Thanks to Rutger we now have our first contribution to the Africa Project with more recent sales data for Gabon. After a shaky 2009 (-8%) and 2010 (-7%), 2011 is a record year for new car sales in Gabon, up a massive 29% to 5,925 registrations. Two manufacturers are head and shoulders above the others: Toyota leads the way with 1,945 sales and nearly 33% share, with Mitsubishi #2 at 1,012 units and 17.1%. Hyundai ranks third with 9.2% of the market, an impressive improvement on the 6.5% it held in 2010, ahead of Nissan at 6.1% and Mazda at 5.6%.
We also have a more detailed brands ranking for the first 4 months of 2011 which shows Renault-Dacia at #6, followed by Ford, Suzuki, Isuzu and Peugeot. The Chinese have landed also in Gabon, with Chery at #16 with 20 sales, JAC #17 at 19 units and ZX Auto at #20 with 4 sales. The market is still dominated by 4WD and pick-ups at just above 35% share each and only 10% for passenger cars, which means that like in 2010, the Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi L200 should top the Gabonese models ranking, with the Toyota Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero also popular.
