VFACTS: Big cars rule in October

FIGURES published by the FCAI show Australia’s preference for larger SUVs and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) is at an all-time high with national registration numbers during the month of October indicating that these segments comprise 80.1 per cent of all new vehicles sold.

Australians purchased 87,299 new vehicles over October’s 25.2 selling days, an increase of 12,649 units or 16.9 per cent against the same month last year – up by 501.9 vehicles per day.

The passenger car market was again down in October (by 2631 units or -16.5 per cent against October 2021) with SUVs up by 13,120 units (+37.1 per cent) and LCVs up 2103 units (+10.9 per cent). Heavy commercial vehicle registrations grew by 57 units (+1.4 per cent) against the same month last year.

Overall, the FCAI says October’s figures represent a 16.9 per cent increase in new-vehicle sales against the same month last year, with year-to-date (YTD) sales of 898,429 units seeing Australia on its way toward another million new-vehicle sales by the end of 2022.

The breakdown of the most recent YTD figures show Australians have purchased 171,398 passenger vehicles so far in 2022, 473,142 SUVs, 215,413 LCVs, and 38,476 heavy commercial vehicles.

Striding ahead of other manufacturers again in October is Toyota in the number-one spot, holding a dominating 21.7 per cent share of the Australian new-car market with YTD sales of 197,669 units.

Toyota’s year-to-date result is way ahead of second-placed Mazda (79,669 units or 8.9 per cent) and third-placed Kia (66,580 units or 7.4 per cent).

Indeed, Toyota held three places in the top 10 most popular models sold across October with its HiLux LCV ranking second (4884 units), RAV4 SUV in third place (3222 units) and LandCruiser SUV (1767 units).

Top spot, however, was won by the new-generation Ford Ranger, which amassed 5628 deliveries for the month.

Electrified vehicles represented 10.8 per cent of all sales for the month of October and 10.6 per cent YTD, showing a growing trend among Australian consumers toward vehicles with at least some form of electric assistance (hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles are included in the statistic).

On a state-by-state basis, all regions showed positive growth across the month of October with new-vehicle sales closely mimicking those states and territories with higher population numbers.

New South Wales residents purchased 26,869 new vehicles across October (up 10.2 per cent), Victorians 23,283 (up 24.5 per cent), Queenslanders 18,850 (up 16.7 per cent), Western Australians 9050 (up 22.5 per cent), South Australians 5564 (up 12.4 per cent), Tasmanians 1652 (up 25.1 per cent), Australian Capital Territorians 1305 (up 17.3 per cent), and Northern Territorians 726 (up 13.1 per cent).

According to FCAI chief executive Tony Weber, the last new car sales figures are indicative that new car importers are working to overcome ongoing logistical challenges.

“Globally, car manufacturers have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This October figure is a positive sign that supply chains are recovering and consistency is returning to the marketplace, but we still have some way to go before it returns to normal,” he said.

“It is important to note the continuing, strong preference for SUV and light commercial vehicles in Australia. Consumer preference for these vehicles needs to be considered when charting any policy designed to increase the uptake of zero emission vehicles.

“This is particularly critical given the low availability and high price points of zero and low emission models in these segments. We look forward to working with governments to provide practical guidance on how emissions from light vehicles can be reduced within this context.”

Top 10 vehicle sales by make (October 2022):

Top 10 vehicle sales by model (October 2022):

State by state (October 2022):