VFACTS: March sales sink

MARCH new car sales have dipped 3.9 per cent on the same period in 2022 with 97,251 vehicles delivered over 26.5 selling days – the same number of selling days as in March 2022.

The decrease, which VFACTS places at 150.3 vehicles per selling day, tallies 3982 vehicles fewer than for the same month last year, the passenger car market dropping sharply by 4817 units (-21.9 per cent) and the light commercial vehicle market by 2182 units (-9.0 per cent).

But it is not all bad news. SUV sales are up by 2633 units (+5.2 per cent) and heavy commercial vehicle sales up by 384 units (+9.3 per cent) versus March 2022. Year-to-date sales are up overall, gaining 2.5 per cent over the same time last year.

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

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

Toyota was again the market leader in March followed by Mazda and Ford. Toyota led Mazda with a margin of 4980 vehicles and 5.1 market share points.

Toyota sold a total of 13,223 vehicles in March, Mazda 8243 vehicles, Ford 6485, Kia 6403 and Mitsubishi 5863.

Toyota’s HiLux regained its position as Australia’s most popular ‘car’, with a total of 4583 units told. Second place went the Ford Ranger, with 4508 units sold, and third place to the Isuzu D-Max with 2789 unit sales. Fourth place went to the medium-sized Mitsubishi Outlander SUV (2169 units) and fifth place to the Tesla Model Y (1938 units).

The numbers mean the top-three vehicles sold in Australia in March were all light commercial utilities, reinforcing the strength of the popular segment.

FCAI data shows trends toward vehicles sourced from China continued to intensify in March with the number of cars imported increasing by 70.7 per cent over the same time last year. For March 2023, 15,124 new vehicles were sourced from China, ahead of the 12,771 units sourced from South Korea but behind the 21,729 units procured from Thailand.

Japan remains Australia’s largest source of new vehicles in March at 25,538 units.

On a regional basis, FCAI data shows sales in the ACT increased by 1.0 per cent with 1576 vehicles sold, Queensland by 4.9 per cent (22,244 units), South Australia 2.6 per cent (6543 units), and Western Australia by 1.1 per cent (10,129 units).

Conversely, sales in New South Wales decreased by 6.1 per cent (30,256 units), as did sales in the Northern Territory (-15.6 per cent to 776 units), Tasmania (-8.4 per cent to 1620 units) and Victoria (-11.2 per cent to 24,107 units).

Of the vehicles sold nationally, FCAI data shows battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales grew strongly in March, up 19.5 per cent over the same time last year. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales grew an impressive 33.3 per cent.

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

“The top three best sellers for March 2023 were utes. It is notable that there are no passenger sedans in the ten 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 emissions 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.”

Top 10 vehicle sales by make (March 2023):

Top 10 vehicle sales by model (March 2023):

State by state (March 2023):

*All sales data supplied courtesy of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.