With signs that Australia might be finally ridding itself of COVID-19, October 2020 saw a slight resurgence in new car sales, with Australians starting to buy new cars at pre-coronavirus levels. With the recently announced government incentives and an emergence from lockdowns, the automotive industry remains hopeful of better days ahead.
Figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show that new car sales in October 2020 were down by just 1.5 per cent compared with October 2019 with a total of 81,220 vehicles sold last month. Despite the end of the new car sales freefall, October 2020 was the 31st month in a row of year-on-year decline.
Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said the results were welcome news for the automotive industry. “After a very challenging year, we are seeing ‘green shoots’ in the Australian new vehicle market. Every state and territory except Victoria and Tasmania have seen significant growth and, given the circumstances, Victoria’s result is seen as encouraging,” Mr Weber said.
SUVs, Utes and four-wheel-drive models continue to represent more than half of new vehicle sales for the month at 50.8 per cent, whilst passenger cars only represent a paltry 21.9 per cent of the total market, down 24.5 per cent from the same month last year.
Toyota continues to dominate the new car market in Australia, posting a 14.8 per cent increase in sales in October 2020 compared to the same month the prior year. 4 out of the top 5 best-selling vehicles in Australia is a Toyota. Models such as the HiLux, Corolla and RAV4 dominate the sales charts.
It’s clear that the market is once again starting to stir, propped up by government spending and bolstered consumer confidence. If Australia manages to keep the lid on the coronavirus, we may have very well turned a corner.
TOP 10 CARS IN OCTOBER 2020
Toyota HiLux: 4444, up 26.4 per cent
Ford Ranger: 4217, up 33.4 per cent
Toyota RAV4: 4084, up 91.6 per cent
Toyota Prado: 2207, up 45.9 per cent
Toyota Corolla: 1943, down 8.2 per cent
Isuzu D-Max: 1932, up 51.5 per cent
Mazda CX-5: 1912, up 11.9 per cent
Hyundai Tucson: 1678, down 0.9 per cent
Toyota LandCruiser Wagon: 1640, up 23.8 per cent
Kia Cerato: 1619, down 11.4 per cent
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN OCTOBER 2020
Toyota: 19,505, up 14.8 per cent
Mazda: 7457, up 17.1 per cent
Hyundai: 5951, down 20.2 per cent
Ford: 5744, up 17.4 per cent
Kia: 5304, up 4.8 per cent
Mitsubishi: 4510, down 6.3 per cent
Nissan: 3539, down 11.8 per cent
Volkswagen: 3112, down 26.3 per cent
Subaru: 2902, down 12.1 per cent
Mercedes-Benz: 2288, down 11.5 per cent
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