Total car sales in Tunisia from the beginning of the year to October last year amounted to 46,436 units, compared with 46,055 during the same period last year, indicating that there has been no significant change in sales in 2024.
Statistics gathered exclusively by African Manager show that South Korean brand Hyundai was the best-selling car in Tunisia, with 5,617 units sold in the first ten months of 2024.
In second place is the South Korean brand Kia, which sold 4,611 cars in the same period and 318 units last month.
In third place is French brand Peugeot, which has sold 3,402 cars up to October 2024.
Meanwhile, Suzuki has moved up to fourth place, selling 2,929 cars over the same period.
Fifth place goes to Japan’s ISUZU, which sold 2,800 units.
Japanese brand Toyota came sixth with 2,504 cars sold in the first ten months of 2024.
Demand exceeds sales
Between 50,000 and 60,000 cars of various makes are sold on the local Tunisian market each year, but demand remains high and exceeds the number of vehicles sold.
In this context, Brahim Debbache, President of the Tunisian Chamber of Car Dealers and Manufacturers, told Africanmanager that the Tunisian car market has not developed in recent years, with sales remaining more or less the same, he explained.
He stressed that, contrary to what some people think, the demand for new cars is constantly increasing, but the quota system for car dealers restricts them in supplying the necessary number of vehicles to sell on the local market.
Debbache pointed out that the quota system imposed by the Ministry of Trade has contributed to increasing the waiting time for citizens to obtain a private car in models whose prices are within the purchasing power of Tunisian customers.
He explained that the waiting time this year has been between 4 and 6 months, which has led citizens to complain, and that the reason is not mainly due to the dealers, but rather to the aforementioned quota system.
Debbache called for a return to the government-approved quota system before 2023, when the total quota of 36 dealers representing 60% was reduced by 20%.
Increase in import quotas for popular cars
The president of the National Chamber of Car Dealers and Manufacturers has announced that import quotas for popular cars will be increased to 10,000 vehicles in 2024.
He said that each dealer’s quota would be around 1,000 vehicles, noting that meetings with the Ministry of Trade would continue in light of the growing demand from Tunisian consumers for this type of vehicle.
Debbache went on to say that car dealerships receive between 150 and 200,000 requests per year, pointing out that 10,000 (imported) cars per year is not enough, given the growing demand linked to the decline in the purchasing power of citizens, who can only buy this type of vehicle because of its affordable price.
