It's almost unfathomable to think of a brand not having some sort of go-faster offering in its line-up. The truth is, there are quite a number of automakers locally that once had one but, for whatever reason, gave it the boot.
One of the primary reasons is buyer trends and monthly sales statistics. The hard and fast rule is that if a particular vehicle doesn't sell well over a period of time, it will be removed from the line-up. Look at what happened to the Volkswagen Arteon and Mercedes-Benz X-Class bakkie - neither made it for more than three years on the production line.
In Volkswagen's case, they stuck with what they knew for the future- SUVs - and plenty of them. The Polo is the only sedan offering in its current portfolio, while the GTI is still as popular as ever. South Africans are also very loyal to a brand, so if they have been driving a particular (performance) model for years, odds are they won't change.
Moving with the times
Whereas automakers had minimal restrictions to work with back in the 80s and 90 or early 2000s, times have changed with stricter emissions. This has prompted a shrink in engine displacement, meaning automakers must abide by the rules even if it means going against tradition. An example is the Mercedes-AMG C63 S. Since 2008, it came standard with a V8 engine, but with the landscape changing towards zero emissions, the latest C63 S E Performance has been 'downgraded' to a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine (with outputs of 500kW and 1 020 Nm, combined with an electric motor.
Gumtree lists the automakers in the country that have no hot hatch offerings in their line-up:
One of the primary reasons is buyer trends and monthly sales statistics. The hard and fast rule is that if a particular vehicle doesn't sell well over a period of time, it will be removed from the line-up. Look at what happened to the Volkswagen Arteon and Mercedes-Benz X-Class bakkie - neither made it for more than three years on the production line.
In Volkswagen's case, they stuck with what they knew for the future- SUVs - and plenty of them. The Polo is the only sedan offering in its current portfolio, while the GTI is still as popular as ever. South Africans are also very loyal to a brand, so if they have been driving a particular (performance) model for years, odds are they won't change.
Moving with the times
Whereas automakers had minimal restrictions to work with back in the 80s and 90 or early 2000s, times have changed with stricter emissions. This has prompted a shrink in engine displacement, meaning automakers must abide by the rules even if it means going against tradition. An example is the Mercedes-AMG C63 S. Since 2008, it came standard with a V8 engine, but with the landscape changing towards zero emissions, the latest C63 S E Performance has been 'downgraded' to a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine (with outputs of 500kW and 1 020 Nm, combined with an electric motor.
Gumtree lists the automakers in the country that have no hot hatch offerings in their line-up:
Nissan
Models like the 370Z and GT-R have long been a part of the local line-up, but at the moment, Nissan's line-up is made up primarily of bakkies and SUVs. In addition, the latest generation Z will not be launching in South Africa, even though the model's local introduction looked promising at one point. It's clear that Nissan is assessing what works and what doesn't in the current buyer climate.
Mazda
The last time Mazda launched a high-performance model in South Africa, or any performance derivative for that matter was in 2006 with the MPS hatch and sedan. It didn't sell particularly well, even though it was more powerful than its rivals at the time. Despite this, the Japanese automaker introduced another generation and, with that, also ceased the (Mazda Performance Series) MPS nameplate.
Renault
Just like its sister brand, Nissan, Renault also shifted their attention to compact and frugal offerings. The French brand confirmed in 2018 that they will not be importing anymore units of the Clio and Megane RS, thus calling the curtain on the Sport division in South Africa. Models like the Kwid, Kiger, and Triber are currently doing the business in terms of monthly sales.
Peugeot
The French automaker retired its GTi nameplate locally in hatchback models like the 206 and 207. The lack of performance variety culminated in one of its SUVs (the 2008) winning the South African Car of the Year (COTY) award in 2021. Not to be left behind, they also added a Landtrek bakkie to the mix, a sign that they are willing to get their feet wet in relatively unknown waters.
Kia
One doesn't associate Kia with fast cars, but they changed the game when the Stinger GT came onto the scene in August 2018. The flagship sports sedan came equipped with a twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 engine that develops 272kW and 510Nm of torque. Sadly, Kia Motors South Africa called it quits on the Stinger due to meager sales, even though initial units were sold out before local introduction.
Now that you've got the knowledge, it's time to shop! Head to gumtree.co.za or your Gumtree app (click for Apple & Android), and don't forget to use your location settings to find local service information close to home.
