Cars that have been discontinued in South Africa this year

BMW i3
Datsun Go
Datsun Go+
Ford Fiesta
Ford Figo
Nissan 370Z
Nissan Micra
Nissan NP300
Renault Megane
Renault Sandero
Toyota Avanza
Toyota Rush

With more than one thousand vehicles on the market, South Africans have their pick of cars of all different shapes and sizes, ranging from the affordable to the most high-end of luxury models.

Even so, there are several cars that have been discontinued this year alone, and one carmaker has ended sales in the country altogether.

Farewell

Datsun, which re-entered the local vehicle market in 2014, closed its doors in April following parent company Nissan’s decision to withdraw Datsun from several countries including Russia, Indonesia, India, and South Africa

This makes Datsun the latest manufacturer to cease activities in South Africa following in the footsteps of other brands that have left the country including Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daihatsu, Dodge, Saab, and Seat.

This means that South Africa lost access to one of its most affordable hatchbacks, the Datsun Go, which was also available as an MPV, dubbed the Go+.

Hatchbacks in general have taken a big hit recently with the loss of several models, including the Ford Figo and Fiesta, bringing the American automaker’s affordable selection down to just a single model – the EcoSport.

Similarly, Nissan recently said goodbye to the Micra, as well as the 370Z roadster and NP300 Hardbody bakkie, the latter of which couldn’t match the performance of its sibling, the consistently-popular NP200.

French carmakers Peugeot and Renault have also retired a few of their own hatchbacks, with Peugeot pulling the plug on the 108 while Renault ended production of the Sandero and Megane.

One cited reason for the end of these hatches, according to Renault, is due to the rise in popularity of SUVs and their smaller counterparts – crossovers.

MPVs, meanwhile, have seen casualties of their own with the aforementioned Datsun Go+, as well as two units from Toyota with the Avansa and Rush.

Finally, South Africa lost one of the few relatively-affordable electric cars on the market, with BMW’s decision to discontinue the i3 – which had an electric range of roughly 300km and a starting price of R754,200.

On a more positive note, Proton, which left the country in 2012, returned to South Africa this year bringing two new models – the X50 and X70.

Listed below are the cars that have been discontinued in South Africa in 2022 thus far.