The data agency, which is responsible for collecting and disseminating all official statistics in the country, revealed that vehicle imports from the Asian giant accounted for more than half of all motor vehicle registrations during the fourth quarter of 2024. Statistics Botswana said during the period, Botswana recorded 13,244 first-time vehicle registrations, a 10.9% increase compared to the previous quarter. Figures show that of these, 64% were vehicles originating from Japan, reaffirming the country's strong presence in Botswana’s automotive landscape. However, the majority of Japanese imports were concentrated in the used vehicle segment, making up a significant 83.2% of used vehicle registrations. In contrast, vehicles imported from South Africa comprised 24.2% of all first-time registrations and dominated the brand-new vehicle category, contributing 74.3% of such registrations.
“Overall, the market showed a clear preference for used vehicles, which constituted 76.7% of all registrations. Brand-new vehicles made up 23.1%, while rebuilt vehicles primarily sourced locally accounted for just 0.1 percent,” the Stats Botswana’s fourth quarter of 2024 report noted. Vehicle type registrations reflected consumer preferences, with passenger cars forming the majority at 72.4% followed by vans at 10.9% and trailers at 5.8 percent. The quarterly reported showed that motorcycles recorded the lowest registrations at just 0.5 percent. Additionally, amongst used vehicles, passenger cars were most prevalent at 86.1%. Vans led the brand-new segment with 35.3%, while trailers dominated the rebuilt category at 94.7%. In terms of vehicle makes, the report indicated that Toyota was the most registered brand, accounting for 20% of all first-time registrations over half of which (53.5%) were passenger cars. Mazda and Honda followed with shares of 19.1% and 16.0%, respectively.
