Hybrid vehicle sales grew very strongly in the September quarter, taking market share from both internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), according to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA).
The AAA EV Index online data dashboard collates sales of new light vehicles and shows that in the September quarter 10.31% of new light vehicles sold in Australia were hybrids – up from 6.26% in the March quarter and 7.49% in the June quarter.
ICE market share continued to decline while BEV sales market share fell from Q2 to Q3 but remained higher than it was in the March quarter.
In the first quarter of this year, BEVs outsold hybrids in five out of eight states and territories, says the AAA.
In the second quarter BEVs led in six jurisdictions but in the third quarter hybrids outsold BEVs everywhere except the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) remain low, the AAA adds.
While overall BEV sales fell in Q3, sales in three categories grew from small bases, it explains.
“Small car BEV sales almost tripled – 1882 were sold in Q3, up from 473 in Q2 (a 297.89% increase).
“Large SUV BEV sales rose – 889 sold in Q3, up from 679 the previous quarter (a 30.93% increase).
“Van BEV sales also rose – 39 sold in Q3, up from 25 in Q2 (a 56% increase).”
The AAA says 12 BEV people movers were sold in Q3, unchanged from the previous quarter, while sales fell in all other BEV categories.
Q3 hybrid sales rose in all jurisdictions and in all but one vehicle class with large car hybrid sales falling from seven in Q2 to three in Q3, it adds.
“Growth rates were very high in the small car and small SUV categories (up 88.35% and 50.95% respectively).
“Medium car hybrid sales also grew strongly – up 41.98%.
“But medium SUVs are still the best-selling hybrid category – accounting for 37.34% of hybrid sales in Q3 (or 11,731 of 31,418 hybrids sold). Sales in this category rose by 30.21% in Q3.
The Tesla Model Y medium SUV is Australia’s best-selling BEV, the 2023 Model Y rear-wheel drive auto priced at $65,400 ($68,900 in Q1 2023).
The Nissan Leaf is a high-selling small car BEV with the listed price $50,990 for the 2023 Nissan Leaf ZE1 Auto MY23, the AAA adds.
The Toyota RAV4 medium SUV is the best-selling hybrid priced at $42,260 for the 2023 model.
The EV Index brings together information from multiple national, state and territory sources, including information provided by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and is intended to enable consumers, businesses, and fleet managers to see the trends transforming the national vehicle market, says the AAA.
