Hybrid sales booming

Sales figures from the new-vehicle industry in Australia show consumers have a growing preference for hybrids and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models, with registrations of battery electric vehicles flat compared with a year ago.

The market recorded 99,486 sales last month, a new July record and 2.7 per cent up from the same month of 2023, according to the Federated Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

Tony Weber, chief executive, says the result would have exceeded 100,000 if Tesla and Polestar sales were included in the industry statistics.

“This is a remarkable achievement in an economy featuring widespread cost of living pressures,” he adds. 

“Consistent with trends in many overseas markets, sales of hybrid vehicles are up 88.4 per cent and plug-in hybrid vehicles are up 128.9 per cent compared with July 2023.  

“The hybrid performance is highlighted by the fact that the Toyota RAV 4 was the top-selling vehicle for the month ahead of Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. Most RAV 4 sales are hybrids.”

Weber notes sales of battery electric vehicles, including the reported 2,592 units for Tesla and 103 for Polestar, currently account for 6.6 per cent of the market, down from seven per cent in 2023.

The RAV4, pictured, topped Australia’s sales charts with 5,933 units followed by the Ranger on 4,915. Three Toyota models completed the top five with the Hilux on 4,747 units, the Corolla with 2,688 and the Landcruiser with 2,464.

Toyota was the leading marque last month with 22,705 sales. Next was Mazda on 8,476, Ford with 7,749, Kia on 6,620 and Hyundai with 6,021.

The FCAI highlights July’s registrations in the business and government segments were up 13.7 per cent and 37.5 per cent respectively year-on-year. Private sales fell 4.2 per cent over the same period.