Australians bought 82,285 vehicles in January 2014, 3.7 per cent less than in January 2013.
The Mazda3 was the top selling car, with 4,561 vehicles sold. This was a significant 36 per cent increase on January 2013 sales. The Mazda3 was followed by the Toyota Corolla (Australia’s top selling car in 2013) with 2,914 sales. The Toyota Hilux was the third best seller with 2,544 sales. The Hyundai i30 was fourth with 2,486 and the Holden Commodore was fifth with 2,364.
Among the top ten, the Volkswagen Golf recorded a 71 per cent increase in sales compared to January 2013, reaching 1,590 (ninth position). The Holden Commodore also recorded a 43 per cent increase.
Releasing the VFACTS figures for January 2014, FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory saw 3.4 and 2.4 per cent growth, respectively, when compared to January 2013 sales. All other states and the Northern Territory recorded a decline. Sales in Western Australia and South Australia were down significantly—both over 14 per cent.
“Amid declining sales across the majority of segments, small SUV’s continued to be a popular choice. Sales in this segment reached 6,146 in January 2014, which is a 17.6 per cent increase on January 2013 small SUV sales,” Mr Weber said.
Following a continuous decline in government purchases in 2013, sales to government rose a total of 8.9 per cent in January 2014. This growth was largely in the passenger motor vehicle segment, which was up 26.2 per cent compared to January 2013. Government purchases in the light commercial category rose 2.2 per cent and purchases of SUVs decreased by 8.4 per cent.
Business sales were down by a total of 7.8 percent. The most significant decline was in the light commercial category, where sales were down 26.1 per cent. Purchases of SUVs were also down (11.5 per cent). However, business purchases in the passenger motor vehicle category rose 8 per cent.
Total private sales figures remained consistent with January 2013 figures. The growth in private purchases of light commercials continued, with sales up 10.8 per cent compared to January 2013. Sales of SUVs to private buyers also increased, with sales 3.9 per cent higher than in January 2013. Private purchases of passenger motor vehicles declined by 4.1 per cent.
Toyota was the top selling brand in January 2014, with 13,646 sales. Toyota was followed by Mazda (9,411), Holden (8,871), Hyundai (7,152) and Ford (6,804).
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