VFACTS August 2022 new-car gross sales: Market rebounds as Tesla enters High 10

Gross sales of latest motor autos in Australia elevated by 17.3 per cent in August 2022 in comparison with the identical month final 12 months.

It was the second consecutive month of progress after three in a row in decline.

VFACTS new-car gross sales knowledge revealed by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) business physique reported 95,256 new passenger vehicles, SUVs and industrial autos as offered final month, up 17.3 per cent in comparison with August 2021.

A complete of 717,575 autos have been reported as offered for the reason that begin of the 12 months – down 2.1 per cent over the identical interval the prior 12 months, although various Australian states and territories have been rising from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Toyota remained Australia’s favorite new-car model, reporting 20,616 autos as offered, adopted by Mazda (8824), Kia (6780) and Hyundai (6643).

In seventh place was Tesla – its highest month-to-month rating to this point – reporting 3397 vehicles as offered final month (referring to deliveries, not orders taken) due to document arrivals from the manufacturing facility in China.

Within the course of Tesla outsold the likes of Subaru, MG and Volkswagen (which returned to the High 10).

The Tesla gross sales spike could be attributed to seven shipments arriving from China within the area of a month. Because the begin of this 12 months, Tesla has reported 8054 autos as offered – inserting it about 18th on the gross sales leaderboard.

The Toyota HiLux ute remained Australia’s best-selling new automobile – reporting 6214 examples as offered, the second-highest end result on document – with its chief rival, the Ford Ranger in second with 4497 gross sales, as deliveries of the brand new mannequin ramp up.

The August 2022 gross sales end result was down 1.5 per cent on the all-time document for August, set in 2017 with 96,662 gross sales. The 2022 determine is up 2.8 per cent on the five-year common for August earlier than the pandemic (2015-19), which sits at 92,626.

The 717,575 autos reported as offered up to now in 2022 are down 0.9 per cent on 2019 (723,823), earlier than COVID-19 – and down 9.1 per cent on 2017 (788,868), when by the top of the 12 months a document 1.19 million new vehicles have been reported as offered.

Deliveries of latest vehicles proceed to be slowed by lengthy wait instances and inventory shortages, attributable to continued manufacturing slowdowns for manufacturers reminiscent of Toyota, Mazda and Honda amid COVID-19 outbreaks and components shortages.

The market might start to bounce again later within the 12 months, as components shortages begin to ease and lengthy wait lists for widespread autos could be cleared.

Rates of interest stay excessive, after the Reserve Financial institution’s money fee elevated from 0.1 to 1.85 per cent between April and the beginning of August – with the current 0.5 month-to-month proportion level will increase the very best in 22 years.

Whereas the rate of interest has not elevated additional for the reason that begin of August, it continues to have an effect on consumers’ eligibility for finance, with some lenders declining functions after deeming automotive consumers too excessive a danger to fulfill the month-to-month repayments.

In-dealer finance accounts for near a 3rd of new-car gross sales, in keeping with knowledge from accounting agency Deloitte – however some sellers report this determine is nearer to 50 per cent of their showrooms.

“The August VFACTS gross sales are one of the best August end result since 2017. This provides hope that the provision of autos to the Australian market is starting to point out indicators of enchancment,” Tony Weber, chief government of new-car business physique, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, mentioned in a media assertion.

Toyota’s number-one end has seen it report 20,616 autos as offered in August, or 161,558 up to now this 12 months – persevering with to account for one in each 5 new autos offered.

Behind it final month was Mazda with gross sales (up 15.4 per cent 12 months on 12 months) and Kia (6780 gross sales, up 33.9 per cent), which beat sister model Hyundai for the third month this 12 months (with 6643 Hyundais offered, up 32.4 per cent in comparison with August 2021).

Tesla reported 3397 autos as delivered in August, inserting in in seventh – its finest end result because it started reporting month-to-month gross sales figures earlier this 12 months – following the arrival of seven shipments of latest vehicles for the reason that finish of July.

It stays to be seen if it may well beat its finest annual reported ‘gross sales’ end in Australia of 12,094 deliveries, set final 12 months. Electrical-car gross sales tally 14,524 up to now this 12 months, 80 per cent of which have been Teslas.

The increase in Tesla deliveries is backed by the arrival of the Mannequin Y medium SUV final month, in addition to the Mannequin 3 sedan. The latter was the corporate’s prime vendor with 2380 reported deliveries – in comparison with 1017 of the associated Mannequin Y.

Electrical vehicles accounted for 4.4 per cent of all new autos offered final month, due to the increase in Tesla deliveries – the very best ever recorded in a single month in Australia.

“Now we have seen robust gross sales of battery-electric autos in August, with Tesla alone promoting 3397 autos,” Weber mentioned in a media assertion.

“Yr-to-date [electric vehicle] gross sales are [two] per cent of the full market, hybrids are 7.6 per cent and plug-in hybrid autos are 0.6 per cent. Mixed electrified autos at the moment are simply over 10 per cent of complete gross sales in 2022,” Weber mentioned.

China’s MG was eighth, after 10 months in a row in seventh – with 3074 gross sales, up 2.1 per cent 12 months on 12 months – whereas the best-selling luxurious model final month was Tesla (3397), adopted by BMW (2395).

Volkswagen returned to the High 10 for the primary time since December 2021 – although its gross sales in August have been nonetheless down 24.4 per cent in comparison with the identical month final 12 months.

The Toyota HiLux continued its dominance on prime of the gross sales charts – and is on monitor to grow to be Australia’s best-selling new automobile by 12 months’s finish, a document for a ute, and the longest streak for the reason that Holden Commodore’s 15-year stint on prime of the gross sales charts resulted in 2012.

In second place was the Ford Ranger – its historic ending place – after deliveries of the brand new mannequin ramped up over the previous couple of weeks.

Its gross sales are up 50 per cent in comparison with final month, and it is up 13.6 per cent in comparison with August final 12 months – although it’s nonetheless outsold by the Toyota HiLux by 50 per cent total. In 4×4 ute gross sales, the HiLux and Ranger have been separated by about 300 autos.

The Toyota RAV4 adopted in third, trailed by the Tesla Mannequin 3 in fourth and Mazda CX-5 in fifth. Three passenger vehicles completed within the High 10 in August, the Tesla Mannequin 3 in fourth, Toyota Corolla in sixth, and Hyundai i30 in eighth.

Knowledge under provided by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, and compiled by Alex Misoyannis and Paul Gover.

Word: The odds within the desk above supplied by the FCAI and initially revealed on this story have been incorrect. The desk has been up to date with the proper knowledge.