Record May for Australian vehicle sales

Vehicle sales in Australia hit a record in May, with all states and the Northern Territory posting an increase. May sales totalled 102,901, a 6.4 increase on the same month last year, and all market segments increased. Market sales have totalled 465,381 for the year to date, down 0.9 per cent over the corresponding period in 2016, according to the official industry statistical service VFACTS. SUVs were once again the highest-selling segment, with a 38.5 per cent market share in May, followed by passenger vehicles, on 37.7 per cent, and light commercial, on 20.6 per cent. Sales grew for all market segments. Passenger vehicles were up 1.6 per cent compared to May 2016. SUV and light commercial sales both increased 9.4 per cent, and heavy commercial vehicles saw the highest increase, up 13.6 per cent. Within sales by buyer type, business purchases of SUVs nationally rose 14.9 per cent, and light commercial purchases by the government rose 31.7 per cent. The chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Tony Weber, said that the May market rebound was not unexpected given incoming end of the 2016-2017 financial year. “Light commercials and SUVs were again strong performing segments, both up by 9.4 per cent on the result of May 2016 but it was also interesting to see small passenger cars as our country’s most popular vehicle category,” Mr Weber said. Regionally, Victoria was the best-performing state, with sales up 11.3 per cent in May compared to 2016, followed by the Northern Territory, up 8.1 per cent, Queensland, up 5.7 per cent, New South Wales, up 5.1 per cent, South Australia up 3.1 per cent and Tasmania up 2.5 per cent. Only the Australian Central Territory posted a decline, with sales down 3.0 per cent. The top-selling vehicle in May was the Toyota Hilux, with 4.154 sales, followed by the Ford Ranger, with 4,069 sales. The Toyota Corolla came third, with 3,160 sales, followed by the Hyundai i30 hatch and the Mazda3. Toyota led the market with a 19.3 per cent share last month, followed by Mazda on 9.6 per cent, Hyundai, on 8.1 per cent, Ford on 7.4 per cent, and Holden, on 6.7 per cent.