Australian car sales fall

The Australian motor vehicle industry experienced a 7.8 per cent decline in sales during July 2018 compared with July 2017, according to the latest VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Only four light vehicle sales segments produced gains during July in which the industry recorded total sales of 85,551, down from 92,754 for the same month in 2017.

Passenger car sales fell by 20.2 per cent and SUVs by 1.0 per cent, although the light commercial segment produced an incremental gain of just 0.1 per cent in comparison with the same month last year.

Two light commercial vehicles again led the market for the month, the Toyota Hilux, posting sales of 3,747 and the second-placed Ford Ranger with 2,950 sales.

Going against the general market decline in July were sales in the microcar segment, which was up 31.8 per cent, small SUVs up 3.4 per cent, 4X4 pick-ups up 6.4 per cent and upper large SUVs, which recorded a 4.1 per cent increase. 

Hardest hit by the July decline was the large car segment, which recorded a 56.3 per cent decrease compared to the same month in 2017, followed by medium passenger cars down 31.3 per cent and sports cars down 38.2 per cent.

Total sales for the first seven months of 2018 reached 691,073, which is 0.2 per cent below the same year-to-date result for 2017.

All states and territories, bar Tasmania, felt the July decline. New South Wales slipped 9.6 per cent, Victoria by 6.3 per cent and Queensland dropped 5.8 per cent. 

Toyota was the market leader in July with a dominant 19.8 per cent share, followed by Mazda with a 10.4 per cent share and Hyundai with 8.3 per cent. 

The Toyota Hilux continued its market leadership and even improved its sales on July last year. The Hilux led July with 3,747 sales, followed by the Ford Ranger with 2,950 and the Toyota Corolla with 2,594 sales.