The latest car sales results are out and its looking like a boom year. To be fair though that’s mostly because of supply meeting pre orders, rather than a strong order book going forward. 
Higher interest rates and the flow on effect on inflation will see a more challenging 2024 situation.
Results in November exceeded 112,000 delivers and follows on from about six strong months.
It looks like a tussle between the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux for the top selling vehicle for 2023 and the result will be determined by how many vehicles they can get into the country before the year end.
Toyota is still the number one brand but has been severely hampered by supply issues. Mazda is number two followed by Ford, Kia, and Hyundai. The next five are Mitsubishi, MG Tesla, Subaru, and Isuzu Ute.
The top three selling vehicles in November were Utes, and the rest were SUVs of some sort.
Petrol remains the dominant fuel choice, followed by diesel then Hybrid and PHEV vehicles. EV sales account for about 7% of sales.
Car sales are often a lead indicator of economic climate and we could well see ourselves deep in recession in 2024.
This is a Motoring Minute
I’m Rob Fraser
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Car Sales results
The Australian automotive market continues to break all-time sales records as more Australians take delivery of new vehicles than ever before.
Sales in November exceeded previous records with 112,141 delivered to Australians in the month, with more than 1.1 million new vehicles purchased year-to-date. The result highlights the continued strength of new vehicle sales with six of the past seven months the highest on record.
FCAI Chief Executive, Tony Weber, acknowledges the strong demand for a variety of vehicle options across various price brackets, that meet the needs of Australians.
“This is an extraordinary result in what is now likely to be an extraordinary record-breaking year. Another record-breaking month underscores the dynamic and competitive nature of Australia’s automotive landscape, showcasing the wide array of choices available to consumers,” Mr Weber said.
“As the challenges of the past year’s supply chain disruptions recede, consumers have greater access to a broad range of choices and increased accessibility in the market.
“The automotive sector remains a testament to the resilience and adaptability of both industry players and consumers alike. However, as cost-of-living pressures hit we may see a market cooling in the coming months, and we anticipate a more challenging 2024.”
Year-to-date sales of battery electric vehicles have reached 80,446. The growth in EV sales from the same time last year (28,326) underscores the increasing interest in low emission alternatives among Australian consumers. EV’s represented 7.7 per cent of the monthly sales and 7.2 per cent of sales year to date.
Car Sales by State
Sales across every State and Territory increased this month compared with November 2022. Sales in the Australian Capital Territory were up by 13.0 per cent (1,628); New South Wales 17.5 per cent (34,728); Queensland 17.7 per cent (24,262); South Australia 28.3 per cent (7,281); Tasmania 13.4 per cent (2,022); Victoria 16.0 per cent (29,618); Western Australia 20.8 per cent (11,679) and Northern Territory 13.0 per cent (921).
Car Sales by Brand
Toyota was the highest selling marque with 21,002 sales. Mazda followed with 8,707 then Ford (8,165), Hyundai (6,718) and Mitsubishi (6,268).
The Ford Ranger was the top selling vehicle recording 6,301 sales. It was followed by Toyota HiLux (5,901), Isuzu Ute D-Max (3,692) Tesla Model Y (3,151) and Toyota Prado (3,090).
Summary by Class:
Key Points:
- The November 2023 market of 112,141 new vehicle sales is an increase of 17,061
vehicle sales or 17.9% against November 2022 (95,080). There were 25.7 selling days in both November 2023 and November 2022 and this resulted in an increase of 663.9 vehicle sales per day. - The Passenger Vehicle Market is up by 1,778 vehicle sales (10.7%) over the same month last year; the Sports Utility Market is up by 9,952 vehicle sales
(19.0%); the Light Commercial Market is up by 5,323 vehicle sales (24.8%) and the Heavy Commercial Vehicle Market is up by 8 vehicle sales (0.2%) versus
November 2022. - Toyota was market leader in November, followed by Mazda and Ford. Toyota led Mazda with a margin of 12,295 vehicle sales and 10.9 market share points.
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