CHAMWE KAIRA
Vehicle sales dropped by 11.3% in May to a total unit sale of 1,171 from April’s 1,320 units while still advancing 14.8% year-on-year from 1,020 units in May 2025.
The result was the strongest May print since 2016 and comfortably above the 951-unit trailing five-year mean for the month.
The pullback from April was expected and constructive. April itself was recovering from March’s exceptional 1,662-unit surge, and May’s print reflects the natural settling of that sequence rather than any deterioration in the underlying demand impulse, Simonis Storm said.
On a cumulative basis, the first five months of 2026 closed at 6,326 units, more than 22% ahead of the 5,181 units recorded in the equivalent period of 2025 and the strongest year-to-date showing since 2018.
Commercial vehicle categories continued to demonstrate considerable resilience, with the LCV segment delivering 583 units, a result 4.1% above May 2025 and comfortably within the range that the commercial cycle has established since mid-2025.
The passenger segment printed 493 units, a decline of 11.7% from April but only marginally below the 460 units recorded in May 2025, before the pace of fleet and channel activity accelerated through the second half of that year.
“The interest rate backdrop adds a note of caution. The Bank of Namibia has held the repo rate at 6.50%, and with the war-related oil shock feeding inflationary pressures through to transport and food costs, our base case leads us to foresee a 25-bps rate hike at the next Bank of Namibia Monetary Policy Committee meeting,” Simonis said.
Light commercial vehicle volumes printed at 583 units, broadly stable relative to April’s 644 units and confirming that LCV demand is operating from a structurally elevated base.
Toyota’s Hilux franchise accounted for 387 units, maintaining its commanding grip on the category.
Ford’s Ranger contributed a consistent 61 units, JAC recorded 26 units continuing its systematic share build, and Volkswagen’s Amarok delivered 33 units in a step-up from April’s 22.
The extra-heavy vehicle category registered 55 units, a slight contraction from April’s exceptionally strong 68-unit print but materially above the prior-year comparison of 39 units in May 2025.
Scania led with 16 units, Powerstar contributed 15, Shacman contributed seven units, while Mercedes-Benz and Volvo Trucks contributed seven and six units respectively.
Japan’s dominance of the Namibian market held firm in May. Japanese manufacturers collectively sold 738 units, retaining a 63% share of the market.
Toyota extended its position as the single most consequential brand in any emerging-market vehicle data series, accounting for 638 units across passenger, LCV and medium commercial equivalent to 54.5% of total national sales in a single month.
The Hilux LCV franchise alone delivered 387 units, confirming the structural depth of Toyota’s grip on contractor and fleet demand.
Ford’s Ranger contributed a consistent 61 LCV units, and Isuzu delivered 18 LCV and 5 passenger units across the month.
Suzuki held steady at 30 units, primarily in entry passenger and small commercial categories.
Chinese brands held 16.3% of the market in May, broadly steady against April’s recorded 16.5%, confirming that the structural shift is durable rather than a single-month anomaly.
Jetour delivered 53 units, its strongest single-month result to date, while firmly establishing the brand as the leading Chinese nameplate in the Namibian market.
German manufacturers registered 111 combined units in May, equivalent to 9.5% of the market, identical to April’s reading but well below March’s 212-unit peak.
Volkswagen delivered 81 units across passenger and LCV units, normalising from its exceptional 146-unit March passenger print as fleet procurement activity subsided.
Mercedes-Benz held 18 units across passenger, LCV and bus categories.
