The automotive industry's wheels keep turning, but the local market is stuck in a rut. It's been crippled by rising inflation, lower margins and hesitant customer spending brought on by the National Credit Act (NCA). Also, new low-priced competition from China and India has eroded the local customer base of established European, Japanese and US brands.

Globally, the price of vehicles continues to climb and it's the affordability of new and second-hand vehicles that is now also stifling the market. Under current local conditions, there are approximately 10 000 repossessions per month, forcing dealerships to drum up attractive deals in an attempt to keep customers coming back for more.