Record sales in Australia

There were 96,859 registrations of new vehicles in Australia last month, which set a new industry record for July.

The figure was an increase of 14.7 per cent from the 84,461 units in the same month of 2022 and broke the previous July record of 92,754 set in 2017.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) says the latest monthly tally takes year-to-date registrations to 678,618, up nine per cent from the same period a year ago.

Tony Weber, chief executive, says last month’s result was an indication the market was continuing to recover from supply shortages resulting from Covid-19 plant shutdowns, microprocessor shortages and logistics and shipping bottlenecks.

“During the past 12 months the issue has been one of securing supply for consumers, however as these pressures ease, we are starting to see a return to more stable market conditions,” he adds.

“Many of these vehicles were ordered several months ago, so it is important to monitor the broader economic conditions through 2023 and their impact on private and business demand.”

Ford’s Ranger, pictured, was the best-selling model in July with 5,143 units, followed by the Toyota Hilux on 4,670 and the MG ZS on 3,852.

Completing the top five was Tesla’s Model Y with 3,330 sales and the Toyota RAV4 on 2,750.

Toyota was top of the marques’ ladder with 19,191 vehicles sold. Next up was Mazda on 8,307 units, Ford with 7,109, Hyundai on 6,521 and Kia with 6,150.

The FCAI says battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids accounted for 17.9 per cent of the new-vehicle market last month.

Meanwhile, China continues to grow in importance as a country of origin with 15,853 new vehicles coming that country in July, an increase of 130.1 per cent from a year ago.