VFACTS: April, YTD sales set new highs

AUSTRALIAN new car sales momentum continues to gather pace with April figures setting a record – and giving the industry its highest-ever year-to-date (YTD) new vehicle sales result.

The latest figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show a total of 97,202 vehicles sold in April, fuelling cumulative YTD sales of 401,654 units. The numbers represent a substantial increase of more than 50,515 vehicles compared with the same point in 2023.

The FCAI says that the demand for new vehicles has again been buoyed by a strong market appetite for SUVs and light commercial vehicles, consistent with trends observed across the first quarter of 2024.

Notably, the SUV category continues to dominate Australian new vehicle sales, representing 55.7 per cent of total market share in April.

Light commercial vehicle sales remained steady, claiming 22.0 per cent of sales, while passenger car sales accounted for 17.8 per cent of sales for the month of April.

Toyota continues to dominate the Australian new car landscape with April sales of 20,711 units, well ahead of Ford (8648), Mazda (7301), Kia (6653), and Mitsubishi (5314).

The Toyota RAV4 was Australia’s top selling vehicle with sales of 5857 units in April, knocking the Ford Ranger from its place on top of the podium (5569), and beating Toyota’s own HiLux (4693), the Ford Everest (2400), and Isuzu D-Max (2380).

Further, the FCAI’s figures show a notable increase in the number of hybrid- and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles sold, the new energy options capturing 18.3 per cent of the market in April, compared with just 7.5 per cent the year prior.

Battery electric vehicle sales, however, did not fare as well, falling 7.9 per cent from April 2023 to take a 6.4 per cent slice of the action.

Expectedly for such high overall sales, FCAI data indicates that sales across every Australian state and territory were up when compared with April 2023.

Sales in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) were up by 14.5 per cent to 1444, New South Wales (NSW) by 16.9 per cent (to 29,263), the Northern Territory by 12.9 per cent (to 859), Queensland (QLD) by 14.8 per cent (to 20,872), South Australia (SA) by 33.5 per cent (to 6789), Tasmania (TAS) by 31.9 per cent (to 1677), Victoria (VIC) by 19.2 per cent (to 26,492), and Western Australia (WA) by 18.1 per cent (9806).

“April’s result highlights strong consumer confidence in purchasing new vehicles, surpassing our expectations and is a testament to consumer choice and the industry's resilience in a challenging economic landscape,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.

Top 10 vehicle sales by make (April 2024):

Top 10 vehicle sales by model (April 2024):

State by state (April 2024):

*All data supplied courtesy of the FCAI.