January VFACTS: Ford Ranger on top, strongest market since 2018

The Australian new car market continues to show signs of recovery after a few years of supply chain chaos, with deliveries up 11.9 per cent in January year-on-year (YoY).

The data shows 84,873 deliveries in January, which is the best result for the year’s first month since 2018. It also continues a run of successive monthly growth YoY extending to last July.

“This data… shows that the industry is continuing to recover following years of supply chain disruption and delay,” said Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber.

Sales of electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars accounted for 12 per cent (10,426) of sales, with BEVs about half of this, and the Tesla Model 3 topped the passenger car charts overall.

Sales were up across all regions, all buyer types were up, and as has become a familiar pattern, sales of SUVs and utes/vans accounted for three-quarters of the market.

On a side note, the VFACTS data compiled by the FCAI has updated some price parameters of its segments to reflect inflationary pressures. For example, the Light Car market is now split into price partitions greater or lesser and $30,000, rather than $25,000.

Brands

Toyota as usual led the market with a total of 13,363 vehicles sold, ahead of Mazda (9407), Ford (6624), Kia (6006) and Hyundai (5809) – meaning the Korean little sibling brand retains supremacy after beating Hyundai in 2022.

Brands with strong growth included GWM (up 115 per cent), Ram Trucks (up 109 per cent), Skoda (up 106 per cent as supply frees up), Chevrolet (up 101 per cent), Mini (up 84 per cent), SsangYong (up 83 per cent), Audi (up 72 per cent), Volkswagen (up 67 per cent), Ford (up 46 per cent), and Porsche (up 39 per cent).

Brands that battled for myriad reasons included Land Rover (down 47 per cent), Peugeot (down 39 per cent), Alfa Romeo (down 36 per cent), Jeep (down 31 per cent), Mercedes-Benz Cars (down 23.5 per cent), Mitsubishi (down 19 per cent), and Toyota (down 13 per cent).

See our searchable Flourish table of all the car brands below:

Models

The Ford Ranger was the highest-selling model with 4749 sales reported, bettering Toyota’s HiLux (4131), the Tesla Model 3 (2927), Mazda CX-3 (2417) and Mazda CX-5 (2189) – quite a one-two punch for the Japanese brand.

1. Ford Ranger: 4749
2. Toyota HiLux: 4131
3. Tesla Model 3: 2927
4. Mazda CX-3: 2417
5. Mazda CX-5: 2189
6. Toyota RAV4: 1958
7. Isuzu D-Max: 1843
8. MG ZS: 1842
9. Mitsubishi Outlander: 1674
10. Hyundai Tucson: 1615
11. Kia Sportage: 1572
12. Hyundai i30: 1565
13. Subaru Forester: 1370
14. MG 3: 1348
15. Mazda BT-50: 1320
16. Mitsubishi Triton: 1253
17. Ford Everest: 1230
18. Toyota Prado: 1182
19. Toyota Corolla: 1116
20. Mitsubishi ASX: 1096

Segments

• Micro Cars: Kia Picanto (328), Fiat 500 (71)
• Light Cars under $30,000: MG 3 (1348), Mazda 2 (660), Kia Rio (499)
• Light Cars over $30,000: Mini Hatch (149), Skoda Fabia (57), Audi A1 (35)
• Small Cars under $40,000: Hyundai i30 (1565), Toyota Corolla (1116), Mazda 3 (824)
• Small Cars over $40,000: VW Golf (267), Subaru WRX (247), Mercedes-Benz A-Class (225)
• Medium Cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (372), Mazda 6 (199), Skoda Octavia (122)
• Medium Cars over $60,000: Tesla Model 3 (2927), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (408), Polestar 2 (164)
• Large Cars under $70,000: Kia Stinger (172), Skoda Superb (33), Citroen C5 X (3)
• Large Cars over $70,000: Audi e-tron GT (33), BMW 5 Series (26), Mercedes-Benz EQE (14)
• Upper LargeCars: BMW 7 Series (13), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (10), Porsche Panamera and BMW i7 (8)
• People Movers: Kia Carnival (1029), Hyundai Staria (115), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (34)
• Sports Cars under $80,000: Subaru BRZ (116), Mazda MX-5 (86), Ford Mustang (75)
• Sports Cars over $80,000: BMW 4 Series (63), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (41), Porsche Cayman (24)
• Sports Cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (24), Ferrari (17), McLaren (10)

• Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (2417), Hyundai Venue (672), Suzuki Jimny (593)
• Small SUVs under $45,000: MG ZS (1842), Mitsubishi ASX (1096), Haval Jolion (875)
• Small SUVs over $45,000: Volvo XC40 (408), Audi Q3 (403), Kia Niro (165)
• Medium SUVs under $60,000: Mazda CX-5 (2189), Toyota RAV4 (1958), Mitsubishi Outlander (1674)
• Medium SUVs over $60,000: Tesla Model Y (386), BMW X3 (384), Audi Q5 (301)
• Large SUVs under $70,000: Ford Everest (1230), Toyota Prado (1182), Kia Sorento (1043)
• Large SUVs over $70,000: Mercedes-Benz GLE (253), BMW X5 (206), Audi Q7 (153)
• Upper Large SUVs under $120,000: Toyota LandCruiser Wagon (996), Nissan Patrol (253), Land Rover Discovery
• Upper Large SUVs over $120,000: Lexus LX (82), BMW X7 (57), Range Rover (29)

• Light Vans: Volkswagen Caddy (32), Peugeot Partner (5), Renault Kangoo (1)
• Medium Vans: Toyota HiAce (439), Hyundai Staria Load (252), Ford Transit Custom (241)
• Large Vans: LDV Deliver 9 (241), Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (235), Fiat Ducato (93)
• Light Buses: Toyota HiAce (87), LDV Deliver 9 (24), Toyota Coaster (20)
• 4×2 Utes: Toyota HiLux (1087), Ford Ranger (499), Isuzu D-Max (206)
• 4×4 Utes: Ford Ranger (4250), Toyota HiLux (3044), Isuzu D-Max (1637)

Miscellaneous

Sales by region

• New South Wales: 26,484, up 15 per cent
• Victoria: 22,367, up 9.7 per cent
• Queensland: 18,766, up 14.3 per cent
• Western Australia: 7901, up 4.3 per cent
• South Australia: 5786, up 11.9 per cent
• Tasmania: 1510, up 2.9 per cent
• Australian Capital Territory: 1394, up 18.6 per cent
• Northern Territory: 665, up 7.8 per cent

Category breakdown

• SUV: 46,698 sales, 55 per cent market share
• Light commercials: 18,546 sales, 21.9 per cent market share
• Passenger cars: 16,602 sales, 19.6 per cent market share
• Heavy commercials: 3027 sales, 3.6 per cent market share

Top segments by market share

• Medium SUV: 20.8 per cent
• 4×4 Utes: 16.7 per cent
• Small SUV: 13.0 per cent
• Large SUV: 12.9 per cent
• Light SUV: 6.7 per cent

Sales by buyer type

• Private buyers: 46,202, up 8.6 per cent
• Business fleets: 28,935, up 13.6 per cent
• Rental fleets: 4605, up 31.9 per cent
• Government fleets: 2104, up 0.5 per cent

Sales by propulsion or fuel type

• Petrol: 44,831
• Diesel: 26,589
• Hybrid: 5136
• Electric: 4852
• PHEV: 438
• HydrogenFCEV: 0

Sales by country of origin

• Japan: 22,538, down 14.5 per cent
• Thailand: 20,441, up 14.2 per cent
• Korea: 12,606, up 12.9 per cent
• China: 12,486, up 99.3 per cent
• Germany: 3076, up 28.5 per cent

Some previous monthly reports

• 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• November 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• October 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• September 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• August 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• July 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• June 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• May 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• April 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• March 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• February 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• January 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• December 2021 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)

Got any questions about car sales? Ask away in the comments and I’ll jump in!