Sales of new motor vehicles have been hampered by unprecedented delays at Australian ports, with the first month in decline after three in a row of growth – and market leader Toyota is unusually down 40 per cent.
Sales of new motor vehicles took a dip in March 2023 – after three consecutive months of growth – amid unprecedented delays as cars are processed and cleaned for seeds, pests and other biosecurity risks.
Data published today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) industry body lists 97,251 new vehicles as sold, a decrease of 2.7 per cent on the same month last year when 99,913 vehicles were reported as sold (including 3097 vehicles for Tesla).
Last month’s sales result is down 6.7 per cent on the five-year March average before the pandemic of 104,281, and down 9.1 per cent on the all-time March record, set in 2018 with 106,988 vehicles.
And for the first time in recorded Australian motoring history, no traditional passenger cars finished in the Top 10 – as the list was dominated by three utes and seven SUVs.
In every previous month on record, at least one passenger car has finished in the Top 10.
Throttling demand for new cars are economic pressures – including rising inflation and interest rates – and unprecedented quarantine delays hitting the brakes on deliveries.
Market leader Toyota has been among the brands hardest hit by the port delays, as last month its sales were down 39 per cent on March 2022 – and down 23 per cent on March 2019, prior to the pandemic.
The Japanese car giant usually accounts for one in five, or often one in four new vehicles sold – but last month it represented less than one in seven new motor vehicles reported as sold.
Many vehicles reported as sold last month were ordered last year – or earlier – as supply continues to be unable to meet demand for a number of brands, amid parts shortages.
As reported first by Drive in early February, the quarantine bottlenecks have seen dozens of car-carrying ships stuck off Australia’s coastline waiting to offload as vehicles already on local soil are treated for seeds, pests and other biosecurity hazards.
Whereas it usually takes 24 hours working around the clock to unload a ship of 3000 vehicles, stevedores have said cleaning stations can each only process six to nine vehicles per hour, or 150 to 220 vehicles in 24 hours.
As reported by Drive yesterday, data published by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald shows China was the leading source of vehicles last year that required decontamination, at close to 11,000 cars – ahead of Thailand (4200), where most utes sold in Australia are built.
Toyota is followed on the brands leaderboard by Mazda (8243) and Ford (6485) – the latter’s eighth Top Three finish in a decade – while Kia held its lead over South Korean sibling Hyundai, with 6403 sales to 5369.
One Chinese car brand occupied a spot in the Top 10, MG, with 4007 sales landing it an eighth-placed finish.
The Toyota HiLux ute (4583 sales, down 28 per cent) reclaimed the top spot on the sales charts, pipping the Ford Ranger (4508 sales, up 52 per cent) – the leader for the previous three months in a row – by just 75 vehicles.
In what is believed to be a first – or close to it – third place was taken by the Isuzu D-Max ute with 2789 sales, in a strong month for Isuzu that earned it a seventh-place finish – and both models in the Top 10, with the MU-X four-wheel-drive taking 10th position.
Four of the Top 10 best-sellers are SUVs – and for the first time in recorded Australian motoring history, no conventional passenger cars (hatchbacks, sedans or wagons) finished in the Top 10.
Through much of 2022 only one or two passenger cars have slipped into the Top 10 – either the MG 3 city hatchback, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30 small hatchbacks, or the Tesla Model 3 electric sedan.
But sales declines – compared to the same month last year – of 38 per cent for the Hyundai i30, 48 per cent for the Toyota Corolla, 6.6 per cent for the MG 3 city hatch, and 47 per cent for the Tesla Model 3.
The Tesla Model 3 dropped out of the Top 10, as its Model Y SUV sibling took fifth place with 1938 sales (referring to deliveries, not orders taken).
Tesla began reporting its sales data to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries in March 2022 – which means last month’s sales data represents the first time Tesla vehicle deliveries can be compared to the same month the year prior.
It is worth noting the VFACTS data for the first month of Tesla sales reporting last year included all 4417 vehicles delivered between January and March 2022, not just the 3097 delivered in March 2022.
We have adjusted our percentages and year-on-year comparisons to be based on the correct figure for March 2022, not the January to March 2022 data reported.
Since the start of this year, Tesla has reported 10,407 vehicles as sold, across 7238 Model 3 sedans and 3169 Model Y SUVs (above) – up 136 per cent on the 4417 reported over the same period in 2022 (when the Model 3 was its only vehicle).
With other brands included, 6612 electric vehicles were reported as sold in March 2023, up 57 per cent on March 2022.
Data below supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), and compiled by Ben Zachariah and Alex Misoyannis.
Note: The FCAI has reshuffled some of its categories for the new year, increasing the price limits, adding a new category (utes above $100,000), and moving some vehicles to different categories as their prices have risen (such as the Volkswagen Golf and Subaru WRX, which were previously in the small car under $40,000 category).
Note: The first month of VFACTS data for Tesla last year (March 2022) included all 4417 vehicles delivered between January and March 2022, not just the 3097 delivered in March 2022. We have adjusted our percentages and year-on-year comparisons to be based on the correct figure for March 2022, not the January to March 2022 data reported.
TOP 10 CARS IN March 2023
| Rank | Model | Volume March 2023 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota HiLux | 4583 | down 28 per cent |
| 2 | Ford Ranger | 4508 | up 52 per cent |
| 3 | Isuzu D-Max | 2789 | up 14 per cent |
| 4 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 2169 | up 34 per cent |
| 5 | Tesla Model Y | 1938 | N/A |
| 6 | Mazda CX-5 | 1917 | down 49 per cent |
| 7 | Subaru Forester | 1881 | up 162 per cent |
| 8 | MG ZS | 1844 | up 5.0 per cent |
| 9 | Toyota RAV4 | 1778 | up 61 per cent |
| 10 | Isuzu MU-X | 1745 | up 103 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN March 2023
| Rank | Brand | Volume March 2023 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota | 13,223 | down 39.4 per cent |
| 2 | Mazda | 8243 | down 26.7 per cent |
| 3 | Ford | 6485 | up 52.8 per cent |
| 4 | Kia | 6403 | up 5.8 per cent |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 5863 | down 34.9 per cent |
| 6 | Hyundai | 5369 | down 17.6 per cent |
| 7 | Isuzu | 4534 | up 37.1 per cent |
| 8 | MG | 4007 | up 1.1 per cent |
| 9 | Subaru | 3852 | up 69 per cent |
| 10 | Tesla | 3578 | up 15.5 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in March 2023
| Micro | Kia Picanto (624) | Fiat/Abarth 500 (79) | Mitsubishi Mirage (0) |
| Light < $30k | MG 3 (1427) | Suzuki Swift (617) | Kia Rio (451) |
| Light > $30k | Mini Hatch (137) | Audi A1 (36) | Skoda Fabia (22) |
| Small < $40k | Hyundai i30 (1518) | Toyota Corolla (996) | Mazda 3 (973) |
| Small > $40k | BMW 1 Series (356) | Mercedes-Benz A-Class (346) | Audi A3 (244) |
| Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (548) | Mazda 6 (156) | Skoda Octavia (118) |
| Medium > $60k | Tesla Model 3 (1640) | BMW 3 Series (238) | Mercedes-Benz C-Class (232) |
| Large < $70k | Kia Stinger (293) | Skoda Superb (15) | Citroen C5 X (6) |
| Large > $70k | Mercedes-Benz EQE (57) | Porsche Taycan (47) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi E-Tron GT (42) |
| Upper Large < $100k | Chrysler 300 (0) | ||
| Upper Large > $100k | BMW 7 Series/i7 (17) | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (9) | BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (4) |
| People Movers | Kia Carnival (873) | Hyundai Staria (96) | Volkswagen Multivan (79) |
| Sports < $80k | Ford Mustang (253) | Subaru BRZ (192) | BMW 2 Series Coupe (68) |
| Sports > $80k | Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe/convertible (84) | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (64) | Chevrolet Corvette (25) |
| Sports > $200k | Porsche 911 (26) | Ferrari sports cars (19) | Aston Martin sports cars (12) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in March 2023
| Light SUV | Mazda CX-3 (1002) | Volkswagen T-Cross (580) | Kia Stonic (539) |
| Small SUV < $45k | MG ZS (1844) | Mazda CX-30 (1337) | Kia Seltos (1058) |
| Small SUV > $45k | Volvo XC40 (606) | Audi Q3 (387) | Mercedes-Benz GLA (292) |
| Medium SUV < $60k | Mitsubishi Outlander (2169) | Mazda CX-5 (1917) | Subaru Forester (1881) |
| Medium SUV > $60k | Tesla Model Y (1938) | Audi Q5 (645) | Lexus NX (573) |
| Large SUV < $70k | Isuzu MU-X (1745) | Kia Sorento (1077) | Subaru Outback (1054) |
| Large SUV > $70k | BMW X5 (550) | Mercedes-Benz GLE (290) | Land Rover Defender (270) |
| Upper Large SUV < $120k | Toyota LandCruiser wagon (767) | Nissan Patrol wagon (590) | Land Rover Discovery (9) |
| Upper Large SUV > $120k | BMW X7 (148) | Lexus LX (64) | Mercedes-Benz GLS (62) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in March 2023
| Vans < 2.5t | Volkswagen Caddy (46) | Peugeot Partner (30) | Renault Kangoo (4) |
| Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce van (405) | LDV G10/G10+ (343) | Ford Transit Custom (301) |
| 4×2 Utes | Toyota HiLux (1103) | Ford Ranger (631) | Isuzu D-Max (487) |
| 4×4 Utes < $100k | Ford Ranger (3877) | Toyota HiLux (3480) | Isuzu D-Max (2302) |
| Utes > $100k | Ram 1500 (592) | Chevrolet Silverado HD (107) | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (92) |
The post VFACTS March 2023: New-car sales slow amid biosecurity delays, Toyota hit hard appeared first on Drive.