High interest rates, shipping bottlenecks, and ongoing production slowdowns continue to apply the brakes on new-car sales in Australia, official figures for April 2023 released today show.
Deliveries of new motor vehicles made a modest recovery in April 2023 – after slumping in March due to shipping bottlenecks triggered by a spike in biosecurity breaches on car-carrying ships – but the automotive industry is not popping champagne corks just yet.
New-car buyers are still experiencing unprecedented delivery delays and uncertainty around arrival timing, as the waiting times for most popular models typically stretch anywhere from three months to two years.
As a result, monthly new-car sales reports – which are based on data supplied by the car industry rather than registrations – are a reflection of the vehicles that have been delivered to customers rather than the number of sales transactions or orders placed.
New-car sales data published today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows 82,137 new vehicles were reported as sold in April 2023 – the weakest monthly result so far this year.
April is historically one of the slowest months on the calendar for new-car sales due to the school holidays, public holidays and the Easter break.
However, while the number of new cars delivered to customers in April 2023 represented an increase of 1.3 per cent compared to the same month last year, the figure of 82,137 sales is 11 per cent less than the April record of 92,347 set in 2021.
Japanese car giant Toyota – which historically represents one in five new cars sold in Australia – had another shocker in April, after vehicle deliveries to customers were strangled by production interruptions and shipping delays over the past two months.
Toyota Australia reported 12,029 new cars as sold in April 2023, a drop of 33 per cent compared to the same month last year.
It is the second month in a row the top-selling car company has posted such a sharp downturn outside the recent COVID lockdown period and the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 and 2009.
Because of its market dominance, Toyota’s unprecedented 30 per cent slump so far this year has dragged down the rest of the automotive industry.
However, Australia’s top-selling car company for the past 20 years in a row has forecast its fortunes will change in the coming months, with production due to ramp up between now and the end of the year.
As reported exclusively by Drive yesterday, the head of sales and marketing for Toyota Australia, Sean Hanley, said in an interview earlier this week: “From May right through to December (this year), we’re starting to bring in some fairly significant quantities of production.
“One of the things that we have been able to now facilitate is we are looking at those long wait times on a customer by customer basis, and we’re trying to prioritise where we can get a (vehicle) match, to get those cars, particularly to customers who have been waiting longer than 12 months.
“Does that mean (customers) are going to get their cars tomorrow? No. But we are now working with our dealer network … to prioritise customers who have been waiting the longest, if and when cars become available.”
Toyota’s sustained sales slump at the start of this year has seen the Toyota HiLux – Australia’s top-selling vehicle outright for the past seven years in a row – overtaken by the new Ford Ranger in the year-to-date tally.
The Ford Ranger has finished second outright in the annual new-car sales race for the past six years – although it has clocked up a number of wins in the 4×4 ute category over that period – but 2023 is the first time it has led the Toyota HiLux for the first four months of the year.
The battle between the top two sellers was close in April 2023. The Ford Ranger’s tally for the month (3567, down 0.4 per cent) edged ahead of the Toyota HiLux (3526, down 21.5 per cent) when 4×2 and 4×4 models are combined, as is industry practice.
The Ford Ranger has a stronger lead over the Toyota HiLux in the year-to date battle (17,297 versus 16,179).
However counting only 4×4 models, the Ford Ranger has a commanding lead over the Toyota HiLux (15,061 versus 12,218) so far this year.
The Toyota RAV4 was the third best-selling vehicle outright ahead of the Tesla Model Y electric SUV.
Back to the battle of the car brands, Mazda held onto second place for in April 2023, however it too has experienced a sales decline (down 6.1 per cent for the month and down 13.4 per cent year-to-date).
Electric-car specialist Tesla finished seventh on the new-car sales charts in April 2023 following the arrival of large shipments of vehicles, and now ranks eighth year-to-date.
Tesla reported as sold last month 2095 examples of the Tesla Model Y SUV and 1581 examples of the Tesla Model 3 sedan, though as with most car companies, Tesla is writing more orders than it has vehicles to deliver.
The Tesla Model 3 result continued to blitz sales of the Toyota Camry – Australia’s top-selling car for 28 years in a row until it was overtaken by the electric car last year.
Indeed, the Tesla Model 3 is well on the way to dominating the mid-size sedan segment – whether powered by petrol or electricity – after reporting 8819 deliveries so far this year compared to the Toyota Camry’s year-to-date tally of 1886 vehicles.
In other upsets, South Korean juggernaut Kia outsold its sister brand Hyundai for the fourth month in a row, continuing where it left off last year.
In 2022, Kia outsold Hyundai in all but two months of the year, but maintained its year-to-date lead at the end of every month.
Kia’s third place in April 2023 was its first time on the podium this year, ahead of Hyundai which ranked fourth for the month.
Japanese car-maker Mitsubishi took a hit – even though it appears to have stock in dealerships – posting a 29.3 per cent sales decline from April 2023 to the same month the prior year.
And Chinese car-maker MG reported its first year-on-year sales slump since July 2022, and slipped from seventh place to eighth place on the rankings.
After almost a year in the wilderness, Japanese car maker Nissan returned to the Top 10 – finishing ninth in April 2023 driven by a 46 per cent sales increase following a surge in shipping arrivals – after ranking 12th last year, and finishing 12th or 13th on the monthly sales charts so far this year.
The car industry says new-car delivery delays are going to continue for the foreseeable future due to ongoing shipping bottlenecks and production interruptions.
Most car companies now ask customers to sign a document when they place an order that acknowledges the extended delays could mean a change to the vehicle’s price and equipment.
While car companies could previously “price protect” future orders, they say this is no longer possible due to fluctuating costs that can’t be predicted a year or more in advance.
Customers who don’t agree to the new price or equipment when the vehicle eventually arrives – if there are changes from the time they signed the order – are entitled to a refund of their deposit.
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 only 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 April 2023
| Rank | Model | Volume April 2023 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Ford Ranger | 3567 | down 0.4 per cent |
| 2 | Toyota HiLux | 3526 | up 22 per cent |
| 3 | Toyota RAV4 | 2198 | down 35 per cent |
| 4 | Tesla Model Y | 2095 | N/A |
| 5 | Hyundai i30 | 2029 | down 2 per cent |
| 6 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 1829 | up 68 per cent |
| 7 | Isuzu D-Max | 1809 | up 24 per cent |
| 8 | Hyundai Tucson | 1678 | up 90 per cent |
| 9 | MG ZS | 1588 | down 17 per cent |
| 10 | Tesla Model 3 | 1581 | up 2940 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN April 2023
| Rank | Brand | Volume April 2023 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota | 12,029 | down 33 per cent |
| 2 | Mazda | 6926 | down 6.1 per cent |
| 3 | Kia | 6200 | up 0.3 per cent |
| 4 | Hyundai | 5732 | up 3.2 per cent |
| 5 | Ford | 5047 | up 1.5 per cent |
| 6 | Mitsubishi | 4440 | down 31.3 per cent |
| 7 | Tesla | 3676 | up ~7000 per cent |
| 8 | MG | 3463 | down 27.4 per cent |
| 9 | Nissan | 3009 | up 46.8 per cent |
| 10 | Volkswagen | 2957 | up 71.8 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in April 2023
| Micro | Kia Picanto (617) | Fiat/Abarth 500 (60) | Mitsubishi Mirage (0) |
| Light < $30k | MG 3 (1141) | Suzuki Swift (512) | Kia Rio (445) |
| Light > $30k | Mini Hatch (86) | Skoda Fabia (33) | Audi A1 (28) |
| Small < $40k | Hyundai i30 (2029) | Mazda 3 (845) | Toyota Corolla (791) |
| Small > $40k | Mercedes-Benz A-Class (243) | Subaru WRX (176) | Volkswagen Golf (137) |
| Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (574) | Mazda 6 (145) | Skoda Octavia (97) |
| Medium > $60k | Tesla Model 3 (1581) | BMW 3 Series (247) | Mercedes-Benz C-Class (197) |
| Large < $70k | Kia Stinger (233) | Skoda Superb (14) | Citroen C5 X (10) |
| Large > $70k | Mercedes-Benz EQE (54) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class (49) | Audi E-Tron GT (43) |
| Upper Large < $100k | Chrysler 300 (0) | ||
| Upper Large > $100k | BMW 7 Series/i7 (8) | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (7) | Mercedes-Benz EQS (4) |
| People Movers | Kia Carnival (792) | Volkswagen Multivan (82) | Hyundai Staria (68) |
| Sports < $80k | Ford Mustang (143) | Subaru BRZ (113) | Toyota GR86 (78) |
| Sports > $80k | Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe/convertible (82) | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (39) | Chevrolet Corvette (28) |
| Sports > $200k | Porsche 911 (28) | Ferrari sports cars (11) | Aston Martin sports cars (9) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in April 2023
| Light SUV | Mazda CX-3 (860) | Kia Stonic (665) | Hyundai Venue (419) |
| Small SUV < $45k | MG ZS (1588) | Mazda CX-30 (1291) | Kia Seltos (998) |
| Small SUV > $45k | Volvo XC40 (527) | Audi Q3 (301) | BMW X1 (257) |
| Medium SUV < $60k | Toyota RAV4 (2198) | Mitsubishi Outlander (1829) | Hyundai Tucson (1678) |
| Medium SUV > $60k | Tesla Model Y (2095) | Lexus NX (528) | Mercedes-Benz GLB (297) |
| Large SUV < $70k | Isuzu MU-X (1095) | Kia Sorento (814) | Toyota Prado (762) |
| Large SUV > $70k | Land Rover Defender (402) | Lexus RX (317) | Mercedes-Benz GLE (248) |
| Upper Large SUV < $120k | Toyota LandCruiser wagon (830) | Nissan Patrol wagon (561) | Land Rover Discovery (25) |
| Upper Large SUV > $120k | Mercedes-Benz GLS (103) | BMW X7 (102) | Lexus LX (74) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in April 2023
| Vans < 2.5t | Peugeot Partner (52) | Volkswagen Caddy (51) | Renault Kangoo (2) |
| Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce van (654) | Ford Transit Custom (265) | LDV G10/G10+ (256) |
| 4×2 Utes | Toyota HiLux (709) | Isuzu D-Max (464) | Ford Ranger (415) |
| 4×4 Utes < $100k | Ford Ranger (3152) | Toyota HiLux (2817) | Isuzu D-Max (1345) |
| Utes > $100k | Ram 1500 (511) | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (113) | Chevrolet Silverado HD (93) |
The post VFACTS April 2023: Toyota sales slump continues, new-car market posts weakest month this year appeared first on Drive.