The Australian new car market finished down 13.7 per cent at the end of 2020 according to VFACTS data released today by The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).
 
During 2020, a total of 916,968 vehicles were sold making it the lowest total since 2003 and the first time the total has failed to crack 1 million since 2009. In 2019, 1,062,867 vehicles were sold. 
 
Given the state of the wider economy and the economic impact of the pandemic, a significant drop was anticipated.
 
Interestingly, December’s tally of 95,652 sales represented a 13.5 per cent increase over the same month in 2019 when 84,239 were sold.
 
December 2020 was also the second consecutive month (November was up by 12.4 per cent) the market finished in positive territory following after 31 months of decline.
 
FCAI chief executive, Tony Weber, said signs of the recovery of the new vehicle market were welcomed by automotive brands.
 
“COVID-19 has brought a health crisis and a corresponding economic crisis to the world during 2020,” Mr Weber said
“And along with the rest of Australia, automotive brands and their dealer networks have found the last twelve months an extremely challenging period.
 
“The automotive industry in Australia accounts for more than 60,000 employees, with over 4,000 dealerships across the country.  The contribution made by these businesses is critically important to the economic wellbeing of communities across Australia.
 
“It is therefore with great relief that the industry, along with the general economy, is finally noting some positive signs within the market.”
 
SUVs accounted for a record 49.6 per cent market share in 2020 (up 4.1 per cent), while passenger cars held a 24.2 per cent share (down 5.5 per cent). Light commercial vehicles achieved 22.4 per cent total market share (up 1.2 per cent).
 
Toyota was again the market leader in 2020 with an impressive 204,801 sales. Toyota holds a commanding 22.3 per cent market share. Rounding out the top five were Mazda (85,640 sales for 9.3 per cent market share), Hyundai (64,807 sales for 7.1 per cent market share), Ford (59,601 sales for 6.5 per cent market share), and Mitsubishi (58,335 sales for 6.4 per cent market share).
 
Moving to models, the Toyota HiLux again topped the charts with 45,176 sales making it the fifth year in a row the ute has finished on top. Following the HiLux were the Ford Ranger with 40,973 sales, Toyota RAV4 with 38,537 sales, Toyota Corolla with 25,882 sales and Mazda CX-5 with 21,979 sales.
  
A full breakdown of each segment’s best-selling models in 2020 is included below.
 
Top 10 brands in 2020
 
Toyota - 204,801 (-0.5 per cent)
Mazda - 85,640 (-12.3 per cent)
Hyundai - 64,807 (-24.7 per cent)
Ford - 59,601 (-5.8 per cent)
Mitsubishi - 58,335 (-29.9 per cent)
Kia - 56,076 (-8.8 per cent)
Volkswagen - 39,266  (-21.4 per cent)
Nissan - 38,323 (-24.2 per cent)
Subaru - 31,50 (-21.3 per cent)
Mercedes-Benz - 29,455 (-7.9 per cent)
  
Top 10 models in 2020
 
Toyota HiLux - 45,176 (-5.2 per cent)
Ford Ranger- 40,973 (+0.03 per cent)
Toyota RAV4 - 38,537 (+58.8 per cent)
Toyota Corolla - 25,882 (-15.1 per cent)
Mazda CX-5 - 21,979 (-13.9 per cent)
Hyundai i30 - 20,734 (-26.9 per cent)
Mitsubishi Triton - 18,136 (-29.8 per cent)
Toyota Prado - 18,034 (-1.6 per cent)
Kia Cerato - 17,559 (-19.3 per cent)
Hyundai Tucson - 15,789 (-13.5 per cent)
 
2020 Segment breakdown
 
Micro Cars: Kia Picanto 3891, Mitsubishi Mirage 594, Fiat 500 520
Light Cars: MG 3 7158, Toyota Yaris 5027, Kia Rio 4952
Light Cars over $25K: Mini 1613, Audi A1 504, Renault Zoe 77
Small Cars: Toyota Corolla 25,882, Hyundai i30 20,734, Kia Cerato 17,559
Small Cars over $40K: Mercedes A-Class 6054, Audi A3 2778, BMW 1 Series 2309
Medium Cars: Toyota Camry 13,727, Skoda Octavia 2111, Mazda 6 1727
Medium Cars over $60K: BMW 3 Series 3406, Mercedes C-Class 3378, Mercedes CLA 2082
Large Cars: Kia Stinger 1778, Holden Commodore 1009, Skoda Superb 271
Large Cars over $70K: Mercedes E-Class 771, BMW 5 Series 718, Audi A6 215
Upper Large Cars: Chrysler 300 218, Mercedes S-Class 163, BMW 8 Series GC 117
People Movers: Kia Carnival 3650, Honda Odyssey 1091, LDV G10 725
Sports Cars: Ford Mustang 2923, Hyundai Veloster 639, BMW 2 Series 628
Sports Cars over $80K: Mercedes C-Class 1225, BMW 4 Series 478, Mercedes E-Class 448
Sports Cars over $200K: Porsche 911 431, Ferrari range 205, BMW 8 Series Coupe 104
Light SUV: Mazda CX-3 13,953, Hyundai Venue 3678, Volkswagen T-Cross 2646
Small SUV: Mitsubishi ASX 14,056, Hyundai Kona 12,514, Kia Seltos 9966
Small SUV over $40K: Audi Q3 4090, Volvo XC40 3229, Mercedes GLA 3173
Medium SUV: Toyota RAV4 38,537, Mazda CX-5 21,979, Hyundai Tucson 15,789
Medium SUV over $60K: Mercedes GLC SUV/Coupe 5799, BMW X3/X4 5633, Lexus NX 3518
Large SUV: Toyota Prado  10,034, Toyota Kluger 8403, Isuzu MU-X 7049
Large SUV over $70K: BMW X5/X6 3567, Mercedes GLE SUV/Coupe 3261, Lexus RX 1879
Upper Large SUV: Toyota LandCruiser 15,078, Nissan Patrol 2820
Upper Large SUV over $100K: BMW X7 866, Mercedes GLS 813, Land Rover Discovery 795
Vans under 2.5t: Volkswagen Caddy 1749, Renault Kangoo 458, Peugeot Partner 190
Vans 2.5-3.5t: Toyota HiAce 8391, Hyundai iLoad 3919, Ford Transit Custom 2379
Vans over 3.5t: Mercedes Sprinter 2413, Renault Master 1429, Volkswagen Crafter 1226
4x2 utes: Toyota HiLux 10,410, Isuzu D-Max 4343, Ford Ranger 3084
4x4 utes: Ford Ranger 37,889, Toyota HiLux 34,766, Mitsubishi Triton 15,649
 
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