VFACTS: May 2022 car sales figures

Stock shortages bite hard, but Kia stunningly bucks the trend and finishes second – its best result ever. EVs also spiked by 112 per cent.

3 Jun 2022 at 2:05 pm

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Mike Costello

Senior Contributor

Mike Costello

Senior Contributor

Sales of new vehicles in Australia fell by 6.4 per cent in May, to 94,383 units – something the car brands are blaming on continued lack of supply.

It wasn’t a bad May for all car companies though: Kia posted a stunning result, finishing second overall for its best-ever finish. Market leader Toyota, Kia’s bigger sibling Hyundai, plus MG, Subaru, and Suzuki all posted strong growth too.

There were no surprise revelations when it came to the most popular models: the Toyota HiLux on top, ahead of the massively supply-constrained Toyota RAV4 (which has wait lists beyond 12 months), and the runout Ford Ranger, still strong to the end.

In the same month of 2021, the market-wide sales tally was 100,809.

Sales in May 2022 declined in every part of Australia except for the Northern Territory (up 2.4 per cent), and there were unanimously negative results for passenger cars, SUVs and light commercials.

The result takes the year-to-date tally to 437,884 sales, down 4.1 per cent.

“The global automotive industry continues to be plagued by a shortage of microprocessor units and shipping delays. This issue is not unique to Australia,” said Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber.

“Car makers continue to report high demand across dealer showrooms and online marketplaces. Pandemic interruptions continue to impact manufacturing and conflict in Ukraine has disrupted vehicle component supply.

“Monthly sales figures are also dependent on shipping arrivals which continue to be uncertain. We do not expect supply chains to stabilise until these issues are resolved.”

Brands

Toyota grew 7.8 per cent, but demand for its products is much higher than this – it simply cannot get enough stock. It’s top-sellers were the HiLux, RAV4, Corolla, and the evergreen Prado.

In a remarkable result, Kia finished second on 7307 sales, in some part attributable to the declines recorded by most key rivals. Nevertheless, it banished Hyundai to third for the month, and holds a slim lead year-to-date as well.

Mazda tumbled from second to fourth, with its dealers now starting to report stock snags to a greater degree, ahead of Mitsubishi and Ford. MG, Subaru, Isuzu Ute and Nissan rounded out the top 10.

Mercedes-Benz beat BMW overall, but take out Mercedes vans and BMW actually had its measure (2534 passenger cars and SUVs versus 2282). Volvo (1121) overtook a hobbled Audi (941) to occupy the luxury podium.

Big brands that struggled on percentage terms included Mazda (down 38.7 per cent), Ford (down 19.4 per cent), Nissan (down 31 per cent), Volkswagen (down 44.7 per cent), Audi (down 45.4 per cent), Lexus (down 33.9 per cent), Skoda (down 50.9 per cent), and Land Rover (down 28.2 per cent).

On the other hand, there were some other positive results of note: Suzuki was up 38.9 per cent and led the Light Car market, GWM was up 25.7 per cent, Volvo was up 18.6 per cent, Renault grew 17.9 per cent, Ram Trucks climbed 94.7 per cent, and fellow licensed RHD converter Chevrolet also grew, by 33.1 per cent.

Brand	Sales	Change
Toyota	22,813	Up 7.8%
Kia	7307	Up 2.6%
Hyundai	7063	Up 9.5%
Mazda	6474	Down 38.7%
Mitsubishi	6086	Down 6.1%
Ford	5233	Down 19.4%
MG	4064	Up 15.9%
Subaru	3626	Up 2.2%
Isuzu Ute	3494	Down 11.5%
Nissan	2970	Down 31.0%
Mercedes-Benz	2662	Down 9.4%
BMW	2534	Down 6.4%
Suzuki	2219	Up 38.9%
Volkswagen	2216	Down 44.7%
GWM	1878	Up 25.7%
Honda	1423	Up 1.4%
LDV	1322	Up 8.1%
Volvo Car	1121	Up 18.6%
Audi	941	Down 45.4%
Renault	837	Up 17.9%
Lexus	680	Down 33.9%
Jeep	615	Down 4.4%
Skoda	528	Down 50.6%
Ram	510	Up 94.7%
Porsche	476	Down 14.4%
Mini	436	Up 2.8%
Land Rover	409	Down 28.2%
SsangYong	247	Up 0.8%
Chevrolet	233	Up 33.1%
Peugeot	191	Down 18.0%
Polestar	153	–
Genesis	85	Up 88.9%
Jaguar	71	Down 51.0%
Fiat	47	Down 65.9%
Maserati	46	Down 8.0%
Alfa Romeo	43	Down 10.4%
Citroen	39	Up 225.0%
Bentley	21	Down 8.7%
Chrysler	14	Up 133.3%
Ferrari	14	Up 55.6%
Tesla	12	–
Aston Martin	11	Up 22.2%
McLaren	8	Up 14.3%
Rolls-Royce	4	Up 100.0%
Lotus	2	Down 60.0%

Models

Three of the top five overall sellers were utes (HiLux, Ranger and D-Max), with the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla joining them in the upper echelons.

Positions 6-10 were occupied by the enduringly popular Toyota Prado, Mitsubishi Triton, Hyundai i30, Mazda CX-5 and and Mitsubishi Outlander – no surprises here.

Overall the top 25 breakdown comprised six utes, five mid-size SUVs, five small SUVs, four large SUVs, three small cars, one light car, and one van/bus.

Segments

Micro Cars: Kia Picanto (256), Fiat 500 (38), Mitsubishi Mirage (20)
Light Cars under $25,000: MG 3 (1250), Suzuki Baleno (939), Suzuki Swift (445)
Light Cars over $25,000: Mini Hatch (205), Audi A1 (37), Citroen C3 (8)
Small Cars under $40,000: Toyota Corolla (3310), Hyundai i30 (2027), Kia Cerato (1237)
Small Cars over $40,000: Mercedes-Benz A-Class (174), BMW 1 Series (112), BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe (107)
Medium Cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (568), Skoda Octavia (111), Mazda 6 (49)
Medium Cars over $60,000: Mercedes-Benz C-Class (389), BMW 3 Series (261), Polestar 2 (153)
Large Cars under $70,000: Kia Stinger (428), Skoda Superb (79)
Large Cars over $70,000: BMW 5 Series (47), Porsche Taycan (42), Audi A6 (29),
Upper LargeCars: Chrysler 300 (14), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (11), Mercedes-Benz EQS (6)
People Movers: Kia Carnival (794), Hyundai Staria (85), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (50)
Sports Cars under $80,000: Subaru BRZ (84), Ford Mustang (52), Mini Cabrio (33)
Sports Cars over $80,000: BMW 4 Series (123), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (35), Chevrolet Corvette (25)
Sports Cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (52), Ferrari range (14), Aston Martin two-doors (10)

Light SUVs: Kia Stonic (1117), Hyundai Venue (582), Toyota Yaris Cross (576)
Small SUVs under $40,000: MG ZS (1758), Hyundai Kona (1313), Mazda CX-30 (1175)
Small SUVs over $40,000: Volvo XC40 (613), BMW X1 (396), Mercedes-Benz GLA (343)
Medium SUVs under $60,000: Toyota RAV4 (3925), Mazda CX-5 (1947), Mitsubishi Outlander (1799)
Medium SUVs over $60,000: BMW X3 (471), Audi Q5 (321), Mercedes-Benz GLC (312)
Large SUVs under $70,000: Toyota Prado (2195), Toyota Kluger (1497), Subaru Outback (1215)
Large SUVs over $70,000: BMW X5 (387), Mercedes-Benz GLE (222), Lexus RX (214)
Upper Large SUVs under $100,000: Toyota LandCruiser Wagon (1363), Nissan Patrol (857)
Upper Large SUVs over $100,000: BMW X7 (109), Mercedes-Benz GLS (103), Lexus LX (70)

Light Vans: Volkswagen Caddy (60), Renault Kangoo (47), Peugeot Partner (39)
Medium Vans: Toyota HiAce (1072), Hyundai Staria Load (349), LDV G10 (171)
Large Vans: LDV Deliver 9 (371), Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (241), Renault Master (197)
Light Buses: Toyota HiAce (248), Toyota Coaster (29), LDV Deliver 9 (21)
4×2 Utes: Toyota HiLux (1179), Isuzu D-Max (494), Ford Ranger (299)
4×4 Utes: Toyota HiLux (3999), Ford Ranger (3452), Isuzu D-Max (1939)