Customer demand for new vehicles is continuing to recover strongly the April 2021 sales result being the highest-selling April on record and the sixth consecutive month of growth, which is positive news for car companies in Australia. New vehicle sales were 92,347 in April 2021 compared with the significantly lower result of 38,926 in the corresponding month in 2020.
Year to date, sales are up 30.7 per cent compared with 2020 with 355,995 sales this year compared with 272,287 in 2020 with growth recorded in all segments. The Passenger Vehicle Market is up by 8,906 vehicle sales (97.2%) over the same month last year; the Sports Utility Market is up by 31,154 vehicle sales (172.9%); the Light Commercial Market is up by 12,278 vehicle sales (130.1%).
Chief Executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Tony Weber, said that confidence in the new vehicle market was high and could be expected to continue to grow through the remainder of the year.
“New vehicles sales are a direct reflection of the performance of the broader economy in terms of consumer and business confidence,” Mr Weber said. “This time last year we were seeing significant impacts from COVID-19 with less customer activity and inquiries to dealerships.”
Mr Weber added that supply chain constraints such as a shortage of semiconductors and shipping issues related to delays through the Suez Canal were impacting the delivery of new vehicles to Australian customers.
“Every vehicle company is focused on solving the issues caused by these impacts and they are working with customers to keep them fully informed regarding supply issues and delivery dates. It is possible there is pent up market demand which may be reflected in sales figures in the second half of 2021 as solutions are found to these issues,” Mr Weber said.
Toyota was the market leader (20,208) followed by Mazda (10,052), Mitsubishi (7,513), Ford (7,146) and Hyundai (5,772) and every manufacturer in the top 10, apart from Volkswagen, achieved increased sales in April. Ford Ranger was the top selling individual model (5,021) followed by the Toyota RAV4 (4506), Toyota Hi-Lux (4222), Toyota Landcruiser (3,177) and Mitsubishi Triton (2,458).
Looking at the big three German brands it is Audi who have had the greatest growth for the year to date at 39.4% (5,683 units), followed by Mercedes-Benz 26.2% (10,285 units) and then BMW with 14.6% (8,323 units). Porsche has seen an increase in sales of 24.7% (1,721 units) with 273 of those being the new Porsche Taycan and 1,214 being SUVs. Volvo has seen significant growth in sales for 2021 with an 83.7% increase over 2020 figures, but just 44 of these 3,411 vehicles were S60/V60s.
Of the luxury car marques Ferrari is the only one to see negative growth for 2021, being down 18.8%. McLaren are up 55.6% and Lamborghini is also doing well with 40.0% growth compared to 2020, with more than half of their sales coming from the Urus SUV (30 units). Aston Martin are also benefitting from the introduction of their SUV, the DBX, with 20 out of their 52 sales for 2021 being this new model. That Aston Martin sales figure represents 85.7% growth year to date for Aston Martin.
For the year to date in Australia 1,255 electric vehicles were sold (excludes Tesla who do not report their figures) being 0.36% of new car sales of passenger, light commercial and SUVs. Hybrids continue to perform well with 23,711 vehicles sold (6.9% of the market) and PHEVs just selling 877 units (0.25%). Hydrogen vehicles are now recorded as well with 26 of these being registered in Australia in 2021.
With the boom in second-hand car sales due to COVID-19, the NSW Department of Fair Trading is warning consumers to remain vigilant when purchasing a vehicle. It is important to:
- Make sure the dealer is licenced under the Motor Dealer & Repairers Act 2013. This can be easily done for free at Public Register – Service NSW
- Ask for registration paperwork and proof of ownership. Compare the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), Engine number and registration number to that on the actual car
- Do your own PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) Check which can be done for $2.00 online at www.ppsr.gov.au or call 1300 007 777 – you will need the VIN, registration number, engine number or serial number. The PPSR checks for:
– Outstanding finance owing
– Water damage
– Written off
– Odometer tampering
– Stolen vehicle
- Do an RMS (Roads and Maritime Services) Vehicle check for:
– Registration expiry
– Registration status
– CTP Policy and expiry
This can be done free at Check a vehicle registration | Service NSW or via the Service NSW app.
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.