Things are looking positive for the new car industry. For the first time in two years sales were up from the same month in the previous year. In November, 95,205 new cars were sold which was an increase of 10,497 sales, or 12.4, compared to 2019.
Sales are still down on 2019 by 16.1% which isn’t surprising considering the extended lockdown in Victoria which ground new car sales to a halt for most dealerships.
Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said the industry welcomed the first signs of recovery in the new vehicle market.
“Recent Australian new vehicles sales have seen 31 months of straight decline. This has been caused by a number of well recognised factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and environmental and financial issues.
“With the Australian economy showing improvement, it’s good news to see new vehicle sales trending in a more positive direction,” Mr Weber said.
“Why are we seeing an improvement now? We believe there are a few contributing factors, including rising optimism from the Australian public as COVID-19 restrictions ease.
“This increase in consumer confidence is backed by government support programs during the pandemic, the easing of lending restrictions, and the current competitive automotive market.
“We also believe that, given our inability to travel internationally, many Australians are choosing to purchase a new vehicle and holiday at home this year – and we fully expect to see a notable increase in family driving trips over the Christmas season,” Mr Weber said.
“With this in mind, the FCAI would like to remind all drivers to visit their dealers and ensure their vehicles are in first class condition prior to departing on a road-based family holiday.”
During the month 20,711 Passenger Vehicle were sold (down 10.1 per cent from November 2019), representing 21.8 per cent of the total market. SUVs again claimed the lion’s share (52.5 per cent) of the market with a total of 50,016 sales, up a notable 26.5 per cent from November 2019. Light Commercial vehicles claimed 22.3 per cent of the market with 21,252 sales, up 11.5 per cent from November 2019.
Toyota was the top selling brand for the month, with 23,204 sales, followed by Mazda with 9,053 sales, Hyundai with 6,903 sales, Ford with 6,613 sales and Mitsubishi with 5,488 sales.
The top five selling vehicles in November 2020 were:
- Toyota HiLux with 5,038 sales
- Ford Ranger with 4,260 sales
- Toyota RAV4 with 3,800 sales
- Toyota Landcruiser with 2,947 sales
- Toyota Corolla with 2,774 sales
