New vehicle sales achieved the highest July result on record as Australian customers took delivery of 96,859 new vehicles.
It’s a 14.7% increase on the same month in 2022 and breaks the previous July record of 92,754 in 2017.
The July 2023 result is an indication the market continues to recover from supply shortages resulting from COVID plant shutdowns, microprocessor shortages and logistics and shipping bottlenecks, says Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber.
“During the past 12 months the issue has been one of securing supply for consumers, however as these pressures ease, we are starting to see a return to more stable market conditions,” he explains.
“Many of these vehicles were ordered several months ago, so it is important to monitor the broader economic conditions through 2023 and their impact on private and business demand.”
Weber says while sales in the passenger vehicle segment remained at an historically low level, many of these sales have transitioned into the SUV category.
“Passenger vehicles now represent 17.7% of the market in July while the SUV category now sits at 58.9%. However, contrary to widely held opinion, not all SUVs are large vehicles as 75% of SUV sales are in the medium, small and light categories.”
Sales of zero and low-emission vehicles continue to grow with 17.9% being battery electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid models. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 7% of July sales.
China continues to grow in importance as a country of origin with 15,853 new vehicles being from that country – a 130.1% increase on the same month last year.
Sales across every state and territory increased in July 2023 compared with July 2022. Sales in the Australian Capital Territory increased by 22.4% (1438), New South Wales 11.3% (29,516), Queensland 4.3%(19,719), South Australia 17% (6612), Tasmania 33.9% (1777), Victoria 22.7% (27,097), Western Australia 21.6% (9797) and Northern Territory 19.4% (903).
Toyota was the highest-selling marque with 19,191 sales. Mazda followed with 8307 then Ford (7109), Hyundai (6521) and Kia (6150).
The Ford Ranger was the top-selling vehicle with 5143 sales, then the Toyota Hi-Lux (4670), MG ZS (3852), Tesla Model Y (3330) and Toyota RAV4 (2750).
