Demand for new cars remains strong in Australia. Data published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) showed 84,873 vehicles were delivered during January 2023, an 11.9 per cent increase on the same period in 2022.

Sales across all States and Territories were up. In Queensland, sales were up 14.3 per cent (18,766); New South Wales, 15 per cent (26,484); Victoria, 9.7 per cent (22,367); South Australia, 11.9 per cent (5,786); Western Australia 4.3 per cent (7,901); Tasmania, 2.9 per cent (1,510); the NT, 7.8 per cent (665); and the ACT increased by 18.6 per cent with 1,394 vehicles sold.

Toyota led the market with a total of 13,363 vehicles sold. Mazda was second with 9,407, followed by Ford (6,624), Kia (6,006) and Hyundai (5,809).
The Ford Ranger was the highest selling model with 4,749 sales. Toyota’s Hi-Lux followed with 4,131. Tesla’s Model 3 was third with 2,927 followed by Mazda’s CX-3 (2,417) and Mazda’s CX-5 (2,189).

Australian’s preference for larger vehicles continues, with sales of SUVs (46,698) and Light Commercial vehicles (18,546) accounting for 76.9 per cent of total vehicles sold.

Sales of battery electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for 12.28 per cent (10,426) with battery electric vehicles representing 5.71 per cent (4,852). Tesla, once again, was the leader in the all-electric sector, with 3,313 vehicles sold.

The fact that the Tesla Model 3 came in at third place overall for the month indicates Australia’s appetite for fully electric vehicles is on the rise and will likely continue as more models come to the market, infrastructure in the form of the number of charging stations continues to grow, and customers take advantage of government incentives and initiatives to encourage EV uptake.

January’s encouraging sales figures follow on from a decent year for the market in 2022. Despite supply chain issued and delivery delays, 1,081,429 vehicles were delivered during the year.

Toyota was the top selling car brand with 21.4 per cent of the market (231,050) while the top selling vehicle was the Toyota Hi-Lux (64,391.) Mazda captured second spot with 95,718 sales, Kia placed third with 78,330, Mitsubishi fourth with 76,991, while Hyundai rounded out the top 5 with 73,345 sales for the year.

SUVs and light commercials accounted for 76.8 per cent of sales and comprised eight of the top 10 vehicles.

Battery electric vehicles accounted for 3.1 per cent of sales (33,410). Add in Hybrid (81,786) and Plug-In Hybrid (5,937) sales, and an impressive 121,133 electrified vehicles (those that use high-voltage battery systems) were sold in 2022, making up 11 per cent of total sales.

Not surprisingly, it was Tesla that romped home as the best-selling battery-electric vehicle (BEV) maker. It snagged 1.8 per cent of the total market, and 58.7 per cent of the BEV market, with 19,594 sales. Its Model 3 scored 10,877 sales while the Model Y SUV claimed 8,717 sales. BYD, meanwhile, which entered the Australian market late in the year with its Atto 3, muscled onto the scene with 2,113 sales.

Top 5 Brands, January 2023:

1. Toyota – 13,363 sales (down 12.8 per cent from January 2022)
2. Mazda – 9,407 (down 4.1 per cent)
3. Ford – 6,624 (up 46.3 per cent)
4. Kia – 6,006 (up 8.8 per cent)
5. Hyundai – 5,809 (up 13.3 per cent)

Top 5 Models, January 2023:

1. Ford Ranger – 4,749 sales (up 46.3 per cent)
2. Toyota HiLux – 4,131 (up 15 per cent)
3. Tesla Model 3 – 2,927 (N/A)
4. Mazda CX-3 – 2,417 (up 167.1 per cent)
5. Mazda CX-5 – 2,189 (down 31.9 per cent)

Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries

6 February 2023