Sales of new vehicles in Australia have improved for the second month in a row, with March figures up 1.2 per cent from last year.

A total of 101,233 vehicles were sold for the month, according to data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. This is an increase of 1,228 vehicles from 2021 when 100,005 vehicles were sold.

FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said the relatively stable result reflected the challenges facing the global automotive industry.

“This is a historically unique time in which supply rather than demand is determining the size of the market. This is due to manufacturers recovering from the pandemic-related shutdowns and ongoing global shortage of microprocessing units.”

“Consumer inquiries and demand for new cars remains strong. Manufacturers are working hard to match this demand with supply.”

Interruptions in production combined with shipping constraints continue to blow out waiting times, with most new cars taking anywhere from three to 12 months to fill. Drive claims that the modest sales spike can be attributed to dealers filling orders placed over the past year.

Tasmanian sales increased by 8.2 per cent with 1,768 vehicles sold. Victorian sales increased by 5.3 per cent with 27,155 vehicles sold. Sales in Western Australia were up 5.3 per cent with 10,016 vehicles sold. Sales in the Australian Capital Territory were down 6.2 per cent compared with the same month in 2021, with 1,560 vehicles sold. New South Wales sales were down 0.8 per cent with 32,224 sold. Northern Territory sales decreased by 0.2 per cent with 916 vehicles sold. Queensland sales were down 1.7 per cent with 21,214 vehicles sold and South Australian sales decreased by 0.1 per cent with 6,380 vehicles sold.

Toyota was the market leader in March with 21,828 vehicles sold. Toyota was followed by Mazda with 11,248, Mitsubishi with 9,007, Hyundai with 6,516, and Kia with 6,051.

Toyota’s Hilux was the highest-selling model with 6,324 vehicles sold. The Toyota RAV4 came in second place with 4,610, followed closely by the Mitsubishi Triton with 3,808 vehicles sold. Mazda’s CX-5 was fourth with 3,772 sales, and Telsa’s Model 3 was fifth with 3,097.

This marks the first time in more than five years that the Ford Ranger has slipped outside the Top Three, as the marque sells down stock of the runout model ahead of the new generation due mid-year.

Demand for zero and low emission vehicles continues to climb at a rapid rate. Including Tesla and Polestar sales, which for the first time have provided their data to the FCAI, a total of 6,752 electric vehicles have been reported as sold in Australia this year.

Sales of petrol-electric hybrid cars continue to set records, up 27.6 per cent year-to-date with 20,585 reported as sold for the first three months of 2022. This increase is largely driven by market leader Toyota. Hybrid variants now account for approximately 1/3 of new Toyotas in Australia.

Top 5 Brands, March 2022:

1. Toyota – 21,828 sales (up 2.4 per cent from March 2021)
2. Mazda – 11,248 (up 4.3 per cent)
3. Mitsubishi – 9,007 (up 40.1 per cent)
4. Hyundai – 6,516 (down 4.9 per cent)
5. Kia – 6,051 (up 4.3 per cent).

Top 5 Models, March 2022:

1. Toyota Hi-Lux – 6,324 sales (up 18.9 per cent from March 2021)
2. Toyota RAV4 – 4,610 (up 30.9 per cent)
3. Mitsubishi Triton – 3,808 (up 52.8 per cent)
4. Mazda CX-5 – 3,772 (up 24.8 per cent)
5. Tesla Model 3 – 3,097 (comparison data not available)

Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries

5 April 2022