Australia’s Car Industry Takes Massive Hit. Australians are simply not buying the number of vehicles they once did. 2018 saw almost 1.2 million sales, with 2019 failing to reach those dizzying heights.
So far this year, sales have plummeted a further 20.7%, to 644,891 to the end of September. In industry body, FCAI, says restrictive lending saw 30 months of month on month falls. This year, COVID dealt a further blow.
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ABOVE: Top 10 Australian Cars – roll mouse over for details, or click to open gallery
Of the top ten brands, Toyota is still top dog, with 138,622 sales. Mazda follows, with 60,574, then Hyundai with 45,219 sales. It is worth noting that all of the top ten brands had falls.
Passenger cars are down a massive 28.8%
| Report for the Month of | Year to Date | Year to Date | Month | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2020 YTD | Sep-20 | Sep-19 | Sep-20 | |||||
| Standings | Marque | Volume | Share | Volume | Share | Volume | Share | |
| 1 | ▼ | Toyota | 138,622 | 21.5% | 154,515 | 19.0% | 12,936 | 18.8% |
| 2 | ▼ | Mazda | 60,574 | 9.4% | 79,057 | 9.7% | 7,000 | 10.1% |
| 3 | ▼ | Hyundai | 45,219 | 7.0% | 66,489 | 8.2% | 5,273 | 7.6% |
| 4 | ▼ | Mitsubishi | 41,957 | 6.5% | 64,506 | 7.9% | 4,179 | 6.1% |
| 5 | ▼ | Ford | 40,938 | 6.3% | 48,604 | 6.0% | 4,816 | 7.0% |
| 6 | ▼ | Kia | 40,696 | 6.3% | 46,360 | 5.7% | 5,092 | 7.4% |
| 7 | ▼ | Volkswagen | 29,583 | 4.6% | 37,709 | 4.6% | 3,493 | 5.1% |
| 8 | ▼ | Nissan | 26,567 | 4.1% | 38,343 | 4.7% | 2,588 | 3.8% |
| 9 | ▼ | Subaru | 21,994 | 3.4% | 30,701 | 3.8% | 2,121 | 3.1% |
| 10 | ▼ | Honda | 21,877 | 3.4% | 34,210 | 4.2% | 1,678 | 2.4% |
Ford Ranger is the top model with 3726 sold, which is up 19.6%. Only 3 of the top 10 are passenger cars, as Australia continues a transmission to SUV and LCV ownership.
| Rank | Vehicle | Sep-20 | Sep-19 | % diff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ford Ranger | 3726 | 3116 | 19.6% | |
| 2. | Toyota Hi-Lux | 3610 | 3364 | 7.3% | |
| 3. | Toyota RAV4 | 2433 | 1716 | 41.8% | |
| 4. | Hyundai i30 | 1786 | 2447 | -27.0% | |
| 5. | Mazda CX-5 | 1765 | 2355 | -25.1% | |
| 6. | Toyota Landcruiser | 1599 | 1611 | -0.7% | |
| 7. | Kia Cerato | 1599 | 2022 | -20.9% | |
| 8. | Toyota Corolla | 1462 | 2219 | -34.1% | |
| 9. | Mitsubishi Triton | 1446 | 3001 | -51.8% | |
| 10. | Hyundai Tucson | 1199 | 1488 | -19.4% | |
| 11. | Toyota Camry | 1192 | 1186 | 0.5% | |
| 12. | Mazda CX-3 | 1188 | 1317 | -9.8% | |
| 13. | Mazda3 | 1134 | 1696 | -33.1% | |
| 14. | Isuzu Ute D-Max | 1118 | 1346 | -16.9% | |
| 15. | Kia Seltos | 1089 | 0 | N/A | |
| 16. | Nissan Navara | 1072 | 1114 | -3.8% | |
| 17. | Hyundai Kona | 1036 | 1254 | -17.4% | |
| 18. | Volkswagen Golf | 942 | 1157 | -18.6% | |
| 19. | Mitsubishi ASX | 940 | 2419 | -61.1% | |
| 20. | Nissan XTrail | 888 | 1769 | -49.8% |
While it is too early to call final figures, on current trends, 2020 would be around 800,000 vehicles sold. That is 1/3 off the 2018 numbers and would be a real worry for auto makers.
2020 is the final year for Holden, as the dealerships have all but disappeared. Corvette will be imported under a new “brand, GMSV, along with Silverado. So, all is not lost, yet.
The other of the big two, Ford, now shares a 6.3% market share with KIA. That’s great news for KIA, but terrible news for Ford.
Ford has moved 40,938 vehicles to September 2020. Ranger accounted for all but 12,707 sales, with Everest at 4,098, the Ranger/Everest duo account for more than ¾ of all Fords sold. That must be a concern for the big American.
Despite FCAI claims of a possible upturn, the Australian market was in free-fall long before COVID.
Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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