Aussie sales pass milestone

Sales of new vehicles in Australia have gone past the one-million mark for this year after recording 98,375 registrations last month.

Despite passing the landmark figure, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) notes October’s result is 7.9 per cent down on the same month a year ago and continues the easing of the market during the second half of 2024. 

However, it is the second-best October result on record and brings the year-to-date sales total to 1,025,621.

Toyota’s RAV4, pictured, was the top-selling vehicle last month with 4,841 units followed by the Ford Ranger on 4,757 and the Toyota Hilux with 4,523.

Completing the top five was the Ford Everest and Isuzu Ute D-Max on 2,668 and 2,295 respectively.

As for last month’s marques’ ladder, Toyota was top with 18,471 sales followed by Ford on 8,581, Mazda with 7,656, Hyundai on 7,086 and Kia with 6,602.

Tony Weber, FCAI chief executive, says: “While not at the record levels of 2023, the October result is solid. 

“However, we remain concerned about the continuing performance of the private buyers’ segment, which was down 14.2 per cent this month following a reduction of 17.2 per cent in September.  

“This does indicate that economic pressures are a concern for families across the country.”

Weber notes the battery electric vehicle sector’s share of new sales has remained subdued despite an increasing number of new brands entering the market and tax benefits available to some purchasers.

“Many of these new EV sales are in the highly competitive medium passenger segment, which already records almost 50 per cent of sales being electric but the segment accounting for just over 4 per cent of total sales,” he says.

“Conversely, we are now witnessing the introduction of new plug-in hybrid models in the SUV and light commercial segments which have previously been dominated by petrol and diesel models. 

“This is significant given the overwhelming popularity of SUVs and light commercial vehicles in Australia.”