General News
18 July, 2024
Record half-yearly car sales
HALF-yearly sales of new motor vehicles have reached a record 632,412.
The year-to-date increase of 8.7 per cent surpassed the previous record of 605,522 in 2018.
However, monthly sales declined by 4.2 per cent compared with June last year.
Customers took delivery of 119,659 new vehicles during June to mark the end of the 2023-24 financial year.
The significant year-to-date milestone highlights the sustained demand for new vehicles across Australia.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said the yearly sales were encouraging, especially considering the ongoing economic challenges.
“The end of the financial year has traditionally been a strong month for vehicle sales and achieving 632,412 sales in just six months is a testament to the resilience of the market,” he said.
“Battery electric vehicles (BEV) saw a slight decrease in sales, accounting for 8 per cent of new sales, down from 8.8 per cent at the same month last year.
However, Australia has experienced an increase in BEV sales year-to-date, accounting for 50,219 yearly sales compared to 43,092 at the same time last year.
“We hope to break the significant milestone of 100,000 EV sales in 2024,” Mr Weber said.
He said as customers increasingly turned to electric vehicles, it was critical that governments focused on the delivery of widespread recharging capability across Australia.
Mr Weber said the demand for SUVs and light commercial vehicles continued to drive the market, contributing 54.5 per cent and 23.3 per cent respectively to the monthly sales figures.
He said the ongoing popularity of SUVs and light commercial vehicles demonstrated the versatility and practicality these vehicles offer to Australian consumers.
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles’ sales have increased in market share, capturing 14.4 per cent of the market compared to 7.8 per cent in June last year, reflecting a growing consumer preference for more sustainable vehicle options.
Toyota was the market leader with sales of 20,903 in June, followed by Ford (9493), Mazda (9483), Kia (8225), and Mitsubishi (7723). The Ford Ranger was Australia’s top-selling vehicle with sales of 6289 in June, followed by the Toyota HiLux (5630), Toyota RAV4 (3907), Mitsubishi Outlander (3045), and Tesla Model Y (2906).
