Sales are up and the Australian car industry is on a roll with its best figures for May ever.
It wasn’t so long ago that the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ Tony Weber was on a hiding to nothing, as sales continued to slide month after month, year after year.
That wasn’t part of the plan and the excuses started to wear a little thin.
Fast forward and a total of 111,099 vehicles were sold in May, topping last year’s figure of 105,694, a figure that was previously the best May result ever.
The year-to-date sales now stand at 512,753 marking an increase of over 55,920 vehicles compared to the same period last year (456,833) — an increase of almost 11 per cent.
Mr Weber said that another record-breaking month underscores the ongoing strength of the industry.
“The continued growth highlights consumer confidence and the industry’s ability to meet diverse needs of Australian motorists despite current economic challenges,” he said.
“The Australian market is one of the most open and competitive in the world which supply consumers with a wide choice of vehicle across all segments and price categories.”
Monthly sales of Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid vehicles saw a notable increase, capturing 15.8 per cent of the market compared to 7.9 per cent in the previous year.
Battery Electric Vehicles saw a slight increase in sales accounting for 8.1 per cent of new sales, up from 7.7 per cent at the same month last year.
None of the top 10 selling vehicles however are electric vehicles (EVs).
Toyota was the market leader with sales of 23,389, followed by Ford (8806), Mazda (8002), Kia (7504) and Hyundai (6495).
The Ford Ranger was Australia’s top selling vehicle with sales 5912, followed by the Toyota HiLux (5702), Toyota RAV4 (5517) Isuzu Ute D-Max (2612) and Toyota Landcruiser (2578).
Sales in the Australian Capital Territory were up by 10.6 per cent (1673); NSW increased by 5.3 per cent (33,145); Queensland increased by 5.5 per cent (23,534); South Australia increased by 11.3 per cent (7,501); Victoria increased by 3.2 per cent (30,095); Western Australia increased by 5.4 per cent (12,334), Tasmania increased by 7.1 per cent (1818) and Northern Territory decreased by 8.8 per cent (999).
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