Strong motor vehicle sales results in the final months of 2011 have put the industry firmly on track to reach one million sales this year, according to Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Ian Chalmers.
Official VFACTS data shows 85,196 new vehicles were sold in the month of October, with demand increasing 5.3 per cent (4271 vehicles) over the same month in 2010.
“Manufacturers are reporting a steady increase in demand, placing the industry in a strong position to reach our target of one million sales for the calendar year,” Mr Chalmers said.
“So far this year 837,324 new vehicles have been sold. While this is 2.8 per cent fewer than for the same period in 2010, last month’s figures are the best October sales result since 2007 and suggest a return to pre-GFC sales volumes.”
Demand for cars, SUVs, light commercials and heavy vehicles all increased in October compared with 2010.
October saw passenger car sales grow 5 per cent, SUV sales 5.4 per cent, light commercials 5.7 per cent and heavy vehicles 6.4 per cent (compared with October 2010).
Sales of locally manufactured models also continued to grow, with 13,450 deliveries representing a 20.1 per cent increase over October 2010.
Mr Chalmers said relatively stable fuel prices in October, combined with a perceived return of business confidence, were likely contributors to the strong sales.
Toyota’s Corolla was the single best selling model in September with 3593 sales, followed by Toyota HiLux (3480), Volkswagen Golf (3337), Mazda3 (3185) and Holden Commodore (3018).
Toyota was the best-selling marque in October with 17,239 sales, followed by Holden (10,209) and Hyundai (7507).
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