Market Insight: Medium SUV sales soar
BY MATT BROGAN | 29th Jul 2024
THE sub-$60,000 medium SUV segment remains Australia's most hotly contended vehicle category, with a solid 14.2 per cent year-on-year sales increase compared with the first half of 2023 and eight of the top 10 most popular models being stalwart nameplates trading on reputation and familiarity.
With year-to-date sales of 112,557 units – an increase of 13,986 units over the same period last year – the category tops all other SUV segments, accounting for 32.1 per cent of cumulative SUV sales across all market types (and 17.8 per cent of the market as a whole).
Indeed, the mainstream medium SUV segment almost tops the total number of passenger vehicles sold in Australia, falling just 729 units shy of claiming that honour.
It also outpaces the bustling four-wheel drive utility market (by 4495 units), highlighting the value of the sub-$60K medium SUV segment to its 24 contenders.
Looking at VFACTS sales data (YTD to 30 June 2024) it is clear that stalwart mid-sized SUVs (those with nameplates in the marketplace for a decade or more) continue to account for the bulk of models sold, suggesting buyers are sticking with the “safe bet” and not the segment’s newer entrants.
Toyota leads the pack – by a significant margin – with its enduring RAV4, the now hybrid-only five-seater finding 25,405 new buyers since the start of the calendar year. The figure places the RAV4 at a lead of 10,962 units over the second-placed Mitsubishi Outlander (14,443 units).
Segment bronze is currently held by the Mazda CX-5, another perennial favourite among Australian buyers with YTD sales of 11,920 units. The CX-5 leads the Kia Sportage (10,474), Nissan X-Trail (9499), and Hyundai Tucson (9462) in fourth, fifth, and sixth place respectively.
The Subaru Forester takes seventh place on the ladder with 6850 deliveries – the Japanese model the last of the stalwart entrants ahead of the relative newcomer that is the GWM Haval H6 with 4724 units (albeit nipping at Subaru’s heels with 6515 units when including the H6 GT coupe-SUV variant).
From that point, the segment’s top 10 is rounded out by battery electric newcomer BYD Atto 3 (3726 units) and Honda’s CR-V (3576 units).
Interestingly, and in most instances relative to the overall year-on-year increase in segment sales (up 14.2 per cent), is the rate at which buyers are embracing medium SUVs when compared with the same time in 2023.
In order, VFACTS data shows RAV4 sales to the end of June 2024 have increased by 87.9 per cent, ahead of the Nissan X-Trail (up 76.5 per cent), Kia Sportage (up 59.1 per cent), Mitsubishi Outlander (up 27.3 per cent), GWM Haval H6 (up 5.7 per cent), and Mazda CX-5 (up 2.7 per cent).
All remaining top 10 entrants fell short of those numbers achieved to June 2023 with the BYD Atto 3 taking the biggest spill, down 39.9 per cent.
Honda’s CR-V fell 29.8 per cent ahead of the Subaru Forester (down 17.7 per cent) and Hyundai Tucson (down 12.0 per cent likely owing to runout of the pre-facelift model).
Medium SUV under $60K sales share (Jan-Jun 2024)*:
|
Make/Model |
Sales |
Share |
Variance |
|
Toyota RAV4 |
25,405 |
22.6% |
(+87.9%) |
|
Mitsubishi Outlander |
14,443 |
12.8% |
(+27.3%) |
|
Mazda CX-5 |
11,920 |
10.6% |
(+2.7%) |
|
Kia Sportage |
10,474 |
9.3% |
(+59.1%) |
|
Nissan X-Trail |
9499 |
8.4% |
(+76.5%) |
|
Hyundai Tucson |
9462 |
8.4% |
(-12.0%) |
|
Subaru Forester |
6850 |
6.1% |
(-17.7%) |
|
GWM Haval H6 |
4724 |
4.2% |
(+5.7%) |
|
BYD Atto 3 |
3726 |
3.3% |
(-39.9%) |
|
Honda CR-V |
3576 |
3.2% |
(-29.8%) |
*Data supplied courtesy of VFACTS.
