EASTERN CAPE motor manufacturers led three of the four new vehicle sectors during a record September 2003. New vehicle retail sales results reported to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) for September 2003 came in at 35 173 units, which is over 14.7 per cent up on September 2002 and 1.5 per cent ahead of the previous month (August 2003). With Uitenhage-based Volkswagen South Africa leading new passenger car sales, the three motor assemblers based in the Eastern Cape accounted for 43 per cent of all new passenger vehicle sales during September 2003. East London-based DaimlerChrysler led the medium and heavy commercial vehicle sectors. The other Eastern Cape manufacturer is the Delta Motor Corporation, which is based in Port Elizabeth. Naamsa said sales in the medium and heavy truck segments Maintained “amazingly strong upward momentum” and at 586 and 1 050 units, respectively, reflected an improvement of 113 units or 23,9 per cent, in the case of medium commercials, and a gain of 386 units or 58,1 per cent, in the case of heavy trucks and buses – compared with September 2002. Sales of heavy trucks and buses remained close to monthly record levels and the September heavy commercial vehicle sales was the best performance in the sector in over eighteen years. On the back of strong replacement demand and positive investment sentiment, prospects for this sector remained above average over the medium term,” the organisation said. Three-quarters of the way through 2003, aggregate new vehicle sales are 3,5 per cent ahead of the corresponding nine months of 2002. Overall, the market remained on course to exceed last year’s performance by up to five per cent in volume terms. The momentum of the South African economy should serve to underpin demand for new cars and heavy commercial vehicles, in particular, in the short to medium term,” Naamsa said. “Further improvement in the industry’s vehicle export activity, coupled with continued strength in the domestic market, should enable the automotive industry to make an important contribution to the impending up-turn in manufacturing output in South Africa”.