Subaru sold only four new cars from its showroom in Kenya in January, latest industry data shows, as dealers recorded a slow start of the year.
The low Subaru sales is however an improvement from December when zero sales were recorded, as car buyers in Kenya continue to go for imported used vehicles.
Overall month-on-month new car sales dropped 27.2 per cent in January as the 15 major dealers sold a total of 793 units.
This down from 1,089 sold in December, an indicator of tough economic times.
Kenya Motor Industry Association (KMIA) data shows Isuzu and Toyota however continued to dominate the market with 357 and 234 units sold during the month, respectively.
DT Dobie, the authorised distributor of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles, Volkswagen and Hyundai light duty trucks in Kenya, came in third with a sale of 64 units, while Simba Corp and Tata Africa sold 51 and 50 units, respectively.
Of the total vehicles sold, 613 units were Complete Knock-Down parts, which were imported and assembled in the country, while 180 units were fully built locally, as local assemblers continued to operate below capacity.
Trucks of 10-14 tonnes were the most sought after signalling continued strong activities in the transport and logistics, distribution and construction sectors in the country.
A total of 190 such trucks were sold during the period with those of between 3.5 tonnes and nine tonnes selling 84 units.
This was followed by pick-ups widely used in light transport and the agricultural sector, where single cabins sold totalled 102, followed by double cabins where buyers drove off with 99 units.
The country imports between 7,000 and 12,000 second-hand cars monthly with high asking price for new cars seen to push buyers to cheaper imports, whose prices range between Sh750 and Sh2.5 million.
This is compared to locally assembled units whose average starting price is above Sh2 million.
Car Importers Association of Kenya (CIAK) however argues some used-cars are more superior to new ones sold in the country.
“Most used cars imported into the country are Euro 4 which are top notch,” CIAK national chairman Peter Otieno told the Star.
Japan accounts for up to 80 per cent of used car imports, with other sources being United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and South Africa.
About 80 per cent of all cars on the Kenya roads are imported second-hand units.
