VFACTS: March 2023 new car sales decline as shortages linger

Utes took all three spots on the podium in March 2023, and the top 10 list of models were all either light commercial vehicles or SUVs rather than traditional hatchbacks and sedans.

The Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, and Isuzu D-Max were the the most popular new vehicles last month, ahead of the Mitsubishi Outlander and Tesla Model Y in fourth and fifth.

At a higher level, new vehicle deliveries in Australia fell 3.9 per cent year-on-year in March 2023, to 97,251 units, as ongoing supply problems drag on.

MORE: Australian government tells brands to stop importing contaminated cars

It’s the second-lowest sales figure for the month of March across the last 10 years, with only the COVID-interrupted March of 2020 yielding a lower total.

However sales across the first quarter of 2023 remain higher than they were last year, at 269,002 deliveries (2.5 per cent higher than Q1, 2022).

“March was a solid month for new car sales given the supply constraints car makers are facing both domestically and internationally,” said Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber.

These supply constraints are no longer only down to a lack of semiconductor chips in overseas factories, but also due to the current crisis at some of Australia’s ports, which are battling through biosecurity-related blockages.

“Year to date sales have increased 2.5 per cent which is a better indicator of the underlying strength of the market,” contended Mr Weber.

Battery electric vehicle sales grew by 19.5 per cent on March 2022 figures along with plug-in-hybrids (PHEVs) which increased by 33.3 per cent.

Brands

Market leader Toyota had a shocker as it continued to navigate lack of supply, with its March sales tumbling 39.4 per cent over the same month in 2022. Ergo its market share fell to just 13.6 per cent, against an average above 20 per cent.

Key models that suffered included the Camry (down 40 per cent), Corolla (down 48 per cent), HiAce (down 50 per cent), Kluger and Prado (each down 59 per cent), RAV4 (down 61 per cent) and Yaris Cross (down 46.3 per cent). Even the HiLux fell 29 per cent in 4×4 guise.

Number-two brand Mazda likewise declined, in this case by 26.7 per cent to 8243 sales, with a near 50 per cent drop in CX-5 sales doing the most damage.

Ford nabbed third place on the charts with 6485 sales and 52.8 per cent growth, though it’s worth also pointing out that some 85 per cent of its deliveries were either Rangers or Everests.

Rounding out the top five were Kia (up 5.8 per cent) and Mitsubishi (down 34.9 per cent). Completing the top 10 were Hyundai (down 17.6 per cent), Isuzu Ute (up 37.1 per cent), MG (up 1.1 per cent as its growth rate plateaus), Subaru (up 69 per cent), and Tesla (down 19 per cent).

Smaller-volume brands that outperformed the market and showed good growth rates include, in alphabetical order:

Audi (up 49.4 per cent), BMW (up 56.7 per cent), Chevrolet (up 32.5 per cent), GWM/Haval (up 268 per cent), LDV (up 40.9 per cent), Lexus (up 32.5 per cent), Mini (up 164.2 per cent), Polestar (up 84.3 per cent), Ram Trucks (up 46.8 per cent), SsangYong (up 147 per cent), and Volkswagen (up 22.7 per cent).

Brands that went backwards include Alfa Romeo (down 32.8 per cent), Jeep (down 24.2 per cent), Porsche (down 41.8 per cent), Renault (down 20.1 per cent), Skoda (down 10.1 per cent), and Suzuki (down 25.1 per cent).

Models

A look at the top 25 nameplates reveals the dominance of work and lifestyle utes, which occupied the top three places and six in the overall list. There were also eight medium-sized SUVs in the top 25.

More intriguingly there are just four vehicles classified as neither SUV nor ute, with the top-seller among them being the Tesla Model 3, ahead of the Hyundai i30, MG 3, and Toyota Corolla.

1. Toyota HiLux: 4583
2. Ford Ranger: 4508
3. Isuzu D-Max: 2789
4. Mitsubishi Outlander: 2169
5. Tesla Model Y: 1938
6. Mazda CX-5: 1917
7. Subaru Forester: 1881
8. MG ZS: 1844
9. Toyota RAV4: 1778
10. Isuzu MU-X: 1745
11. Tesla Model 3: 1640
12. Mitsubishi Triton: 1568
13. Hyundai i30: 1518
14. MG 3: 1427
15. Mazda BT-50: 1361
16. Mazda CX-30: 1,337
17. Hyundai Tucson: 1322
18. Honda CR-V: 1176
19. GWM Ute: 1143
20. Kia Sorento: 1077
21. BYD Atto 3: 1061
22. Kia Seltos: 1058
23. Subaru Outback: 1054
24. Mazda CX-3: 1002
25. Toyota Corolla: 996

Segments

• Micro Cars: Kia Picanto (624), Fiat 500 (79)
• Light Cars under $30,000: MG 3 (1427), Suzuki Swift (617), Kia Rio (451)
• Light Cars over $30,000: Mini (137), Audi A1 (36), Skoda Fabia (22)
• Small Cars under $40,000: Hyundai i30 (1518), Toyota Corolla (996), Mazda 3 (973)
• Small Cars over $40,000: BMW 1 Series (356), Mercedes-Benz A-Class (346), Audi A3 (244)
• Medium Cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (548), Mazda 6 (156), Skoda Octavia (118)
• Medium Cars over $60,000: Tesla Model 3 (1640), BMW 3 Series (238), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (232)
• Large Cars under $70,000: Kia Stinger (293), Skoda Superb (15), Citroen C5 X (6)
• Large Cars over $70,000: Mercedes-Benz EQE (57), Porsche Taycan (47), Audi e-tron GT and Mercedes-Benz E-Class (42)
• Upper Large Cars: BMW 7 Series and i7 (17), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (9), BMW 8 Series GC (8)
• People Movers: Kia Carnival (873), Hyundai Staria (96), Volkswagen Multivan (79)
• Sports Cars under $80,000: Ford Mustang (253), Subaru BRZ (192), BMW 2 Series (68)
• Sports Cars over $80,000: Mercedes-Benz C-Class (84), BMW 4 Series (64), Chevrolet Corvette (25)
• Sports Cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (26), Ferrari range (12), Aston Martin two-doors (12)

• Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (1002), Volkswagen T-Cross (580), Kia Stonic (539)
• Small SUVs under $45,000: MG ZS (1844), Mazda CX-30 (1337), Kia Seltos (1058)
• Small SUVs over $45,000: Volvo XC40 (606), Audi Q3 (387), Mercedes-Benz GLA (292)
• Medium SUVs under $60,000: Mitsubishi Outlander (2169), Mazda CX-5 (1917), Subaru Forester (1881)
• Medium SUVs over $60,000: Tesla Model Y (1938), Audi Q5 (645), Lexus NX (573)
• Large SUVs under $70,000: Isuzu MU-X (1745), Kia Sorento (1077), Subaru Outback (1054)
• Large SUVs over $70,000: BMW X5 (550), Land Rover Defender (270), Range Rover Sport (225)
• Upper Large SUVs under $120,000: Toyota LandCruiser (767), Nissan Patrol (590), Land Rover Discovery (9)
• Upper Large SUVs over $120,000: BMW X7 (148), Lexus LX (64), Mercedes-Benz GLS (62)

• Light Vans: Volkswagen Caddy (46), Peugeot Partner (30), Renault Kangoo (4)
• Medium Vans: Toyota HiAce (405), LDV G10 (343), Ford Transit Custom (301)
• Large Vans: LDV Deliver 9 (359), Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (263), Volkswagen Crafter (160)
• Light Buses: Toyota HiAce (162), Toyota Coaster (34), LDV Deliver 9 (9)
• 4×2 Utes: Toyota HiLux (1103), Ford Ranger (631), Isuzu D-Max (487)
• 4×4 Utes: Ford Ranger (3877), Toyota HiLux (3480), Isuzu D-Max (2302)

Miscellaneous

Sales by region

• New South Wales: 30,256, down 6.1 per cent
• Victoria: 24,107, down 11.2 per cent
• Queensland: 22,244, up 4.9 per cent
• Western Australia: 10,129, up 1.1 per cent
• South Australia: 6543, up 2.6 per cent
• Tasmania: 1620, down 8.4 per cent
• Australian Capital Territory: 1576, up 1.0 per cent
• Northern Territory: 776, down 15.3 per cent

Category breakdown

• SUV: 55 per cent share
• Light commercials: 22.6 per cent share
• Passenger cars: 17.7 per cent share
• Heavy commercials: 4.7 per cent share

Top segments by market share

• Medium SUV: 22.7 per cent share
• 4×4 Utes: 16.9 per cent share
• Small SUV: 13.4 per cent share
• Large SUV: 13.0 per cent share
• Small Car: 6.5 per cent share

Sales by buyer type

• Private buyers: 51,176, down 7.0 per cent
• Business fleets: 34,072, up 0.8 per cent
• Rental fleets: 4840, down 13.5 per cent
• Government fleets: 2632, down 0.2 per cent

Sales by propulsion or fuel type

• Petrol: 50,229, down 0.1 per cent
• Diesel: 30,063, down 9.9 per cent
• Electric: 6612, up 19.5 per cent
• Hybrid: 5247, down 29.8 per cent
• PHEV: 569, up 33.3 per cent
• Hydrogen FCEV: 0

Sales by country of origin

• Japan: 25,538, down 21.5 per cent
• Thailand: 21,729, down 9.6 per cent
• China: 15,125, up 31.1 per cent
• Korea: 12,771, down 2.0 per cent
• Germany: 4796, up 28.6 per cent

Some previous monthly reports

• Feb 2023 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• Jan 2023 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• Full year 2022 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)

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