The figure represents a 5.9 percent increase from the 391,128 units exported in 2024, according to the latest quarterly review released Tuesday by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), known as the Automotive Business Council.
Accounting for 70.3 percent of South Africa’s light domestic vehicle production, the 414,268 left- and right-hand drive vehicles were exported to 109 countries around the world, said the report.
“South Africa’s automotive industry is export-oriented, relying heavily on trade agreements to sustain export volumes and competitiveness,” NAAMSA’s Chief Trade and Research Officer Norman Lamprecht said in the report.
He noted that the country’s vehicle exports to North America were affected by “the Section 232 protectionist automotive duty imposed by the U.S.,” falling from 25,554 units in 2024 to 6,530 units in 2025. Exports to Asia also declined from 29,265 to 19,287 units over the same period, largely due to lower shipments to Japan.
“The volume loss to the U.S. is an issue for the full supply chain for OEMs as any volumes lost have a knock-on impact on upstream suppliers, volume efficiencies, and more,” said Lamprecht. “However, despite heightened protectionism across several of South Africa’s key export markets, domestic vehicle exports continued to show resilience.”
Offsetting declines in North America and Asia, South Africa exported 332,695 vehicles to Europe in 2025, compared to 295,762 in 2024.
“The Economic Partnership Agreements with the EU and the UK ensured that the region dominated exports and accounted for a substantial 80.3 percent, or four out of every five vehicles exported in 2025, with 57 percent of light vehicle production destined for the region,” the report said.
It added that, given the large share of vehicle exports destined for the region, developments in the EU and the UK have a direct and measurable impact on the domestic automotive industry, including legislation to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles from 2035 onwards.
“South Africa’s vehicle production base, therefore, needs to align with the overall technology shift of global value chains to ensure that the country remains part of the global supply network,” Lamprecht said.
