The Volkswagen Polo is the country’s most searched for hatch while Volkswagen is dominating this important segment of the motor industry.
And South Africans are seeking to acquire a hatch that costs less than R250 000.
This has emerged from an analysis of search on AutoTrader during the month of August. AutoTrader is the largest digital automotive marketplace in South Africa.
Accordingly, it provides unparalleled insight into car-buying patterns in the country.
While the Polo was the most searched-for hatchback in the sub R250 000 price bracket in August 2020, the list of top ten models contained no fewer than three Volkswagen derivatives (the Golf emerged second while the Polo Vivo came fourth).
According to George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO, the sub R250 000 sector has been one of the most popular price range segments within the hatchback market during Lockdown Level 2.
“This price bracket constituted a massive 72,3% of price-related searches for hatchbacks during August,” he reveals.
According to the 2020 AutoTrader Car Industry Report hatchbacks are the body-type with the lowest selling price and mileage combination, and they’re also the most sold body-type in the country. In the last year, they accounted for 31% of the total used cars sold in South Africa.
The domination of the Polo in this segment comes as no surprise.
“According to the 2020 AutoTrader Car Industry Report, the Polo was the second most sold used car in South Africa in the last year, contributing 4,7% of all cars sold, at an average selling price of R205 238, an average mileage of 58 652km and an average year model of 2016,” reveals Mienie.
Similarly, the Golf – in second place for most searched hatches in August in the sub-R250,000 – is not a surprise listing.
“One of the models in the Golf range, the iconic GTI, also performed well last year, achieving first place in the AutoTrader Car Industry Report when it comes to variant searches. It was responsible for a substantial 1,5 million searches” says Mienie.
Variant level search, introduced in May 2019, is unique to AutoTrader and a first in South Africa.
Most searched for hatchbacks in the R250k price bracket*
| Rank | Models |
| 1 | Volkswagen Polo |
| 2 | Volkswagen Golf |
| 3 | Kia RIo |
| 4 | Volkswagen Polo Vivo |
| 5 | Ford Fiesta |
| 6 | Ford Focus |
| 7 | BMW 1 Series |
| 8 | Hyundai i20 |
| 9 | Audi A3 |
| 10 | Renault Clio |
Source: August 2020, AutoTrader