Car sales Down 2.1 % in September

Toyota was the top selling brand in the September market with 17,492 vehicles sold. Toyota also had the top two selling cars for the month—the Toyota Corolla with 3,443 and the Toyota Hilux with 3,341. The Mazda3 was the third top selling car (3,052 units), followed by the Holden Commodore (2,869 units) and the Hyundai i30 (2,675 units).

Holden was the second highest selling brand with 9,614 units sold, followed by Hyundai (8,803), Mazda (7,615), and Ford (7,505).

Total vehicle sales were down 2.1 per cent compared to September last year, with 92,662 vehicles sold. Government and business purchases, in particular, were low with sales down 15.5 and 10 per cent, respectively, compared to September 2012. Private sales last month were 6 per cent higher than in September 2012.

While sales in Tasmania increased by a significant 11.1 per cent compared to the same month last year, sales in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia all declined by an average of more than 6 per cent. South Australian sales were up 0.4 per cent and Victoria up 0.7 per cent.

Releasing the September 2013 VFACTS data, FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said he was confident sales would pick up for the last months of the year with the election period over and the reinstatement of the statutory formula method for salary-sacrificed and employer-provided cars.

“The announcement by the Coalition to return to pre-July FBT arrangements has been welcomed by the industry. We anticipate the market effect of this announcement will see positive growth throughout the rest of the year,” Mr Weber said. “Consumers can be confident that the recent FBT issue is now behind us.”

The September VFACTS data shows SUV popularity continues to grow, with sales rising 3.8 per cent compared to September 2012. With the continued increase, year to date (YTD) SUV sales are ahead a total of 8.9 per cent compared to the same YTD period last year. Significant growth is reflected in the sale of small SUVs (19.6 per cent YTD growth).

Passenger and light commercial vehicle sales are low compared to 2012, down 3.9 and 6 per cent (respectively) on September 2012 figures. However, YTD light commercial sales are up 5.2 per cent on 2012, while YTD passenger sales have fallen by 0.3 per cent.

In a market of more than 350 models, the Australian-made Holden Commodore, Toyota Camry and Holden Cruze were all in the top ten for sales in September 2013.

For further information contact:
Sheena Ireland, Communications Manager
P: 02 6229 8221
M: 0458 038 555
E: [email protected]