53% and 67%, respectively.
Volkswagen recorded the second-largest share in the passenger vehicle segment at 14%, followed closely by Suzuki with 12%, according to an analysis by IJG Securities.
The quarter also marked the strongest first-quarter performance for passenger vehicles in Namibia since 2017, with sales reaching 1,320 units in March 2025—the highest monthly total since March 2024.
IJG attributed this uptick to notable increases in both the passenger and commercial vehicle categories.
“In the light commercial segment, Ford and Volkswagen followed Toyota, capturing 11% and 8% of total sales, respectively,” IJG said.
Toyota’s market share in the medium commercial vehicle segment declined slightly but remained dominant, with a 39% share during the first quarter, followed by Mercedes-Benz and Hino, which held significant shares of 21% and 20%, respectively.
Overall, 1,803 new commercial vehicles were sold in Namibia during the first three months of the year—a 7.1% year-on-year (y/y) decline compared to the 1,941 units sold during the first quarter of 2024. Over the 12 months ending in March 2025, 6,886 commercial vehicle units were sold, slightly down by 0.2% y/y from the 6,902 units recorded over the same period the previous year.
March recorded total sales of 1,320 units, 203 more than the 1,117 units sold in February.
“Over the past twelve months, total new vehicle sales stood at 12,754 units, a marginal decrease of 1.1% y/y,” IJG said.
This follows the sale of 3,403 vehicle units in the first quarter of 2025, a slight 1.6% y/y decline compared to the 3,457 units sold during the first quarter of 2024.
“On a year-to-date basis, the passenger vehicle segment recorded its strongest first-quarter performance since 2017. However, the 12-month cumulative data reflects slightly weaker demand, with vehicle sales down 2.1% y/y. In contrast, commercial vehicle sales underperformed in both the year-to-date and twelve-month cumulative figures, highlighting ongoing weakness in this segment,” IJG said.
