Australian sales dip in March

Australia’s automotive industry delivered 97,251 vehicles during March 2023, down 3.9% year on year.

Toyota led the market with 13,223 vehicles sold. Mazda was second (8,243), followed by Ford (6,485), Kia (6,403) and Mitsubishi (5,863).

The Toyota Hi-Lux was the highest selling model with 4,583 sales, followed by Ford’s Ranger, 4,508. Isuzu’s D-Max was third with 2,789, followed by Mitsubishi’s Outlander (2,169) and Tesla’s Model Y (1,938).

Year to date, sales of vehicles sourced from China increased 70.7% to 15,124 in March. Japan remained Australia’s largest source of vehicles (25,538). Thailand was second largest (21,729) and Korea fourth (12,771).

“March was a solid month for new car sales given the supply constraints car makers are facing both domestically and internationally,” FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said in a statement.

“Year to date sales have increased 2.5% which is a better indicator of the underlying strength of the market.”

Battery electric vehicle sales grew by 19.5% while plug in hybrids increased 33.3%.

“This growth demonstrates that where Australians can afford a battery electric vehicle which suits their lifestyle, they will buy them,” Weber said.

“The top three best sellers for March 2023 were utes. It is notable that there are no passenger sedans in the 10 top selling vehicles for March. The consumer preference for utes and SUVs is an important factor to consider as we journey to a zero emission light vehicle fleet because these vehicles are more difficult and expensive to electrify.

“If we want more zero and low emission vehicles on our roads, then we must provide the necessary recharging infrastructure and move to implement an ambitious yet achievable fuel efficiency standard which will encourage manufacturers to allocate more of the limited supply to Australia,” Weber added.

Australia’s automotive industry delivered 97,251 vehicles during March 2023, down 3.9% year on year.

Toyota led the market with 13,223 vehicles sold. Mazda was second (8,243), followed by Ford (6,485), Kia (6,403) and Mitsubishi (5,863).

The Toyota Hi-Lux was the highest selling model with 4,583 sales, followed by Ford’s Ranger, 4,508. Isuzu’s D-Max was third with 2,789, followed by Mitsubishi’s Outlander (2,169) and Tesla’s Model Y (1,938).

Year to date, sales of vehicles sourced from China increased 70.7% to 15,124 in March. Japan remained Australia’s largest source of vehicles (25,538). Thailand was second largest (21,729) and Korea fourth (12,771).

“March was a solid month for new car sales given the supply constraints car makers are facing both domestically and internationally,” FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said in a statement.

“Year to date sales have increased 2.5% which is a better indicator of the underlying strength of the market.”

Battery electric vehicle sales grew by 19.5% while plug in hybrids increased 33.3%.

“This growth demonstrates that where Australians can afford a battery electric vehicle which suits their lifestyle, they will buy them,” Weber said.

“The top three best sellers for March 2023 were utes. It is notable that there are no passenger sedans in the 10 top selling vehicles for March. The consumer preference for utes and SUVs is an important factor to consider as we journey to a zero emission light vehicle fleet because these vehicles are more difficult and expensive to electrify.

“If we want more zero and low emission vehicles on our roads, then we must provide the necessary recharging infrastructure and move to implement an ambitious yet achievable fuel efficiency standard which will encourage manufacturers to allocate more of the limited supply to Australia,” Weber added.