Last year, Kenyans purchased the most brand-new personal vehicles, unlike the previous years. This trend mostly featured the Volkswagen, Toyota Rush, Tiguan Allspace Trendline, and Land Cruiser Prado.
According to media analysis, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) were the most popular passenger personal brands purchased by Kenyans in 2022.
In the fiscal year under review, 246 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Trendline, 190 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, and 52 Toyota Rush 1.5 litres. Also, 37 Proton Saga 1.3 litres petrol premium automatic transmissions were sold.
The Volkswagen Tiguan has piqued the interest of many, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, which has granted lease agreements. DT Dobie is the owner of the seven-seat SUV. With a cost of Sh4.9 million, SUVs are becoming increasingly dominant in the local market.
The reasons for this growth include multiple SUV launches with advanced features by most manufacturers last year and competitive pricing of compact SUVs versus sedans. Additionally, the SUV’s high ground clearance, robustness, and manoeuvrability, are other benefits that have scaled its local market growth.
Growth of Kenya’s local car assembly units
The vehicles are assembled in Thika, Kenya, at Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers (KVM), in which DT Dobie owns 32.5% of the venture.
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As more Kenyans embrace the units, the local assembly market has grown, attracting Malaysia’s Proton Saga vehicles.
Simba Corporation’s Proton Saga sold 37 units, according to the franchise holder, who claims to assemble five vehicles per month. The 1.3-litre locally assembled car costs around Sh1.37 million.
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and Volkswagen among other top purchased cars in 2022
Among the locally available brands, Land Cruiser Prado has been considered to be very reliable and efficient in its usage. Because of this, this SUV is one of the most popular car brands in the country.
Toyota manufactures the four-wheel drive vehicle in the Land Cruiser lineup.
Toyota Fortuner Auto was one of the most popular passenger vehicles, selling 50 units during the study period.
The vehicle costs Sh9.3 million and has a 2.8-litre engine with manual and automatic transmissions. The seven-seater runs on diesel and has an 80-litre tank. The Volkswagen Touareg has a three-litre fuel-efficient engine.
Kenya Motor Industry Association data shows that DT Dobie sold 33 Volkswagen Touaregs in 2022. The vehicle is powered by a turbocharged stratified injected engine (TSI). The TSI engine is a traditional combustion engine that is lightweight, powerful, and fuel-efficient.
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Most Volkswagen vehicles, including the Atlas, Tiguan, and Passat, have it in some form.
BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Jaguar each sold fewer than ten vehicles in 2022.
In December, none of these luxury brands sold a single vehicle.
Last year, six BMW X5 3-litre engines were sold. Depending on the year of manufacture, the vehicle can cost more than Sh16 million.
Last year, four Mercedes Benz GLB 200s were sold. DT Dobie is the sole distributor of the brand.
Three years ago, the five or seven compact SUVs cost Sh8 million.
The price has risen due to supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian war.
Last year, only two Jaguar F-Pace models were sold. Inchcape Kenya Ltd sells the luxury brand.
Pickups and FRR among vehicles dominating the cargo transportation market
Large pickup trucks remained popular in 2022, while strong SUV and crossover sales kept them as the dominant vehicle type in terms of top ten purchased vehicle purchases.
A crossover utility vehicle is a type of automobile with a higher ride height that is built on a unibody chassis similar to passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles, which are built on a body-on-frame chassis similar to pickup trucks.
With over 1,500 sales, Isuzu FRR trucks were the most purchased vehicles in 2022.
Most freight in today’s supply chains is transported by road using trucks, making them the most sought-after by businesses, governments, parastatals, and traders, among others.
