Sayonara! Honda Ballade and BR-V discontinued in SA
Honda Motor Southern Africa has confirmed both the Ballade and BR-V have been discontinued in Mzansi as part of a “strategic realignment of the range”…
- Honda Ballade and BR-V both dropped from SA range
- Brand says both models “played an important role”
- Ballade nameplate traces its local roots back to 1982
Pour one out for a couple of highly recognisable nameplates – one of which has a particularly deep automotive heritage here in Mzansi. Yes, Honda Motor Southern Africa has confirmed to Cars.co.za that both the Ballade and BR-V have been discontinued locally.
Having noticed that local sales of the Ballade and BR-V had tapered markedly – in fact, the last time the two nameplates appeared in SA’s new-vehicle sales statistics was back in March 2025 – we asked Honda Motor SA whether these models had officially been put out to pasture.
“The Ballade and BR-V have indeed been discontinued for the South African market. This decision follows a comprehensive review of market performance within the sedan and 7-seater SUV segments, of which the sedan segment has experienced a steady decline in demand as customers increasingly shift toward compact and mid-size SUVs,” Callon Locke, Manager for Product & Retail Marketing at Honda Motor Southern Africa, told Cars.co.za.
“In addition, demand within the 7-seater category is evolving, with consumers showing a growing preference for more affordable entry-level MPVs and larger 7-seater C-SUVs on the other end of the spectrum.
“While the Ballade and BR-V have played an important role within Honda’s product portfolio, these market developments have prompted a strategic realignment of the range to better reflect current and future customer demand,” Locke added.
As a reminder, the original BR-V was launched in South Africa in October 2016, with the 2nd-generation version – again with seating for 7 but swapping its decidedly MPV-like persona for somewhat more of an SUV-mimicking stance – arriving in September 2022. In total, the BR-V’s run on the local market thus spanned approximately 9 years.
The Ballade badge, of course, boasts a far longer local history, having first been marketed (and indeed assembled by Mercedes-Benz SA in East London) here way back in 1982. Though the Ballade name disappeared for just over a decade – from 2000, once production of the EK-generation Civic hatch and Ballade sedan had ended – it returned to Mzansi in 2011.
From that point, the Ballade was based on the City sedan (rather than the Civic). It moved into successive generations locally in 2014 and 2020, before being quietly facelifted in 2024. The Ballade saloon was thus sold in South Africa for a cumulative 32 years, excluding its 11-year hiatus.
Before its local discontinuation, the Ballade’s 3-strong line-up – with each variant powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine generating 89 kW and 145 Nm – had pricing bookends of R390 500 and R460 500. The BR-V employed the same powertrain, though its 4-derivative range was last priced from R409 000 to R490 500.
In 2023, Honda’s local division registered 687 units of the BR-V and 120 units of the Ballade, with the former’s figure falling to 383 units and the latter’s climbing marginally to 147 units in 2024. With local stock seemingly depleted in the opening quarter of 2025, just 4 examples of the BR-V and 10 units of the Ballade have been sold this year.
Find a used Honda Ballade or Honda BR-V on Cars.co.za!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Which Honda models have recently been discontinued in South Africa?
A: Honda Motor Southern Africa has discontinued both the Honda Ballade sedan and the Honda BR-V 7-seater SUV/crossover from its local product range.
Q: Why did Honda Motor Southern Africa discontinue the Ballade and BR-V?
A: The decision is part of a “strategic realignment of the range” following a comprehensive review of market performance. According to Honda, the sedan segment (Ballade) is experiencing a steady decline in demand, and the 7-seater category (BR-V) is evolving, with consumers preferring more affordable entry-level MPVs or larger 7-seater C-SUVs.
Q: How long was the Honda Ballade nameplate sold in South Africa?
A: The Ballade nameplate has a long local history, first appearing in 1982. Though it had an 11-year hiatus between 2000 and 2011, the nameplate was sold in South Africa for a cumulative total of 32 years before its latest discontinuation.
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