In a year that will be remembered for lockdowns and microchips, the local industry has sold more than one million new cars. It was predicted early in 2021 because the demand was there once the economy shows signs of recovery.
The final number was 1,049,831 vehicles were sold across Australia in 2021, which represents a 14.5 per cent increase on 2020.
FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said that in the context of pandemic restrictions limiting access to dealerships and international supply issues, the new vehicle market in Australia remains positive.
“Despite the pandemic restricting access to showrooms in 2021, Australian consumers found ways to purchase new vehicles and did so in solid numbers,” Mr Weber said.
“The global shortage of microprocessors, compounded by the pandemic, had an impact on the number of cars sold throughout Australia. Automotive manufacturers are continuing to work to strengthen supply chains in 2022.”
The preference for SUVs and light commercial vehicles has continued to increase throughout 2021. A total of 531,700 SUVs were sold, which is a 16.9 per cent increase on 2020. Light commercials are up 23.2 per cent on last year’s figures with a total of 253,254 vehicles sold.
Passenger vehicles totalled 221,556 sold throughout the year, which is a decrease of 0.2 percent on 2020 figures.
Toyota was the highest selling brand for the year, with 223,642 vehicles sold resulting in 21.3 per cent of overall market share. In second place was Mazda (101,119 vehicles sold, 9.6 per cent market share). In third place was Hyundai (72,872 vehicles sold, 6.9 per cent). In fourth place was Ford (71,380 vehicles sold, 6.8 per cent market share). Fifth place went to Kia (67,964 vehicles sold, 6.5 per cent market share).
