The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the peak body for the automotive industry in Australia, today released new vehicle sales figures for calendar year 2020. A total of 916,968 vehicles were sold across the period, down 13.7 per cent on calendar year 2019 when 1,062,867 vehicles were sold.
However, the new vehicle market in Australia is now showing positive signs of growth. December 2020 recorded 95,652 sales, a 13.5 per cent increase over the same period in December 2019 when 84,239 were sold. This result follows a similar upturn in November 2020, when sales of 95,205 vehicles, a 12.4 per cent gain over November 2019, were recorded.
“COVID-19 has brought a health crisis and a corresponding economic crisis to the world during 2020. And along with the rest of Australia, automotive brands and their dealer networks have found the last twelve months an extremely challenging period,” said FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber.
“The automotive industry in Australia accounts for more than 60,000 employees, with over 4,000 dealerships across the country. The contribution made by these businesses is critically important to the economic wellbeing of communities across Australia. It is therefore with great relief that the industry, along with the general economy, is finally noting some positive signs within the market,” added Mr Weber.
During the year, Australia’s love of the SUV and the great Aussie ute continued, with yet another increase in share for these two popular segments. SUVs claimed 49.6 per cent of the market during 2020, an increase from 45.5 per cent market share in 2019. The highest selling brand for the year was Toyota with an impressive 22.3 per cent of the total market share, followed by Mazda, Hyundai, Ford, and Mitsubishi.
Light Commercial Vehicles continued to enjoy strong popularity in 2020, claiming 22.4 per cent of the market share. RAM Truck Australia was one company who saw positive growth in a year of negatives.
“RAM Trucks Australia – the only officially authorised manufacturer of right-hand drive RAM trucks in the world – is pleased with another strong year of growth in 2020, up +15.8% in a market down -13.7%,” said a RAM Trucks Spokesperson.
“The growing range of RAM Trucks has struck a chord with Australians who need towing prowess, luxury and space. We look forward to continuing our journey in 2021 with new product arrivals and an ongoing commitment to delivering vehicles to our customers that are truly fit for purpose,” added the RAM Trucks Spokesperson.
It’s interesting to note that out of the top ten vehicles for the year, seven of them were either SUVs or Light Commercial Vehicles. The top selling vehicle for the year was the Toyota HiLux with 45,176 sales, Ford Ranger with 40,973 sales, Toyota RAV4 with 38,537 sales, Toyota Corolla with 25,882 sales, Toyota Landcruiser with 25,142 sales, Mazda CX-5 with 21,979 sales, Hyundai i30 with 20,734 sales, Mitsubishi Triton with 18,136 sales, Toyota Prado with 18,034 sales and Kia Cerato with 17,559 sales.
At the less expensive end of the market MG Motor Australia was pleased with their year-to-date sales increase of 83.2 per cent. With the strong results attributed to three product launches – the MG HS, the MG ZST and the launch of Australia’s most accessible electric vehicle, the fully-electric MG ZS EV. Further enhancements to the MG ZS and MG HS model lines has grown MG Motor’s brand presence to 14 model variants available via dealerships.
Of the luxury car brands Ferrari once again had the best result in 2020, seeing a reduction in sales of 20.2 per cent compared to a 23.6 per cent decline for Rolls-Royce, 24.5 per cent decline for Lamborghini and a 28.4 per cent decline for McLaren.
When asked about this result a Ferrari Australasian Spokesperson responded, “Ferrari does not comment on sales figures other than those that have already been declared by our CEO during the quarterly financial reports. Our focus has always been on ensuring the exclusivity of the brand and Ferrari Australasia strives for consistency, quality and a tailored experience in what we do which is what keeps our customers loyal and also brings new customers to the brand.”
In the luxury vehicle segment SUV sales are important as well with 43 per cent of Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce sales in 2020 attributed to the Urus and the Cullinan respectively. For Porsche their importance is even starker with 83.5 per cent of sales in 2020 in Australia coming from SUVs.
Looking at Electric, Hybrid and PHEV sales in the Passenger, SUV and Light Commercial sectors shows increased sales for these fuel types. Hybrid powered vehicles made up 6.8 per cent of new car sales (when Heavy Commercial is excluded) up from 3.0 per cent in 2019, seeing an impressive 93 per cent increase in sales over the 2019 figures. Electric and PHEV vehicles made up 0.2 per cent of total sales in 2020 up from 0.15 and 0.14 per cent respectively.
Although 2021 has started with positive economic indicators thanks to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations around the world, the latest infection clusters in Sydney and Melbourne show that we are still in a fluid state and new car sales will most likely continue to reflect this.
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.