Australian new car sales rebounded strongly in November to finish in positive territory for the first time in 31 months according to VFACTS data released today by The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

  

In November, 95,205 sales were recorded representing an increase of 10,497 sales or 12.4 per cent when compared to November 2019.

 

With one month remaining in 2020, the year-to-date tally sits at 821,316, a drop of 16.1 per cent on the same period last year.

 

Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said the industry welcomed the first signs of recovery in the new vehicle market.

 

“Recent Australian new vehicles sales have seen 31 months of straight decline. This has been caused by a number of well recognised factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and environmental and financial issues. 

 

“With the Australian economy showing improvement, it’s good news to see new vehicle sales trending in a more positive direction,” Mr Weber said.

 

“Why are we seeing an improvement now?  We believe there are a few contributing factors, including rising optimism from the Australian public as COVID-19 restrictions ease.

 

“This increase in consumer confidence is backed by government support programs during the pandemic, the easing of lending restrictions, and the current competitive automotive market.

 

“We also believe that, given our inability to travel internationally, many Australians are choosing to purchase a new vehicle and holiday at home this year – and we fully expect to see a notable increase in family driving trips over the Christmas season,” Mr Weber said.

 

Toyota was the top-selling brand for the month with 23,204 sales, followed by Mazda with 9053, Hyundai with 6903, Ford with 6613, and Mitsubishi with 5488.

 

Toyota’s tally of 23,204 new vehicles represented a 24.4 per cent market share and a whopping 36.9 per cent increase on the same month last year. Remarkably, Toyota is only down 3.8 per cent for the year when compared to 2019.

 

With international travel still out of the question, buyers flocked to Toyota’s LandCruiser and Prado which both finished inside the top ten.

 

Other brands that enjoyed a big November included MG (up 133 per cent), LDV (up 130 per cent), BMW (up 53 per cent), Porsche (up 46 per cent) and Isuzu (up 36 per cent).

 

Jeep was the surprise, the American marque finished up a huge 87.6 per cent with 743 sales.

 

Given utes and large SUVs did well, it was interesting to note Ram dropped by 26 per cent. Other brands that finished in the red included Alfa Romeo (down 43 per cent), Jaguar (down 42 per cent), Honda (down 24 per cent), Volkswagen (down 16 per cent) and Nissan (down 6.0 per cent) and Land Rover (down 11 per cent).

 

The top five selling models for the month were the Toyota HiLux with 5038 sales, the Ford Ranger with 4260 sales, the Toyota RAV4 with 3800 sales, the Toyota Corolla with 2744, and the Toyota Prado with 2602 sales.

 

A full segment by segment breakdown is included below.

 

 

Toyota HiLux - 5038, up 33.0 per cent

Ford Ranger - 4260, up 22.0 per cent

Toyota RAV4 - 3800, up 64.1 per cent

Toyota Corolla -2744, up 24.5 per cent

Toyota Prado - 2602, up 116.1 per cent

Mazda CX-5 - 2412, up 39.0 per cent

Isuzu D-Max - 2095, up 45.7 per cent

Hyundai i30 - 2047, down 12.5 per cent

Hyundai Tucson - 1995, up 38.2 per cent

Toyota LandCruiser wagon - 1981, up 116 per cent

 

 

Toyota - 23,204, up 36.9 per cent

Mazda - 7457, up 46.8 per cent

Hyundai - 6903, up 1.2 per cent

Ford - 6613, up 33.2 per cent

Mitsubishi - 5488, down 20.0 per cent

Kia - 5376, up 4.6 per cent

Nissan - 4001, down 6.3 per cent

Volkswagen - 3280, down 16.4 per cent

Subaru - 3203, up 2.0 per cent

Isuzu - 2943, up 36.2 11.5 per cent

 

 

Micro cars: Kia Picanto 433, Fiat 500 54, Mitsubishi Mirage 37

Light cars: MG 3 632, Toyota Yaris 482, Suzuki Swift 446

Light cars over $40k: Mini 201, Audi A1 45, Citroen C3 2

Small cars: Toyota Corolla 2774, Hyundai i30 2037, Kia Cerato 1625

Small cars over $40k: Mercedes A-Class 378, Audi A3 275, BMW 1 Series 204

Medium cars: Toyota Camry 1283, Skoda Octavia 286, Mazda 6 161

Medium cars over $60k: BMW 3 Series 461, Mercedes C-Class 353, Mercedes CLA 203

Large cars: Kia Stinger 119, Hoden Commodore 67, Skoda Superb 24

Large cars over $70k: BMW 5 Series 80, Mercedes E-Class 62, Audi A6 29

Upper large cars: Mercedes S-Class 12, BMW 8 Series GC 9, Rolls Royce sedan 7

People movers: Kia Carnival 268, Honda Odyssey 107, LDV G10 59

Sports cars: Ford Mustang 230, BMW 2 Series 67, Hyundai Veloster 67

Sports cars over $80k: BMW 4 Series 107, Mercedes C-Class 87, Mercedes E-Class 48

Sports over $200k: Porsche 911 32, Bentley 2D 15, AMG GT 13

Light SUV: Mazda CX-3 1562, Toyota Yaris Cross 794, Suzuki Jimny 334

Small SUV: Mitsubishi ASX 1465, Hyundai Kona 1453, MG ZS 1133

Small SUV over $40k: Audi Q3 532, Mercedes GLA 522, BMW X1 409

Medium SUV: Toyota RAV4 3800, Mazda CX-5 2412, Hyundai Tucson 1995

Medium SUV over $60k: BMW X3/X4 476, Lexus NX 404, Audi Q5 318

Large SUV: Toyota Prado 2602, Isuzu MU-X 848, Kia Sorento 796

Large SUV over $70k: BMW X5/X6 366, Audi Q7 229, Lexus RX 213

Upper large SUV: Toyota LandCruiser 1981, Nissan Patrol 440

Upper large SUV over $100k: BMW X7 78, Mercedes GLS 59, Audi Q8 59

Vans under 2.5t: Volkswagen Caddy 158, Renault Kangoo 24, Peugeot Partner 12

Vans 2.5-3.5t: Toyota HiAce 1500, Hyundai iLoad 527, Ford Transit 342

Vans over 3.5t: Mercedes Sprinter 198, Ford Transit 138, Renault Master 121

4×2 utes: Toyota HiLux 1184, Isuzu D-Max 562, Ford Ranger 431

4×4 utes: Toyota HiLux 3854, Ford Ranger 3829, Isuzu D-Max 1533