New Index Launched for South Africa's Car Brands

The inaugural Brand Media Index™ - 2026 Automotive Edition has named Mercedes-Benz South Africa the country's most visible automotive brand in online editorial media.

During the monitoring period 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, Mercedes-Benz South Africa recorded 3724 online media mentions, the highest among the 42 automotive brands included in the rankings.

The Brand Media Index™ is an independent benchmark of brand visibility and reputation across South Africa's automotive industry, recognising manufacturers that consistently earn quality editorial coverage and strong earned media performance.

The rankings were compiled by ringfencing article mentions from South Africa's leading motoring websites and news platforms, ensuring that only automotive-related editorial coverage was included in the Index.

How this ranking was compiled

Articles mentioning the 42 automotive brands were classified as Favourable, Neutral or Non-favourable, excluding unrelated negative incidents where a vehicle brand was mentioned in passing. The rankings combine visibility and reputation, with sentiment checked through a review of the most frequently reported news stories.

Categories

Brands with the Most Mentions (Based on All Media Articles Sourced)

Gold: Mercedes-Benz South Africa (3724 mentions)

Silver: BMW South Africa (1807 mentions)

Bronze: Volkswagen Group South Africa (1769 mentions)

Brands with the Highest Reputation Score (%) (Based on All Media Articles Sourced)

Gold: Changan South Africa (64.78%)

Silver: Foton South Africa (64.63%)

Bronze: Jetour South Africa (64.38%)

Brands with the Highest Share of Voice (%) (Based on All Media Articles Sourced)

Gold: Mercedes-Benz South Africa (15.68%)

Silver: BMW South Africa (7.61%)

Bronze: Volkswagen Group South Africa (7.45%)

Top 20 Rankings

Platinum Winner (3000+ mentions)

Mercedes-Benz South Africa (3724)

Gold Winners (1500+ mentions)

BMW South Africa (1807)

Volkswagen Group South Africa (1769)

Silver Winners (1000+ mentions)

Chery South Africa (1268)

Audi South Africa (1250)

Nissan South Africa (1224)

Suzuki Auto South Africa (1103)

Hyundai Automotive South Africa (1014)

Bronze Winners (500 to 999 mentions)

Honda Motor Southern Africa (952)

Isuzu Motors South Africa (843)

BYD Auto South Africa (794)

GWM South Africa (665)

Kia South Africa (651)

Omoda and Jaecoo South Africa (647)

Volvo Cars South Africa (539)

Highly Recommended Rankings

While the leading brands dominated editorial coverage, the remaining automotive brands each recorded fewer than 500 online media mentions across South Africa's leading motoring websites and news platforms during the monitoring period, highlighting opportunities to strengthen their editorial visibility.

The full report is available from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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For more information contact:

Gerrit DavidsMDGerom MediaMobile. +27 (0) 82 496 1657E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Website: www.gerommedia.co.za

Johannesburg, South Africa, 2008