The demand for new vehicles for business and private use remains strong with a 2021 record number of 100,809 new vehicle sales being recorded in May.
The result this month surpasses the March result of 100,005 and has the industry on track to return to sales of more than one million new vehicles for the year. It shows an increase of 68.3 per cent on the corresponding month last year which was significantly impacted through COVID-19 lockdowns across the country. However, the 2021 result is an 8.9% increase on the May 2019 result of 92,561 vehicles.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive Tony Weber said the result once again showed that confidence in the national economy and pent-up demand across all sectors were strong enough to counter issues related to COVID-19 uncertainties and supply chain issues.
“While we cannot be certain about the future economic impacts of the COVID-19 situation, businesses and households are showing their confidence by purchasing new vehicles.
“I expect this situation will continue to improve in the second half of this calendar year as confidence continues to grow, coupled with incentives such as the extension of the depreciation allowance for business which was announced in the Federal Budget during the month.
Mr Weber added that the Rental segment continued to grow with the year to date result up 69.4 per cent while Private sales were up 50.3 per cent year to date.
“The result also highlights the outstanding efforts by all parties in the supply chain in continuing to meet the demands of their of their customers in the face of ongoing challenges such as the shortage of microprocessors and shipping delays,” Mr Weber said.
Toyota was the market leader in May recording sales of 21,156. It was followed by Mazda (10,554), Kia (7,124), Ford (6,493) and Mitsubishi (6,478). The Toyota Hi-Lux was the highest selling vehicle (4,402) followed by the Ford Ranger (4,254), Toyota RAV4 (4,014), Toyota Landcruiser (3,399) and the Isuzu Ute D-Max 3,058).
VFACTS MAY 2021
Summary by Class
Key Points:
- The May 2021 market of 100,809 new vehicle sales is an increase of 40,915 vehicle sales or 68.3% on May 2020 (59,894) vehicle sales. May 2021 and May 2020 both had 25.8 selling days which resulted in an increase of 1,585.9 vehicle sales per day.
- The Passenger Vehicle Market is up by 6,379 vehicle sales (46.1%) over the same month last year; the Sports Utility Market is up by 24,956 vehicle sales (87.1%); the Light Commercial Market is up by 8,386 vehicle sales (56.7%); and the Heavy Commercial Vehicle Market is up by 1,194 vehicle sales (45.7%) versus May 2020.
- Toyota was market leader in May, followed by Mazda and Kia. Toyota led Mazda with a margin of 10,602 vehicle sales and 10.5 market share points.