New vehicle sales grew 1.8 per cent in August over the same month last year, to 96,662 units. It’s the fourth consecutive month of record sales and the highest August outcome ever.
Growth in light commercial vehicle sales of 16.7 per cent, and SUVs by 4.7 per cent, offset a decline of 8.2 per cent in passenger cars. One-in-five new vehicles purchased last month was a van, bus or ute.
The overall market leader once again was the Toyota HiLux, the sixth month in succession it has been Australia’s top pick. The Ford Ranger and Toyota Corolla rounded out the podium.
Sales in every State and Territory – with the exception of Tasmania – grew in August, led by the ACT (up 9.4 per cent), WA (up 4.2 per cent) and Qld (up 3.5 per cent). Both NSW and Victoria were up slightly.
Top brands
Top of the charts was Toyota with 18,511 sales, though it was down 0.7 per cent. Next were Mazda (8511, down 8.1 per cent) and Hyundai (7800, up 19.3 per cent and arresting recent declines).
Then came Holden (6984, down 8.9 per cent), Mitsubishi (6649, up 8.4 per cent) and Ford (6645, down 43 per cent).
Beyond this were Volkswagen (4730, up 21.5 per cent), Subaru (4579, up 36.2 per cent) and Kia (4507, up 21.5 per cent). Good growth from that trio…
Rounding out the top 10 was Nissan, battling to 4095 (down 27.1 per cent). It held at bay Honda (3724, up 20.5 per cent) and Mercedes-Benz (3400, up 4 per cent).
See the table below for a list of the top 20 brands on sale.
Smaller-volume brands that showed good growth included: Alfa Romeo (up 134.1 per cent thanks to the Giulia), Haval (up 69.2 per cent), Isuzu Ute (up 29.4 per cent), LDV (up 26.4 per cent), Maserati (up 33.3 per cent), Mini (up 17.7 per cent), Peugeot (up 70.8 per cent, its first growth month in ages), Porsche (up 19.6 per cent), Renault (up 6.9 per cent), Skoda (up 59.5 per cent), and Suzuki (up 14.1 per cent).
Losers for the month included: Audi (down 28.3 per cent), BMW (down 13.6 per cent), Citroen (down 57.3 per cent), Fiat (down 32.7 per cent), Infiniti (down 42.2 per cent), Jaguar (down 36.4 per cent), Jeep (down 42.5 per cent), Lexus (down 11.2 per cent) and Volvo Car (down 44.1 per cent).
Top models
Surprise surprise: the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger topped the charts, on 4287 and 3588 respectively. The Toyota Corolla on 2948 was a distant third.
Completing the top-ten were the Hyundai Tucson on 2206, Mazda 3 on 2163, Hyundai i30 on 2143 (the new PD model is getting some momentum now), Toyota Camry on 2107, Holden Commodore sedan and Sportwagon on 2071, Mazda CX-5 on 2048 and the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series and 200 Series (do you think we should combine them, commenters?) on 2036.
There’s a list of the top 20 at the bottom of the story. There’s also a list of the key-segment winners next.
Key segments
| SEGMENT | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
| Micro car | Kia Picanto — 342 | Mitsubishi Mirage — 115 | Holden Spark — 78 |
| Light car | Hyundai Accent — 1810 | Suzuki Swift — 912 | Mazda 2 — 908 |
| Small car | Toyota Corolla — 2948 | Mazda 3 — 2163 | Hyundai i30 — 2143 |
| Medium car | Toyota Camry — 2107 | Mercedes C-Class — 663 | Ford Mondeo — 376 |
| Large car | Commodore — 2071 | Toyota Aurion — 295 | Benz E-Class — 130 |
| People-mover | Kia Carnival — 544 | Honda Odyssey — 171 | LDV G10 — 80 |
| Sports car | Ford Mustang — 748 | Benz C-Class — 240 | BMW 2 Series — 126 |
| Small SUV | Mitsubishi ASX — 1676 | Nissan Qashqai — 1454 | Mazda CX-3 — 1245 |
| Medium SUV | Hyundai Tucson — 2206 | Mazda CX-5 — 2048 | Toyota RAV4 — 1605 |
| Medium SUV lux | LR Disco Sport — 350 | Audi Q5 — 344 | Mercedes GLC — 338 |
| Large SUV | Toyota Prado — 1127 | Toyota Kluger — 1040 | Subaru Outback — 832 |
| Large SUV lux | BMW X5 — 408 | LR Discovery — 264 | Range Rover Sport — 205 |
| Vans | Toyota HiAce — 617 | Hyundai iLoad — 391 | Mercedes Sprinter — 273 |
| 4×2 utes | Toyota HiLux — 1097 | Ford Ranger — 521 | Holden Ute — 451 |
| 4×4 utes | Toyota HiLux — 3190 | Ford Ranger — 3067 | Mitsubishi Triton — 1653 |
Miscellaneous
- Annual new vehicle sales sit at 788,968 – up 0.6 per cent over last year’s record
- The market share of SUVs in August was 39.4 per cent, compared to passenger cars on 37 per cent and light commercials on 20.2 per cent
- The top-five segments by sales were: Small Cars (18.5 per cent share), Medium SUVs (16.4), 4×4 utes (13.7), Large SUVs (11.8) snd Small SUVs (9.5)
- The monthly sub totals by buyer type: private 45,439 (up 3.7 per cent), business 37,460 (down 3.3 per cent), rental 7213 (up 16.3 per cent) and government 3281 (down 1.5 per cent)
- Fuel type sales: petrol 61,399, diesel 34,234 and hybrid 916
- Top five source countries for vehicles: Japan 27,429, Thailand 24,191, Korea 14,494, Germany 7240 and Australia 5049
- By request: Isuzu MU-X 720, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 544, Ford Everest 447, Toyota Fortuner 299 and Holden Trailblazer 207
Quote from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries
FCAI CEO Tony Weber said the rise of SUVs and light commercials was providing the generator for the industry’s growth.
“More new models coming into the market in both these segments is creating strong consumer interest and helping to fuel the industry’s momentum.
“This August result provides confidence that should all the positive contributing factors within the economy remain in place, sales during the back half of the year will keep us on track for another record year.”
| Make | August 2017 sales | Change over August ‘16 |
| Toyota | 18,511 | Down 0.7 per cent |
| Mazda | 8511 | Down 8.1 per cent |
| Hyundai | 7800 | Up 19.3 per cent |
| Holden | 6984 | Down 8.9 per cent |
| Mitsubishi | 6649 | Up 8.4 per cent |
| Ford | 6645 | Down 3 per cent |
| Volkswagen | 4730 | Up 21.5 per cent |
| Subaru | 4579 | Up 36.2 per cent |
| Kia | 4507 | Up 21.5 per cent |
| Nissan | 4095 | Down 27.1 per cent |
| Honda | 3724 | Up 20.5 per cent |
| Mercedes-Benz | 3400 | Up 4 per cent |
| Isuzu Ute | 2131 | Up 29.4 per cent |
| BMW | 2005 | Down 13.6 per cent |
| Suzuki | 1844 | Up 14.1 per cent |
| Audi | 1438 | Down 28.3 per cent |
| Land Rover | 1057 | Down 1.8 per cent |
| Renault | 914 | Up 6.9 per cent |
| Lexus | 701 | Down 11.2 per cent |
| Jeep | 591 | Down 42.5 per cent |
| Make | Model | August sales |
| Toyota | HiLux | 4287 |
| Ford | Ranger | 3588 |
| Toyota | Corolla | 2948 |
| Hyundai | Tucson | 2206 |
| Mazda | 3 | 2163 |
| Hyundai | i30 | 2143 |
| Toyota | Camry | 2107 |
| Holden | Commodore | 2071 |
| Mazda | CX-5 | 2048 |
| Toyota | LandCruiser 70/200 | 2036 |
| Mitsubishi | Triton | 1970 |
| Hyundai | Accent | 1810 |
| Holden | Colorado | 1694 |
| Mitsubishi | ASX | 1676 |
| Toyota | RAV4 | 1605 |
| Mitsubishi | Outlander | 1558 |
| Volkswagen | Golf | 1535 |
| Nissan | Qashqai | 1454 |
| Kia | Cerato | 1425 |
| Isuzu Ute | D-Max | 1411 |
Any sales figures not mentioned here that you want to know? Ask away, in the comments.
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