The Kenya Motor Industry Association (KMIA) has finally recorded a rise in motor vehicle sales since the first Covid-19 case was reported in the country in March.
According to the association’s data, motor vehicle sales increased from 568 units in May, the lowest recorded in the year, to 762 units in June. This was the highest sale since March and February when the sales hit 864 units, and 1,049 units respectively. The pandemic saw the sector experience a 54% decrease in sales as at the end of May as compared to the same period in 2019.
Breaking it down, Isuzu remained the market leader as it sold of a total of 317 units, which is a 41.6% share of total market. In comparison to May, the Japanese automobile dealer had sold 99 more units. Coming in second was another Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, Toyota, which sold 167 units, 113 of which were local fully built units. In terms of market share, Toyota managed a total share of 22%.
Toyota Kenya recorded excellent sales in the first two months of the calendar year 2020, a 46% increase in sales compared to the corresponding period last year. However, this gain quickly turned into a drop as soon as the first Covid-19 case was reported in the country. This saw the firm experience its biggest drop in terms of sales in the four-month period between March and June 2020 where it recorded a 39% decline in sales compared to the corresponding period in 2019.
Mitsubishi was in the third position having managed to sell 95 units during the month. On the other hand, Volkswagen and Mercedes remained the highest selling luxury vehicle brands, with 12 and eight units sold in June, respectively.
