Despite sales slowing in the last three months, the Australian new car market sold over one million vehicles in 2021 and ended the year up 14.5 per cent from 2020.

Figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show a total of 1,049,831 vehicles sold for the year, a result which fell short of expectations after sales hit the brakes in October, November and December.

Just 78,402 cars were sold for the month of December – an 18 per cent decrease from the same period last year and the industry’s lowest December deliveries in 13 years.

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.”

Toyota claimed the title of the biggest-selling brand for the 19th year in a row. Outselling its closest rival, Mazda, by a margin of 122,523 vehicles.

The Toyota HiLux also retained its status as Australia’s best-selling vehicle for the sixth year in a row with 52,801 sold for the year. However, the Ford Ranger managed to close the annual sales gap to the closest market in the history of the two title rivals, coming second by just 2,522 vehicles.

The preference for SUVs and light commercial vehicles continued to increase throughout 2021, with both segments increasing 16.9 and 23.2 per cent respectively. Passenger cars decreased by 0.2 per cent on 2020 figures.

Electric vehicles saw an increase in sales of 191.1 per cent on 2020 figures, with 5,149 sold for the year. However, the figures for EVs sold in Australia could be almost tripled due to Tesla’s continued growth. In December, it was reported that Tesla had delivered over 10,000 Model 3s in Australia in 2021.

As 2022 begins, the industry is hopeful that consumer demand for new cars will remain strong.

Top 5 models sold for the year, 2021:

1. Toyota Hilux – 52,801 (up 16.9 per cent from 2020)
2. Ford Ranger – 50,279 (up 22.7 per cent)
3. Toyota RAV4 – 35,751 (down 7.2 per cent)
4. Toyota Corolla – 28,768 (up 11.2 per cent)
5. Hyundai i30 – 25,575 (up 23.3 per cent)

Top 5 models sold for the December 2021:

1. Ford Ranger – 4,168 (down 2.4 per cent from December 2020)
2. Toyota Hilux – 3,821 (down 31.4 per cent)
3. Toyota RAV4 – 2,998 (down 15.4 per cent)
4. Hyundai i30 – 2,241 (up 12.3 per cent)
5. Toyota Prado – 2,204 (down 11.8 per cent)

Top 5 brands for the year, 2021:

1. Toyota – 223,642 (up 9.2 per cent from 2020)
2. Mazda – 101,119 (up 18.1 per cent)
3. Hyundai – 72,872 (up 12.4 per cent)
4. Ford – 71,380 (up 19.8 per cent)
5. Kia – 67,964 (up 21.2 per cent)

Top 5 brands for December 2021:

1. Toyota – 16,237 (down 30.8 per cent from December 2020)
2. Mazda – 7,078 (down 17.3 per cent)
3. Hyundai – 5,734 (down 14.9 per cent)
4. Mitsubishi – 5,657 (down 11.3 per cent)
5. Ford – 5,434 (down 13.8 per cent)

Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries

6 January 2022