TRENDS IN passenger car sales point to strong performance by South African exporters, says Volkswagen South Africa marketing director Jolyon Nash. In his comment on the May 2002 new vehicle sales figures, Nash says "it is of interest that meaningful support for new car demand during the course of the year has come from the medium to upper end of the market - reflecting the impact of buoyant business conditions in some sectors of the economy, including those sectors involved with exports”. The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) – which publishes the figures – points out that sales of heavy trucks and buses continued to power ahead during the month of May, reflecting “continued improvement in investment sentiment in the South African economy”. May, 2002 heavy truck and bus sales at 718 units were up by 112 units or 18.5 per cent compared to the 606 units sold during the corresponding month in 2001. Exports of South African produced motor vehicles for the first four months of 2002 were 45.2 per cent ahead of export sales for the corresponding period in 2002, adds Naamsa. This is good news for luxury car makers based in the Eastern Cape, which include DaimlerChrysler in East London and Volkswagen in the Nelson Mandela Metro. It is also an indication of robust export performance by Eastern Cape manufacturers and the agricultural industry. Both DaimlerChrysler and VW have established strong export niches, while exports of citrus, ostrich meat and other products are booming. At home, VW was the leading passenger car supplier during May, capturing 23.9 per cent of the market. It sold 3 916 Volkswagens and 657 Audis in a total market of 19 075. The market was 12.7 per cent up on the April market, and four per cent above the May 2001 market. Volkswagen is predicting that new passenger vehicle sales in South Africa will accelerate towards the end of 2002.