Sales of new vehicles continued to surge with last month’s result being the sixth consecutive month of growth and the highest-selling April on record.

A total of 92,347 new vehicles were sold in April 2021, compared with the significantly lower result of 38,926 for the corresponding month in 2020. The result is also a 22 per cent increase on the April 2019 result, when 75,550 sales were recorded.

The Ford Ranger topped the monthly charts for the third time ever, with 5,021 vehicles sold. The Toyota RAV4 followed closely with 4,506 vehicles, and the Toyota Hi-Lux claimed third place with 4,222 sales.

Toyota remained the market leader for the month, with a total of 20,208 sales, followed by Mazda with 10,052 and Mitsubishi with 7,513.

Year to date, new vehicle sales were up 30.7 per cent with 355,955 sales, compared to 272,287 in 2020.

The market experienced growth across all segments including the Passenger Vehicle Market (97.2 per cent), the Sports Utility Market (179.2 per cent), and the Light Commercial Market (130.1 per cent).

Tony Weber, Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, said the confidence in the new vehicle market was high and continued growth could be expected through the remainder of this year.

“New vehicle sales are a direct reflection of the performance of the broader economy in terms of consumer and business confidence,” Mr Weber said. “This time last year we were seeing significant impacts from COVID-19 with less customer activity and inquiries to dealerships.”

“Historically the April result is between 70,000 and 80,000 vehicles, so the 2021 result is very significant. This sales trend is expected to continue as we enter the final two months of the financial year.

“It was also pleasing to see increases in sales for Rental vehicles across all segments. Growth in rental fleets will be an important building block supporting the recovery of the tourism industry across the country.”

Supply chain constraints such as the global semiconductor shortage and shipping issues were also impacting the delivery of new vehicles to Australian customers.

“Every vehicle company is focusing on solving the issues caused by these impacts and they are working with customers to keep them fully informed regarding supply issues and delivery dates. It is possible there is pent-up market demand which may be reflected in sales figures in the second half of 2021 as solutions are found to these issues,” Mr Weber added.

Top 5 models sold, April 2021:

1. Ford Ranger – 5,021 sales (up 226 per cent from April 2020)
2. Toyota RAV4 – 4,506 sales (up 135.8 per cent)
3. Toyota HiLux – 4,222 sales (up 80.5 per cent)
4. Toyota Landcruiser – 3,177 (up 98.2 per cent)
5. Mitsubishi Triton – 2,458 sales (up 424.1 per cent)

Top 5 brands, April 2021:

1. Toyota – 20,208 sales (up 95.7 per cent from April 2020)
2. Mazda – 10,052 sales (up 95.7 per cent)
3. Mitsubishi – 7,513 sales (up 333.3 per cent)
4. Ford – 7,146 sales (up 217.5 per cent)
5. Hyundai – 5,772 sales (up 156.8 per cent)

Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries

5 May 2021