New car sales have reached a record high for 2015 thanks to the rise in SUV sales which topped 408,471 sales or 35% of the total new car sales market.
In total, Australians bought 1,155,408 new passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles in 2015.
Vehicle sales in December 2015 totalled 99,616, up almost 3% on December 2014 sales.
The top five selling cars for 2015 are the Toyota Corolla with 42,073 sales, followed by the Mazda 3 on 38,644, the Toyota Hilux came in third place with 35,161, the Hyundai i30 sold 32,306 and rounding out the top to[ most sold cars was the Ford Ranger with 29,185 sales.
The record 1,155,408 cars sold is 1.7% higher than the previous record year, 2013, in which Australians bought 1,136,227 new vehicles. It is also 3.8% higher than 2014 sales. It is the fourth year in a row where sales have topped 1.1 million.
Releasing the 2015 full-year sales results, FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the addition of new models with significant performance and comfort attributes, combined with the existing vehicle mix, continued to make Australia one of the most competitive new car markets in the world.
“The high level of choice in the Australian new car market is delivering Australian consumers’ access to high-quality vehicles at record affordability levels,” Weber said.
“In addition, the competitiveness of the market has seen new car buyers access an extensive range of finance options and genuine service offers that maintain the value and integrity of the vehicle.
“It is clear that there has never been a better time to buy a new car.”
Weber also noted the Commsec Affordability Index results from October 2015 which showed that car affordability is at record lows. It now takes an average wage earner in Australia 24 weeks to buy a new Ford Falcon, compared to two years ago where it would’ve taken the same worker 26.2 weeks of wages. Five years ago it would’ve taken the same worker 31.7 weeks.
Weber said SUV sales, in particular, continued to boom in 2015, with the vehicle type now accounting for around 35.4% of the market, up from 31.7% in 2014.
Small SUV sales in particular rose 27.4% compared to 2014 sales. The popularity of the small SUV segment saw brands introducing five new small SUV models in the market in 2015.
“Despite the significant rise in SUV sales over the past few years, passenger cars still hold some popularity,” Weber says. “The segment is still the largest selling segment, holding 44.6% of the total market in 2015.”
Light commercial vehicles held 17.2% of the market in 2015, roughly the same as in 2014 (17.8). Three LCV’s, the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton made the top 10 sellers list for 2015.
The Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria all saw growth in 2015, with sales up 4.4, 6.9, 5.4,12 and 4.2%, respectively, compared to 2014. Sales fell in the Northern Territory (-4.3%), South Australia (-0.8%) and Western Australia (-7.9%).
Private sales increased by 3.7% compared to 2014, and business sales increased by 4.9%. Government purchases declined 1.4%.
Toyota was the top selling brand with 17.8% of the market. Toyota was followed by Mazda with 9.9%, Holden with 8.9%, Hyundai with 8.8% and Mitsubishi with 6.2%.
Australia’s best-selling car in 2015 was the Toyota Corolla with 42,073 sales. The Corolla was followed by the Mazda3 (38,644), the Toyota Hilux (35,161), the Hyundai i30 (32,306) and the Ford Ranger (29,185).
