VFACTS April 2024: Record month, hybrids and plug-in hybrids surge

It was a record April for the Australian new car market, with hybrid and plug-in hybrid demand outpacing that of electric vehicles (EVs).

A total of 92,202 vehicles were sold in Australia in April 2024, up 18.3 per cent on April 2023’s tally.

Compared to April 2023, hybrid sales were up 194.5 per cent to 16,466 sales, while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales were up 138.5 per cent to 1300 sales.

In contrast, EV sales were down 5.1 per cent on last April, with 6194 sales – strongly impacted by a year over year decline of 43.5 per cent for EV leader Tesla.

That resulted in market share of 6.4 per cent for EVs, down from 7.9 per cent in April 2023.

It’s a bit rosier for EVs when looking at year-to-date figures, however. In the first four months of 2024, EV deliveries are up 32.3 per cent to 31,662, though hybrid sales were up by 138.2 per cent for a total of 51,669 sales.

PHEV sales also accelerated, increasing 135.6 per cent year over year to 4726 units.

New vehicle sales increased by double digits across every state and territory, with South Australia (33.5 per cent) and Tasmania (31.9 per cent) seeing the biggest spikes.

“April’s result highlights strong consumer confidence in purchasing new vehicles, surpassing our expectations and is a testament to consumer choice and the industry’s resilience in a challenging economic landscape,” said Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber.

He noted the industry has set 10 record monthly sales results in the past year. This year got off to a strong start, with a record result for first-quarter new car sales.

Despite expectations that new car sales might begin to slide due to cost of living pressures, they remain buoyant – though it’s worth noting sales are recorded once a customer takes delivery, and therefore some of these vehicles may have been ordered months ago.

Brands

No surprise who the winner is here: Toyota, as usual, with its 20,771 sales representing a 72.7 per cent increase over the same month last year.

Nissan saw a slight drop, falling out of the top 10 in monthly sales. It’s still hanging onto seventh place in the year-to-date tally, however.

Tesla saw a much larger monthly drop. While it’s the 10th best-selling brand so far this year, in April it ranked 13th and none of its vehicles were in the top 20.

Its sales figures are still being reported in VFACTS despite the brand quitting the FCAI. In contrast, Polestar, which also quit, no longer has its figures published.

Other brands that posted year-over-year declines were Hyundai (down 9.5 per cent) and Volkswagen (down 4.0 per cent).

Considerably larger declines were recorded by Ram (down 44.2 per cent), Jeep (down 39.7 per cent) and Renault (down 36.8 per cent), while brands that saw big sales increases included Isuzu Ute (up 46.6 per cent), GWM (up 50.3 per cent), Suzuki (up 40.7 per cent) and Chery (up 37.6 per cent).

Models

The best-selling vehicle in Australia was the Toyota RAV4, with 5857 sales – up 166.5 per cent year over year.

The smaller Corolla Cross entered the top 20 for the month, posting triple-digit increases in sales over last April along with the Corolla, RAV4, Yaris and Yaris Cross.

Toyota didn’t have Australia’s best-selling ute though, with the Ford Ranger maintaining its lead. While the HiLux held the lead in 4×2 ute sales, the Ranger comfortably beat it in the higher-volume 4×4 ute segment.

Segments

• Micro cars: Kia Picanto (392), Fiat 500 (40)
• Light cars under $30,000: MG 3 (890), Mazda 2 (453), Toyota Yaris (393)
• Light cars over $30,000: Volkswagen Polo (164), Mini Hatch (118), Skoda Fabia (39)
• Small cars under $40,000: Toyota Corolla (2097), Kia Cerato (1454), Mazda 3 (893)
• Small cars over $40,000: MG 4 (476), Audi A3 (345), Mercedes-Benz A-Class (251)
• Medium cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (1873), BYD Seal (811), Mazda 6 (104)
• Medium cars over $60,000: Tesla Model 3 (911), BMW 3 Series (219), BMW i4 (206)
• Large cars under $70,000: Skoda Superb (16), Citroen C5 X (4)
• Large cars over $70,000: BMW 5 Series (57), Mercedes-Benz EQE (19), Audi A6 (13)
• Upper large cars over $100,000: BMW i7 (6), BMW 7 Series (4), Porsche Panamera (4)
• People movers under $70,000: Kia Carnival (647), Hyundai Staria (85), LDV MIFA (36)
• People movers over $70,000: Volkswagen Multivan (60), Lexus LM (27), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (19)
• Sports cars under $80,000: Subaru BRZ (74), Mazda MX-5 (58), Toyota GR86 (37)
• Sports cars over $80,000: BMW 2 Series two-doors (131), BMW 4 Series two-doors (42), Chevrolet Corvette (20)
• Sports cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (59), McLaren range (11), Lamborghini two-door range (8)

• Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (1416), Suzuki Jimny (862), Toyota Yaris Cross (714)
• Small SUVs under $45,000: MG ZS (1707), Hyundai Kona (1303), Toyota Corolla Cross (1180)
• Small SUVs over $45,000: Audi Q3 (428), Lexus LBX (252), Volvo XC40 (251)
• Medium SUVs under $60,000: Toyota RAV4 (5857), Mitsubishi Outlander (1848), Kia Sportage (1699)
• Medium SUVs over $60,000: Tesla Model Y (1166), Lexus NX (368), BMW X3 (341)
• Large SUVs under $80,000: Ford Everest (2400), Isuzu MU-X (1876), Kia Sorento (1054)
• Large SUVs over $80,000: BMW X5 (271), Defender (255), Range Rover Sport (180)
• Upper large SUVs under $120,000: Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1169), Nissan Patrol (460), Kia EV9 (61)
• Upper large SUVs over $120,000: BMW X7 (99), Mercedes-Benz G-Class (46), Range Rover (43)

• Light vans: Volkswagen Caddy (67), Peugeot Partner (50), Renault Kangoo (25)
• Medium vans: Toyota HiAce (651), Hyundai Staria Load (333), Ford Transit Custom (253)
• 4×2 utes: Toyota HiLux (664), Isuzu D-Max (592), Ford Ranger (480)
• 4×4 utes: Ford Ranger (5089), Toyota HiLux (4029), Isuzu D-Max (1788)
• Large pickups: Ram 1500 (276), Chevrolet Silverado (191), Ford F-150 (173)

Sales by category

Top segments by market share

Sales by region

Sales by buyer type

Sales by propulsion or fuel type

Sales by country of origin

Below are the top five countries of origin:

MORE: VFACTS March 2024: Big month leads to record quarterly result MORE: VFACTS February 2024: Another record month for Australian new car sales MORE: VFACTS January 2024: Record start to the year but slower times ahead