Car Sales – Australia recorded 97,020 new vehicle sales in September 2024 marking the first time the industry has achieved sales exceeding 900,000 by the end of the third quarter.
However, the September 2024 total is a 12.4 per cent reduction on sales for the same month in 2023.
FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said while the sales result to the end of September was solid, the easing in sales compared to the same month last year was an indication of the challenging economic times.
“During the early part of the year we witnessed record numbers,” he said. “However, the September result shows that the state of the economy is impacting purchasing intentions.
Car Sales trends
He added that with one quarter remaining of the sales year, three clear trends had emerged regarding consumer preferences.
“First, SUVs and utes remain the vehicle of choice for around 80 per cent of new car buyers” he said. “Nine of the top ten vehicles sold during September were in the Medium or Large SUV or Light Commercial segments. By contrast the passenger segment was less than 15 per cent of the market.
“Second, across the board customers are showing a willingness to take steps towards lower emission vehicles with sales of hybrid and plug-in hybrid continuing to increase.
“Third, recorded sales of battery electric vehicles are again disappointing this month. This is in spite of a strong supply of EVs and the addition of a number of new brands and models being introduced into the Australian market. It is important to note that right now EVs are concentrated in limited market segments such as Passenger Medium and Small and Medium SUVs.
“This trend in lower EV sales and increased hybrid and plug-in hybrids is reflected in markets across the world as production and purchase incentives are being wound back.”
Sales by Brand and State
Toyota was the market leader with sales of 18,110 in September, followed by Ford (8,303), Mazda (8,201), Kia (7,650) and Mitsubishi (6,130). The Toyota RAV4 was Australia’s top selling vehicle with sales of 5,182 followed by Ford Ranger (4,485), Toyota HiLux (4,313), Ford Everest (2,902) and Isuzu Ute D-Max (2,612).
Sales in the Australian Capital Territory were down 23.1 per cent on September 2023 to 1,388; New South Wales was down 16.8 per cent to 29,943; Northern Territory was up 5.6 per cent to 910; Queensland decreased 8.3 per cent to 21,481; South Australia also decreased by 3.8 per cent to 6,420; Tasmania had a decrease of 11.1 per cent to 1,754; Victoria decreased 16.5 per cent to 24,573 and Western Australia decreased 0.2 per cent to 10,551.
Summary by Class:
- The September 2024 market of 97,020 shows a decrease in new vehicle sales of 13,682
(-12.4%) compared to September 2023 (110,702). There were 24.6 selling days in September 2024 compared to 25.6 in September 2023 which resulted in a decrease of 380.4 vehicle sales per day in September 2024. - The Passenger Vehicle Market is down by 4,123 vehicle sales (-22.2%) over the same month last year; the Sports Utility Market is down by 7,612 vehicle sales (-11.9%); the Light Commercial Market is down by 2,225 vehicle sales (-9.4%) and the Heavy Commercial Vehicle Market is up by 278 vehicle sales (6.5%) versus September 2023.
- Toyota was market leader in September, followed by Ford and Mazda. Toyota led Ford with a margin of 9,807 vehicle sales and 10.1 market share points.