The Naamsa Response Group databases, the compilation thereof - and their integrity

1. The "Flash Telex" preliminary release
Within the first two working days of the month, NAAMSA releases its "Flash Telex" preliminary sales figures - a summary by Model Line and Manufacturer totals within the channels - Passenger Cars and the Commercial Vehicle categories. Please see the latest Flash Telex at our web site. These figures are widely publicised in the media as a direct measurement as to the country's economic activity during the immediately preceding month. Publicists and spokesmen eagerly await the release of the Naamsa Flash Telex in order to prepare their public commentary and views on the performance of this all-important market, automotive industry sales. The source of the figures is the OEM's - the Motor Manufacturers themselves, who submit their summary figures to Naamsa. Each month the Flash Telex is available for public viewing on the Naamsa web site www.naamsa.co.za and is termed "new vehicle sales figures". The recognition of this as an economic barometer is well placed irrespective of whether units were sold by OEM's themselves or by Dealers - it is a measurement of vehicle sales in total.

2. Audit process - leading to the loading of the audited NAAMSA/Response Group databases
Immediately thereafter the OEM's (Motor Manufacturers) submit their computer recorded sales in detail to Response Group who start processing and auditing the detailed sales data into powerful databases on the Response Group mainframe computer. (It should be noted that in the case of Daimler Chrysler South Africa, the actual detail sales files come from the DCSA global operations centre in Singapore.) Naamsa regularly meets with the CEO's of the OEM's to reinforce the rules of submission of data as portrayed in the Info Book Guide. In all cases sales are generated from the computer records of the OEM companies - which must match, for example, the customer warranty cards (which carry legal responsibility), the service records for each vehicle sold and monetary-wise, the income from the sales. OEM's understandably are subject to external audits each year, their Directors have fiduciary responsibilities and in most cases there are parent companies abroad. The audited database figures become available around a week after the Flash Telex.

Upon receipt of each OEM's data file, Response Group starts verifying the validity of the models, the town codes, the dealership, the volumes and the totals in comparison with the summarised Flash Telex. In some cases there are discrepancies, or typos, or erroneous data. The Response Group Naamsa Manager telephonically resolves each and every one of the queries. Erroneous data may include an invalid town code, which is suitably corrected. Alternatively there may have been a true error in the Flash Telex where an OEM under-(or over-)reported, say 5 units initially. This correction will be made to the audited databases - and, in some cases changes may be made retrospectively going back some months. It is important to note that the audited databases are ALWAYS correct. Should one take an accumulation of Flash Telexes over a period of a year, for example, then there may be significant difference between that accumulation and the truth in the audited databases.

There are varying levels of access into the audited figures. These include:
i)  Becoming a NAAMSA subscriber - for the electronic Autopulse sales booklets and/or NAAMSAONLINE access.
ii) Becoming an Autostats Lite subscriber, where one has online internet access into the databases (upon password) at a specific summarised level.
iii) Upon request to Naamsa or Response Group - where there is a need for, perhaps an ad-hoc study.

Naamsa email is: naamsa@iafrica.com
Response Group is: martin@response.co.za

Release of Data
1. The "Flash Telex" preliminary sales figures are released publicly via the NAAMSA website at: www.naamsa.co.za and will be found in most daily media publications early every month, gaining significant attention with widespread commentary from various publicists.
2.a The NAAMSA/Response Group audited databases are available in detail to only those parties who have submitted input data. These are termed "OEM Records" and are available in .pdf booklet as well as in enquirable online systems via internet to OEM'S only.
2.b Electronic Autopulse 'booklets' are emailed to qualified Naamsa subscribers and contain data at model range level.

The NAAMSA databases of Automobile Retail Sales in South Africa comprise a system which was put into place with rigid security and access control. Audited databases and their detail content are Classified Proprietary Information which may not be released to any third party. Public domain information is released via the NAAMSA web pages with the proviso that this data may be repeated on condition that recognition be given to NAAMSA and RGT. Direct subscribers to NAAMSA receive a booklet of Passenger Cars as well as Commercial Vehicles each month, and at year-end. Subscription to NAAMSA is more fully detailed at the following web site: subscribe