AFRICA ( commonwealth Union ) _ Lightstone Auto data, the crossover/SUV is the most popular passenger vehicle body shape, with the hatchback, which had previously held the top position, falling to second place. In reality, the hatch, which had just under 50% of the market share for passenger cars at the time, and the sedan, which came in second and third, respectively, were the top two choices in 2013.
Jaco van Staden, director of sales at Lightstone Auto stated that the hatch is down from 48% to 37% in 2022, but its decline is modest compared to the sedan, which has seen its market share fall from 26% in 2014 to just 8% in 2022.
The crossover/SUV has been the major winner, growing from 22% to 50% market share in just 10 years. The OEMs have taken notice of the shifting customer preferences; in 2013, there were about 530 crossover/SUV choices and 440 sedan options. By 2022, the number of distinct crossover/SUVs had increased to 880 (an increase of 66%), while Sedan options had decreased to 160 (a decrease of 64%).
The double cab has replaced the one-ton single and extended cabs as the preferred body shape in the light commercial market, coinciding with the growth of the crossover/SUV body shape in the passenger market. Growing customer preferences for higher ride height to get a better driving view and more safety have benefited both the crossover/SUV and the double cab.
According to Van Staden, the sub-one-ton pick-up body shape has experienced the largest drop in market share in the light commercial market over the past ten years. The collapse of Chevrolet, one of two utterly dominant OEMs that in 2013 accounted for a combined 97% of sales, can be primarily blamed for the decline. Since Chevrolet departed the market, Nissan has taken over, and their NP200 is now in charge of almost 95% of sales in this body shape.
