The Australian new car market continued its recovery in January with an 11.1 per cent increase over the corresponding month last year.

 

In the first month of the year, 79,666 new cars were recorded as sold according to VFACTS data released this week by The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

  

January 2020 and January 2021 each had 24 selling days with the later achieving an addition 7935 vehicle sales. Interestingly, last month was the best January result since 2012.

 

FCAI chief executive, Tony Weber, said the January result was a very positive sign for the industry. He noted: “During the past three months sales had increased by 12.4 per cent compared to the corresponding period twelve months earlier. The January sales numbers are indicative of positive consumer confidence in the domestic economy.”

 

“With attractive interest rates and a range of other economic indicators encouraging consumption, we hope to see this trend in new vehicle purchasing continue through 2021,” Mr Weber said.

 

Private buyers were responsible for the improvement with sales up 25.4 per cent. Sales to business buyers dropped 1.3 percent, while sales to government and rental fleets fell by 11.2 per cent and 12.4 per cent respectively.

 

SUVs accounted for a 52.1 per cent share of the market, passenger vehicles finished with a 23.3 per cent share, while light commercials notched up a 21.9 per cent market share.

 

Toyota was again the market leader in January, followed by Mazda and Hyundai. Toyota led Mazda with a margin of 8311 vehicle sales and a 10.4 market share. Remarkably, Toyota’s 16,819 sales was an improvement of 13.6 per cent.

 

The Toyota HiLux was the best-selling vehicle in January 2021 with sales of 3913 vehicles, followed by the Ford Ranger (3120), Toyota RAV4 (3066), Toyota Landcruiser (2388) and the Mazda CX5 (2081).

 

A full breakdown of each segment can be found below.

 

 

Toyota HiLux – 3913

Ford Ranger – 3120

Toyota RAV4 – 3066

Toyota LandCruiser – 2388

Mazda CX-5 – 2081

Toyota Corolla – 2062

Hyundai i30 – 1952

Mitsubishi Triton – 1908

Isuzu D-Max – 1822

Nissan X-Trail – 1593

  

 

Toyota – 16,819

Mazda – 8508

Hyundai – 5951

Kia – 5500

Mitsubishi – 5179

Ford – 5099

Nissan – 3756

Subaru – 3223

Volkswagen – 2722

  

 

Micro Cars: Kia Picanto (573), Mitsubishi Mirage (56), Fiat 500 (49)

Light Cars under $25K: MG 3 (859), Suzuki Swift (562), Volkswagen Polo (526)

Light Cars over $25K: Mini (147), Audi A1 (68), Citroen C3 (8)

Small Cars under $40K: Toyota Corolla (2062), Hyundai i30 (1952), Kia Cerato (1545)

Small Cars over $40K: Mercedes A-Class (323), BMW 1 Series (223), Audi A3 (124)

Medium Cars under $60K: Toyota Camry (815), Subaru Liberty (183), Skoda Octavia (153)

Medium Cars over $60K: Mercedes C-Class (398), BMW 3 Series (139), Lexus IS (96)

Large Cars under $70K: Kia Stinger (147), Skoda Superb (48)

Large Cars over $70K: Mercedes E-Class (58), BMW 5 Series (32), Audi A6 (23)

Upper Large Cars: Chrysler 300 (29), Lexus LS (7), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (6)

People Movers: Kia Carnival (442), Honda Odyssey and Hyundai iMax (67), LDV G10 (61)

Sports Cars under $80K: Ford Mustang (361), Mazda MX-5 (53), Hyundai Veloster (45)

Sports Cars over $80K: Mercedes C-Class (73), BMW 4 Series (55), Mercedes E-Class (23)

Sports Cars over $200K: Porsche 911 (33), Ferrari range (16), Aston Martin two-door range (9)

Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (1344), Toyota Yaris Cross (541), Volkswagen T-Cross (494)

Small SUVs under $40K: Mitsubishi ASX (1278), MG ZS (1253), Hyundai Kona (1091)

Small SUVs over $40K: Audi Q3 (385), Volvo XC40 (367), Mercedes GLA (365)

Medium SUVs under $60K: Toyota RAV4 (3066), Mazda CX-5 (2081), Nissan X-Trail (1593)

Medium SUVs over $60K: BMW X3 (358), Audi Q5 (305), Volvo XC60 (290)

Large SUVs under $70K: Toyota Prado (1359), Kia Sorento (745), Hyundai Santa Fe and Mazda CX-8 (571)

Large SUVs over $70K: BMW X5 (302), Mercedes GLE (262), Audi Q7 (177)

Upper Large SUVs under $100K: Toyota LandCruiser (1499), Nissan Patrol (241)

Upper Large SUVs over $100K: Mercedes G-Class (96), Mercedes GLS (44), BMW X7 (41)

Light Vans: Volkswagen Caddy (121), Renault Kangoo (45), Peugeot Partner (8)

Medium Vans: Toyota HiAce (705), Ford Transit Custom (303), Hyundai iLoad (294)

Large Vans: Mercedes Sprinter (131), Ford Transit Heavy (89), LDV Deliver 9 (48)

Light Buses: Toyota HiAce (179), Toyota Coaster (17), Mercedes Sprinter (3)

4×4 Utes: Toyota HiLux (823), Isuzu D-Max (406), Ford Ranger (318)

4×4 Utes: Toyota HiLux (3090), Ford Ranger (2802), Mitsubishi Triton (1723)