VFACTS December 2024: Sales bump helps set annual record

December 2024 new-vehicle sales were up even as many Australians struggle with the rising cost of living.

A total of 99,666 new vehicles were sold in Australia in December 2024, according to data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Electric Vehicle Council. This was an increase of 1.1 per cent.

This represents a positive finish for what ended up being a record year for Australian new-vehicle sales, which saw 1,237,287 vehicles delivered, up 1.7 per cent on 2023.

It also represents the first growth after year-over-year declines in every month from August to November.

However, there were some notable declines.

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Private sales – excluding Tesla and Polestar, which don’t report data to the FCAI – were down 0.9 per cent on the same month in 2023, while overall sales in New South Wales were down 1.7 per cent.

Sales to business and government fleets were also down, with rental fleets helping to boost overall sales thanks to a 16.3 per cent jump over December 2023.

“The second half of the year showed a concerning trend with sales in the private segment falling to very low levels as interest rates and general cost of living pressures impacted Australian families,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.

The Toyota RAV4 took the sales crown for December with 5119 sales, up 133.5 per cent. Despite this, it wasn’t able to topple the Ford Ranger as Australia’s best-selling vehicle for the entire calendar year.

Brands

Toyota had 18.7 per cent of the total market, though its sales were down 3.2 per cent on December 2023.

Ford was a distant second with 8.3 per cent market share, and its sales were down even more with a 15.5 per cent year over year (YoY) drop).

Strong Ranger sales have seen the Blue Oval push past Mazda in recent months, and it also beat the Japanese brand for the calendar year.

Mazda’s December 2024 sales were nevertheless up on the same month in 2023, with a 7.3 per cent increase to 7256 units.

There continues to be ample daylight between Kia and sister brand Hyundai on the sales charts. Kia was up 12.9 per cent to 6302 sales, while Hyundai was up 2.8 per cent to 5025.

The Korean brands bookended Mitsubishi, which sat at 5754 sales – up 12.1 per cent.

The top 10 was rounded out by Nissan, MG, GWM and Tesla. The latter has had a worse year than last but had a strong finish for the year, with sales up 63.9 per cent over December 2023.

Models

The Toyota RAV4 topped the charts for another month, and sold close to 2000 more units than its HiLux showroom-mate.

Toyota’s new-generation Prado pushed past the rival Ford Everest for the month – just – though the Blue Oval’s large SUV remained the segment’s best seller for the year.

Isuzu’s D-Max and MU-X were the third best-selling vehicles in their respective segments, behind only Toyota and Ford models.

MG ZS sales slumped amid a changeover to a new-generation model, allowing the GWM Haval Jolion to push past and become Australia’s best-selling small SUV.

Segments

• Micro cars: Kia Picanto (535), Fiat 500 (26)
• Light cars under $30,000: MG 3 (1428), Mazda 2 (417), Suzuki Swift (391)
• Light cars over $30,000: Volkswagen Polo (159), Hyundai i20 (140), Mini Cooper (100)
• Small cars under $40,000: Toyota Corolla (1501), Hyundai i30 (1066), Mazda 3 (910)
• Small cars over $40,000: MG 4 (855), Volkswagen Golf (336), BMW 1 Series (213)
• Medium cars under $60,000: BYD Seal (412), Toyota Camry (387), Mazda 6 (92)
• Medium cars over $60,000: Tesla Model 3 (1732), BMW i4 (196), BMW 3 Series (157)
• Large cars under $70,000: Skoda Superb (3)
• Large cars over $70,000: BMW 5 Series (49), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (28), Audi A6 (27)
• Upper large cars: Porsche Panamera (10), BMW 7 Series (4), BMW i7 (3), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (3)
• People movers under $70,000: Kia Carnival (668), Hyundai Staria (78), Ford Tourneo (29)
• People movers over $70,000: Mercedes-Benz V-Class (42), Lexus LM (33), Volkswagen Multivan (22)
• Sports cars under $80,000: Ford Mustang (432), Subaru BRZ (81), Toyota GR86 (64)
• Sports cars over $80,000: BMW 2 Series two-door range (112), BMW 4 Series two-door range (67), Mercedes-Benz CLE (51)
• Sports cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (28), Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (15), Lamborghini two-door range (15)

• Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (1404), Toyota Yaris Cross (729), Kia Stonic (722)
• Small SUVs under $45,000: GWM Haval Jolion (1691), MG ZS (1167), Mitsubishi ASX (1005)
• Small SUVs over $45,000: Audi Q3 (633), BMW X1 (349), Mercedes-Benz GLA (294)
• Medium SUVs under $60,000: Toyota RAV4 (5119), Kia Sportage (2213), Nissan X-Trail (2096)
• Medium SUVs over $60,000: Tesla Model Y (1861), Lexus NX (504), Porsche Macan (389)
• Large SUVs under $80,000: Toyota Prado (2687), Ford Everest (2476), Isuzu MU-X (1188)
• Large SUVs over $80,000: BMW X5 (279), Lexus RX (204), Land Rover Defender (180)
• Upper large SUVs under $120,000: Nissan Patrol (726), Toyota LandCruiser (711), Land Rover Discovery (38)
• Upper large SUVs over $120,000: BMW X7 (116), Lexus GX (115), Lexus LX (81)

• Small vans: Peugeot Partner (41), Volkswagen Caddy (37), Renault Kangoo (20)
• Medium vans: Toyota Hiace (911), Ford Transit Custom (306), Hyundai Staria Load (168)
• 4×2 utes: Toyota HiLux (562), Isuzu D-Max (354), Ford Ranger (262)
• 4×4 utes: Ford Ranger (4231), Toyota HiLux (2771), Isuzu D-Max (2016)
• Large pickups: Ford F-150 (344), Ram 1500 (277), Chevrolet Silverado (228)

Sales by category

Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.

Top segments by market share

Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.

Sales by region

Excludes Tesla and Polestar sales.

Sales by buyer type

Excludes Tesla, Polestar and heavy commercial sales.

Sales by fuel or propulsion type

Includes Tesla and Polestar sales, excludes heavy commercial.

Sales by country of origin

Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.

MORE: VFACTS January 2024: Record start to the year but slower times ahead MORE: VFACTS February 2024: Another record month for Australian new car sales MORE: VFACTS March 2024: Big month leads to record quarterly result MORE: VFACTS April 2024: Record month, hybrids and plug-in hybrids surge MORE: VFACTS May 2024: Hybrid and EV sales drive another record month MORE: VFACTS June 2024: Soft finish for record half-year MORE: VFACTS July 2024: Hybrids star, EVs stall in another record month MORE: VFACTS August 2024: Record RAV4 sales drive hybrid surge as EVs stumble MORE: VFACTS September 2024: Sales slump but hybrids, PHEVs continue to grow MORE: VFACTS October 2024: Toyota RAV4 still on top as HiLux closes gap to Ranger MORE: VFACTS November 2024: Private sales slump, RAV4 maintains lead