Mahindra South Africa has recorded its best year ever in 2018, when the company sold 5 486 new vehicles in the domestic market.

“Breaking through the 5 000 barrier in 2018 culminated in a very busy year for Mahindra,” says Mahindra South Africa CEO Rajesh Gupta.

“During the year, we firmly entrenched our position as a truly South African company with the opening of our first assembly plant, north of Durban.

“The sales growth of both our locally produced Pik Up models and sports-utility vehicle (SUV) range has subsequently skyrocketed.”

Mahindra sales grew by 26% in 2018, while the overall South African new-vehicle market shrunk by 1%.

Sales results show that Mahindra’s sales tempo picked up significantly in its new financial year, which started in March last year, with an average growth rate of 32%.

The local arm of the Indian manufacturer has a strong focus on the affordable vehicles, which has served it well in the current tough economic environment.

The company’s bestsellers in the local market include the Scorpio Pik Up and the entry-level KUV100, with the latter breaking through the 100-unit-per-month mark in both November and December.

“With its fresh design and improved affordability, the KUV100 NXT has become a popular entry-level vehicle option, especially among first-time buyers, thanks to our new graduate finance offer,” Mahindra South Africa CFO Avinash Bapat.

He says the KUV100 NXT has also found favour with vehicle rental companies, with Mahindra delivering its first 100 KUVs to the rental market.

“For the year ahead, we hope to grow at an even faster pace. We will utilise the flexibility that our local assembly facility offers to introduce new models and special editions of the Pik Up and will soon launch a brand-new model in one of South Africa’s fastest growing vehicle segments,” says Gupta.

“Mahindra will also invest in the expansion of its dealer network, starting with a new dealer location in Cape Town and an additional dealer in Johannesburg in January.”