New vehicle sales in Australia bounced back last month, growing 6.4 per cent to a new May record of 102,901 units.
The strong return to form in May improved the year-to-date (YTD) differential this year too. YTD sales are now only 0.9 per cent down on 2016 – which was a record year.
According to VFACTS numbers released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) today, SUVs and light commercial volumes both grew by 9.4 per cent over May 2016.
Top brands May 2017:
Market leader Toyota doubled its nearest rival Mazda with 19,876 May sales, up around 16 per cent.
Mazda’s record May tally was 9903, up 3 per cent, ahead of bronze winner Hyundai on 8312, down 8 per cent.
Next tier sat were Ford (7617, up 16 per cent), ahead of Holden (6917, down 7 per cent) and Mitsubishi (6521, up 6 per cent).
Rounding out the top ten were Nissan (5083, down 9 per cent), Volkswagen (5080, up 11 per cent), Kia (5005, up 41 per cent) and Subaru (4146, up 4 per cent).
Smaller-volume brands with above-average growth included Alfa Romeo (up 87 per cent thanks to Giulia), Foton Light (up 125 per cent as stocks clear), Honda (up 43 per cent, in 11th place), Isuzu Ute (up 26 per cent), LDV (up 25 per cent), Mini (up 16 per cent) and Renault (up 40 per cent).
Brands that fell away included Citroen (down 48 per cent), Fiat (down 14 per cent), Jeep (down 28 per cent), Land Rover (down 29 per cent), Peugeot (down 33 per cent) and Volvo Car (down 18 per cent).
Top models May 2017:
Once again the two most popular vehicles in-market were utes – the Toyota HiLux (4154) and Ford Ranger (4069), with the latter edging the former in lucrative 4×4 sales.
Next were the regular trio of small cars, the Toyota Corolla (3160), Hyundai i30 (2683) and Mazda 3 (2594).
The best of the rest for May were the Mazda CX-5 on 2298, Toyota Camry on 2233, Hyundai Tucson on 2135, Nissan X-Trail on 1992, Toyota RAV4 on 1977, Holden Colorado on 1924 and Holden Commodore on 1841.
Sales leaders by segment:
Micro — 494, down 30 per cent: Kia Picanto, Holden Spark and Mitsubishi Mirage
Light — 6890, up 2 per cent: Hyundai Accent, Mazda 2 and Toyota Yaris
Premium light — 409, down 11 per cent: Mini and Audi A1
Small — 17,220, down 4.1 per cent: Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda 3
Premium Small — 1346, down 7 per cent: Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and BMW 1 Series
Medium — 3634, up 8 per cent: Toyota Camry, Mazda 6 and Ford Mondeo
Premium Medium — 1783, down 11 per cent: Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz CLA and BMW 3 Series
Large — 2305, down 28 per cent: Holden Commodore, Toyota Aurion and Skoda Superb
Premium Large — 378, up 38 per cent: Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Maserati Ghibli
People Movers — 1223, up 5 per cent: Kia Carnival, Honda Odyssey and Volkswagen Multivan
Entry Sports — 2193, up 62 per cent: Ford Mustang, Mazda MX-5 and Toyota 86
Mid Range Sports — 623, down 1 per cent: Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 4 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Premium Sports — 137, down 15 per cent: Porsche 911, Ferrari, McLaren
Small SUV — 7737, down 6 per cent: Mitsubishi ASX, Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V
Premium Small SUV — 1118, up 21 per cent: Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Audi Q2
Medium SUV — 14,831, up 29 per cent: Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan X-Trail
Premium Medium SUV — 2299, down 5 per cent: Mercedes-Benz GLC, Lexus NX and BMW X3
Large SUV — 10,270, up 7 per cent: Toyota Prado, Subaru Outback and Toyota Kluger
Premium Large SUV — 1811, down 18 per cent: BMW X5, Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GLE
Upper Large SUV — 1386, up 22 per cent: Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol (just 73)
Premium Upper Large SUV — 177, down 20 per cent: Mercedes-Benz GLS, Range Rover and Lexus LX
Light Vans — 367, up 6 per cent: Volkswagen Caddy, Renault Kangoo and Suzuki APV
Medium Vans — 1997, up 9 per cent: Toyota HiAce, Hyundai iLoad and Renault Trafic
Light/medium buses — 384, up 10 per cent: Toyota HiAce, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Toyota Coaster
4×2 Utes — 3903, down 7 per cent: Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max
4×4 Utes — 14,560, up 15 per cent: Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Holden Colorado
Miscellaneous:
May 2017 had one more selling day than May 2016, which resulted in an increase of 93 vehicle sales per day.
Every State/Territory bar ACT grew, with WA up for the first time in ages. NSW, Victoria and Queensland made up about 80 per cent of the market.
The five largest vehicle segments by margin were small cars, medium SUVs, 4×4 utes, large SUVs and small SUVs
Ford outsold Holden for just the second time this millennium (the other occasion being April 2016).
Private vehicle sales grew 3.4 per cent (49,051), business sales were up 5 per cent (40,538), rentals flew up 48 per cent (5910) and government sales grew 10 per cent (4187).
The biggest sources of vehicles sold in May were Japan (29,907), Thailand (25,729), Korea (14,868), Germany (7964) and Australia (4965).
Source: FCAI
Top 10 brands May 2017
Make |
Sales |
Variance over May 2016 |
Toyota |
19,876 |
up 16 per cent |
Mazda |
9903 |
up 3 per cent |
Hyundai |
8312 |
down 8 per cent |
Ford |
7617 |
up 16 per cent |
Holden |
6917 |
down 7 per cent |
Mitsubishi |
6521 |
up 6 per cent |
Nissan |
5083 |
down 9 per cent |
Volkswagen |
5080 |
up 11 per cent |
Kia |
5005 |
up 41 per cent |
Subaru |
4146 |
up 4 per cent |
Make |
Model |
Sales |
Toyota |
Hilux |
4154 |
Ford |
Ranger |
4069 |
Toyota |
Corolla |
3160 |
Hyundai |
i30 |
2683 |
Mazda |
3 |
2594 |
Mazda |
CX-5 |
2298 |
Toyota |
Camry |
2233 |
Hyundai |
Tucson |
2135 |
Nissan |
X-Trail |
1992 |
Toyota |
RAV4 |
1977 |
Holden |
Colorado |
1924 |
Holden |
Commodore |
1841 |
Any sales figures not mentioned here that you want to know? Ask away, in the comments.
MORE: VFACTS car sales news stories