New-car sales rebounded last month, despite stock shortages and high interest rates – highlighted by a boost in Tesla deliveries, and a ramp-up in Ford Ranger hand-overs.
Sales of new motor vehicles in Australia increased by 17.3 per cent in August 2022 compared to the same month last year.
It was the second consecutive month of growth after three in a row in decline.
VFACTS new-car sales data published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) industry body reported 95,256 new passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles as sold last month, up 17.3 per cent compared to August 2021.
A total of 717,575 vehicles have been reported as sold since the start of the year – down 2.1 per cent over the same period the prior year, even though a number of Australian states and territories were emerging from COVID-19 lockdowns.
Toyota remained Australia’s favourite new-car brand, reporting 20,616 vehicles as sold, followed by Mazda (8824), Kia (6780) and Hyundai (6643).
In seventh place was Tesla – its highest monthly ranking to date – reporting 3397 cars as sold last month (referring to deliveries, not orders taken) thanks to record arrivals from the factory in China.
In the process Tesla outsold the likes of Subaru, MG and Volkswagen (which returned to the Top 10).
The Tesla sales spike can be attributed to seven shipments arriving from China in the space of a month. Since the start of this year, Tesla has reported 80 vehicles as sold – placing it about 18th on the sales leaderboard.
The Toyota HiLux ute remained Australia’s best-selling new vehicle – reporting 6214 examples as sold, the second-highest result on record – with its chief rival, the Ford Ranger in second with 4497 sales, as deliveries of the new model ramp up.
The August 2022 sales result was down 1.5 per cent on the all-time record for August, set in 2017 with 96,662 sales. The 2022 figure is up 2.8 per cent on the five-year average for August before the pandemic (2015-19), which sits at 92,626.
The 717,575 vehicles reported as sold so far in 2022 are down 0.9 per cent on 2019 (723,823), before COVID-19 – and down 9.1 per cent on 2017 (788,868), when by the end of the year a record 1.19 million new cars were reported as sold.
Deliveries of new cars continue to be slowed by long wait times and stock shortages, due to continued production slowdowns for brands such as Toyota, Mazda and Honda amid COVID-19 outbreaks and parts shortages.
The market may begin to bounce back later in the year, as parts shortages start to ease and long wait lists for popular vehicles can be cleared.
Interest rates remain high, after the Reserve Bank’s cash rate increased from 0.1 to 1.85 per cent between April and the start of August – with the recent 0.5 monthly percentage point increases the highest in 22 years.
While the interest rate has not increased further since the start of August, it continues to affect buyers’ eligibility for finance, with some lenders declining applications after deeming car buyers too high a risk to meet the monthly repayments.
In-dealer finance accounts for close to a third of new-car sales, according to data from accounting firm Deloitte – but some dealers report this figure is closer to 50 per cent in their showrooms.
“The August VFACTS sales are the best August result since 2017. This gives hope that the supply of vehicles to the Australian market is beginning to show signs of improvement,” Tony Weber, chief executive of new-car industry body, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, said in a media statement.
Toyota’s number-one finish has seen it report 20,616 vehicles as sold in August, or 161,558 so far this year – continuing to account for one in every five new vehicles sold.
Behind it last month was Mazda with sales (up 15.4 per cent year on year) and Kia (6780 sales, up 33.9 per cent), which beat sister brand Hyundai for the third month this year (with 6643 Hyundais sold, up 32.4 per cent compared to August 2021).
Tesla reported 3397 vehicles as delivered in August, placing in in seventh – its best result since it began reporting monthly sales figures earlier this year – following the arrival of seven shipments of new cars since the end of July.
It is on its way to beating its best annual reported ‘sales’ result in Australia of 12,094 deliveries, set last year. Electric-car sales tally 14,524 so far this year, 80 per cent of which have been Teslas.
The boost in Tesla deliveries is backed by the arrival of the Model Y medium SUV last month, as well as the Model 3 sedan. The latter was the company’s top seller with 2380 reported deliveries – compared to 1017 of the related Model Y.
Electric cars accounted for 4.4 per cent of all new vehicles sold last month, thanks to the boost in Tesla deliveries – the highest ever recorded in a single month in Australia.
“We have seen strong sales of battery-electric vehicles in August, with Tesla alone selling 3397 vehicles,” Weber said in a media statement.
“Year-to-date [electric vehicle] sales are [twp] per cent of the total market, hybrids are 7.6 per cent and plug-in hybrid vehicles are 0.6 per cent. Combined electrified vehicles are now just over 10 per cent of total sales in 2022,” Weber said.
China’s MG was eighth, after 10 months in a row in seventh – with 3074 sales, up 2.1 per cent year on year – while the best-selling luxury brand last month was Tesla (3397), followed by BMW (2395).
Volkswagen returned to the Top 10 for the first time since December 2021 – though its sales in August were still down 24.4 per cent compared to the same month last year.
The Toyota HiLux continued its dominance on top of the sales charts – and is on track to become Australia’s best-selling new vehicle by year’s end, a record for a ute, and the longest streak since the Holden Commodore’s 15-year stint on top of the sales charts ended in 2012.
In second place was the Ford Ranger – its historical finishing position – after deliveries of the new model ramped up over the last few weeks.
While its sales are up 50 per cent compared to last month, it is down 12 per cent compared to August last year – and it is still outsold by the Toyota HiLux by 50 per cent overall. In 4×4 ute sales, the HiLux and Ranger were separated by about 300 vehicles.
The Toyota RAV4 followed in third, trailed by the Tesla Model 3 in fourth and Mazda CX-5 in fifth. Three passenger cars finished in the Top 10 in August, the Tesla Model 3 in fourth, Toyota Corolla in sixth, and Hyundai i30 in eighth.
Data below supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, and compiled by Alex Misoyannis and Paul Gover.
TOP 10 CARS IN August 2022
| Rank | Model | Volume August 2022 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota HiLux | 6214 | down 28.1 per cent |
| 2 | Ford Ranger | 4497 | down 12 per cent |
| 3 | Toyota RAV4 | 2482 | up 27.7 per cent |
| 4 | Tesla Model 3 | 2380 | N/A |
| 5 | Mazda CX-5 | 2325 | down 3.7 per cent |
| 6 | Toyota Corolla | 2115 | up 68.5 per cent |
| 7 | Mitsubishi Triton | 2087 | down 60.4 per cent |
| 8 | Hyundai i30 | 1975 | up 3.6 per cent |
| 9 | Isuzu D-Max | 1928 | up 0.7 per cent |
| 10 | Toyota Prado | 1903 | down 30.3 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN August 2022
| Rank | Brand | Volume August 2022 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota | 20,616 | up 3.3 per cent |
| 2 | Mazda | 8824 | up 15.4 per cent |
| 3 | Kia | 6780 | up 33.9 per cent |
| 4 | Hyundai | 6643 | up 32.4 per cent |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 6380 | up 32.9 per cent |
| 6 | Ford | 5839 | up 15.4 per cent |
| 7 | Tesla | 3397 | N/A |
| 8 | MG | 3074 | up 2.1 per cent |
| 9 | Subaru | 2960 | down 8.4 per cent |
| 10 | Volkswagen | 2868 | down 24.4 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in August 2022
| Micro | Kia Picanto (636) | Mitsubishi Mirage (52) | Fiat/Abarth 500 (8) |
| Light < $25k | MG 3 (709) | Kia Rio (484) | Suzuki Swift (462) |
| Light > $25k | Mini Hatch (188) | Audi A1 (20) | Citroen C3 (4) |
| Small < $40k | Toyota Corolla (2115) | Hyundai i30 (1975) | Mazda 3 (1500) |
| Small > $40k | Mercedes-Benz A-Class (295) | Audi A3 (269) | BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe (219) |
| Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (1184) | Mazda 6 (217) | Volkswagen Passat (68) |
| Medium > $60k | Tesla Model 3 (2380) | Mercedes-Benz C-Class (306) | BMW 3 Series (246) |
| Large < $70k | Kia Stinger (49) | Skoda Superb (37) | |
| Large > $70k | BMW 5 Series (64) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class (36) | Audi A6 (28) |
| Upper Large < $100k | Chrysler 300 (1) | ||
| Upper Large > $100k | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (20) | Mercedes-Benz EQS (19) | BMW 7 Series (7) |
| People Movers | Kia Carnival (622) | Hyundai Staria (148) | Mercedes-Benz V-Class (97) |
| Sports < $80k | Ford Mustang (261) | Subaru BRZ (98) | Mazda MX-5, BMW 2 Series (58) |
| Sports > $80k | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (124) | Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe/convertible (53) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe/convertible (34) |
| Sports > $200k | Porsche 911 (25) | Ferrari range (23) | Lamborghini Huracan/Aventador (20) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in August 2022
| Light SUV | Kia Stonic (788) | Toyota Yaris Cross (770) | Suzuki Jimny (672) |
| Small SUV < $40k | Mazda CX-30 (1516) | MG ZS (1463) | Mitsubishi ASX (1100) |
| Small SUV > $40k | Audi Q3 (483) | Volvo XC40 (297) | Mercedes-Benz GLA (282) |
| Medium SUV < $60k | Toyota RAV4 (2482) | Mazda CX-5 (2325) | Mitsubishi Outlander (1719) |
| Medium SUV > $60k | Tesla Model Y (1017) | BMW X3 (420) | Mercedes-Benz GLC (374) |
| Large SUV < $70k | Toyota Prado (1903) | Toyota Kluger (1682) | Isuzu MU-X (872) |
| Large SUV > $70k | Mercedes-Benz GLE (421) | BMW X5 (242) | Land Rover Defender (133) |
| Upper Large SUV < $100k | Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1213) | Nissan Patrol wagon (496) | |
| Upper Large SUV > $100k | Mercedes-Benz GLS (115) | BMW X7 (89) | Audi Q8 (44) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in August 2022
| Vans < 2.5t | Volkswagen Caddy (43) | Peugeot Partner (16) | Renault Kangoo (14) |
| Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce van (642) | Hyundai Staria Load (326) | LDV G10/G10+ (316) |
| 4×2 Utes | Toyota HiLux (1885) | Ford Ranger (467) | Mitsubishi Triton (330) |
| 4×4 Utes | Toyota HiLux (4329) | Ford Ranger (4030) | Mitsubishi Triton (1757) |
The post VFACTS August 2022 new-car sales: Market rebounds as Tesla enters Top 10 appeared first on Drive.
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