Australia’s new car market continues to soar

While new car sales struggle in New Zealand, Australia’s market continues to break records.

A total of 111,099 vehicles were sold in May, surpassing last year’s figure of 105,694 which previously was the best May result on record.

The year-to-date sales now stand at 512,753 marking an increase of over 55,920 vehicles compared to the same period last year (456,833).

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive Tony Weber said; “The continued growth highlights consumer confidence and the industry’s ability to meet diverse needs of Australian motorists despite current economic challenges.”

“The Australian market is one of the most open and competitive in the world which supply consumers with a wide choice of vehicle across all segments and price categories.”

Sales of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles saw an increase, capturing 15.8 per cent of the market compared with 7.9 per cent in the previous year. Battery Electric Vehicles saw a slight increase in sales accounting for 8.1 per cent of new sales, up from 7.7 per cent at the same month last year.

Toyota was the market leader with sales of 23,389, followed by Ford (8,806), Mazda (8,002), Kia (7,504) and Hyundai (6,495).

The Ford Ranger was Australia’s top selling vehicle with sales 5,912, followed by the Toyota HiLux (5,702), Toyota RAV4 (5,517) Isuzu Ute D-Max (2,612) and Toyota Landcruiser (2,578).