Who’s Driving What Revealed In Latest CarAdvice.Com.Au Survey

CarAdvice.com.au has released its latest data on car sales in Australia. Its VFACTS report showed new vehicle sales figures show market-wide growth of 2.9 per cent over August 2014, to 90,705 units, thanks in part to strong retail campaigns. Australia is on track for a sales record, with good growth in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland countering declines in Western Australia and South Australia, as indicated by the year-to-date (YTD) cumulative national tally 761,440 units sold.

“Despite the drop in the Australian dollar, value for new car buyers is still very strong. Sales are up, helped by a number of factors including some excellent tax incentives and some pretty compelling retail campaigns from manufacturers,” said James Ward, associate publisher at CarAdvice.

In a familiar trend, SUVs continue to do the heavy lifting. Sales for SUVs grew 19.4 per cent in August — to 32,900, more than one-third of all the vehicles sold — while passenger cars dropped 4.6 per cent. Light commercials also fell, by 6.1 per cent.

The small car under $40,000 segment struggled (down 13.2 per cent), despite the top-two-selling cars in the country — the Toyota Corolla (3050 units) and Mazda 3 (2673) — coming from this segment.

Looking at brands overall, Toyota and Mazda remain the top two on a year-to-date basis, but arguably the bigger news is Hyundai, which finished second in August with 9505 sales (up 10.5 per cent) and subsequently leapt ahead of local hero Holden and in to third position YTD.

The Korean manufacturer boasts a cumulative annual tally of 68,115 units (Holden has 67,502), meaning it now trails only Mazda (9166 in August, 75,113 YTD) and Toyota (14,505 for August, down 7.2 per cent, and 133,059 YTD).

The top-ten brands for August, following on from Toyota, Hyundai, Mazda and Holden, were Mitsubishi (5574, up 6.5 per cent), Ford (5354, down 22.5 per cent), Volkswagen (4794, up 17.9 per cent), Nissan (4731, down 7.7 per cent), Subaru (3361, up 15.9 per cent) and Honda (3210, up 16.3 per cent).

Mercedes-Benz (2956, up 25.3 per cent), Kia (2940, up 50 per cent), BMW (2202, up 9.7 per cent) and Audi (1901, up 20.5 per cent) were next.

A number of car manufacturers beyond Toyota, Holden, Ford and Nissan, felt a decline in sales last month. Notably, this included the diverse members of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group: Alfa Romeo (down 49.1 per cent), Chrysler (down 41.4 per cent), Dodge (down 26.4 per cent), Fiat (down 57.1 per cent, though its commercial arm grew 128.2 per cent), and Jeep, once on the cusp of the top-ten but finishing down 34.7 per cent to 1716 units in August.

In a welcome turn of events — and thanks to very sharp deals — the Holden Commodore sedan/Sportwagon finished third on 2144. That figures climbs very close to second if figures from the Commodore-based Holden Ute are added, almost knocking the Mazda 3 from its perch.

Two of the top-six sellers in August were Australian-made cars, with the Toyota Camry coming in sixth (2095) to the Hyundai i30 (4th, 2098) and Ford Ranger (5th, 2096). Closing out the list at tenth place was the Toyota HiLux (1956), which was remarkably behind the Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton (7th, 1991).

“We expect to see Hilux sales bounce back, with the imminent arrival of an all-new model which launches this month.” Ward said

Reflecting the strength of the premium vehicle market, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi each sold more passenger cars (excluding SUVs and vans) than Ford, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Suzuki in August.

Top ten brands August 2015:

Toyota — 14,505

Hyundai — 9505

Mazda — 9166

Holden — 7870

Mitsubishi — 5574

Ford — 5354

Volkswagen — 4794

Nissan — 4731

Subaru — 3361

Honda — 3210

Top ten models August 2015:

Toyota Corolla — 3050

Mazda 3 — 2673

Holden Commodore — 2144 (2616 if you include Ute)

Hyundai i30 —2098

Ford Ranger — 2096

Toyota Camry — 2095

Mitsubishi Triton — 1991

Mazda CX-5 — 1980

Hyundai ix35 — 1967

Toyota HiLux — 1956

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