VFACTS September 2023: Australian new car sales records tumble again

Australian new vehicle deliveries are booming, having set a new all-time September record on the back of improved supply and the clearing of backorders, new figures have revealed.

Industry-supplied VFACTS data for September 2023 recorded 110,702 new vehicle sales, up 18.3 per cent on the same month in 2022. Four of the previous five months have reset all-time records: May, July, August and now September.

Year-to-date (YTD) sales over the first nine months of 2023 sit at 899,286 units, putting the market on pace to set a new record if the momentum remains.

Market leader Toyota continues rectifying its massive backlog – at one point some core cars had two-year wait times or more – by growing around 40 per cent, with the HiLux edging out the Ford Ranger to be 1-2 in the charts.

The nation’s third overall top-selling vehicle, as well as the number one SUV, was the Tesla Model Y, reflecting ongoing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) which overall were up 21.7 per cent as a fuel type.

EVs ended up with around 10.6 per cent passenger and SUV market share and about 8 per cent of the total market including commercials. The market share of electrified passenger cars and SUVs (hybrid, PHEV and EV) was a tick under 25 per cent.

“Our advice is that the supply of vehicles into Australia, including electric vehicles, continues to improve so those consumers who want to buy a new vehicle should visit a dealer or manufacturer,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber. As he would…

Brands

Market leader Toyota continued to trim back its massive order backlog with 20,912 sales in September, up 40.8 per cent over August 2023, sufficient to take 18.9 per cent market share.

Mazda (8031 sales, up 10.6 per cent) and Ford (8015 sales, up 20.8 per cent) were neck-and-neck on the podium, ahead of sibling brands Kia (7303, up 0.2 per cent) and Hyundai (6217, down 4.4 per cent).

Rounding out the top 10 were Mitsubishi (down 15.1 per cent with its Triton on runout), MG (up 65.6 per cent), Tesla (down 13.3 per cent for the month but up 171 per cent YTD), Nissan (up 153.8 per cent thanks to an influx of new product), and Subaru (up 35.8 per cent).

Knocking on the door were Volkswagen (up 13.1 per cent), Isuzu Ute (up 36.5 per cent and fresh off an all-time record haul in August), GWM (despite being down 5 per cent), and BMW (up 15.8 per cent, vanquishing its Mercedes-Benz nemesis brand even with the latter’s commercial van sales included).

Smaller-volume OEMs that recorded good sales growth included Lexus (another record-setting haul, up 267.2 per cent), Land Rover (up 286.5 per cent with the arrival of new stock and new models), Skoda (up 35 per cent), Porsche (up 101.5 per cent), and Cupra (up 111.1 per cent).

Examples of brands that had poor delivery results included the aforementioned Mitsubishi (down 15.1 per cent), Mercedes-Benz (down 23.2 per cent), Suzuki (down 15.2 per cent), Honda (down 16.4 per cent and finishing in 20th spot), Volvo (down 18.5 per cent), and Jeep (down 40.5 per cent).

Models

The HiLux and Ranger, per usual, topped the charts, with the Toyota winning overall but Ford leading the more desirable and profitable 4×4 sales race.

With the Isuzu D-Max in fourth spot, three of the top quartet were utes, suggesting the ATO’s end of instant asset write-off for vehicles hasn’t impacted things hugely – at least not yet.

The Tesla Model Y was third overall and the number one SUV. In fifth was the Toyota RAV4, ahead of the rival Mitsubishi Outlander and smaller MG ZS. Rounding out the top 10 were the Toyota Corolla (the sole traditional passenger vehicle in the list), Kia Sportage, and the Ford Everest – which narrowly edged out its Toyota Prado arch rival.

The below 30 top-selling vehicles accounted for about 56 per cent of the total passenger, SUV and light commercial market, reflecting the degree of concentration at the top of the charts.

Sales for September 2023 by model:

1. Toyota HiLux: 5776
2. Ford Ranger: 5429
3. Tesla Model Y: 3811
4. Isuzu D-Max: 2885
5. Toyota RAV4: 2798
6. Mitsubishi Outlander: 2612
7. MG ZS: 2528
8. Toyota Corolla: 2217
9. Kia Sportage: 2031
10. Ford Everest: 1984
11. Toyota Prado: 1976
12. Mazda CX-5: 1888
13. Nissan X-Trail: 1784
14. Hyundai Tucson: 1678
15. Hyundai i30: 1648
16. Mazda CX-3: 1531
17. MG 3: 1443
18. Subaru Forester: 1414
19. Toyota Landcruiser Wagon: 1404
20. Tesla Model 3: 1366
21. SubaruOutback: 1355
22. Mazda BT-50: 1232
23. Hyundai Kona: 1218
24. Toyota LandCruiser 70 CC: 1208
25. Nissan Patrol: 1208
26. Mazda CX-30: 1205
27. Toyota Kluger: 1203
28. Mitsubishi ASX: 1167
29. Subaru Crosstrek: 1134
30. Kia Carnival: 1123

Segments

• Micro Cars: Kia Picanto (933), Fiat 500 (63)
• Light Cars under $30,000: MG 3 (1443), Suzuki Swift (632), Mazda 2 (321)
• Light Cars over $30,000: Mini (237), Audi A1 (50), Skoda Fabia (32)
• Small Cars under $40,000: Toyota Corolla (2217), Hyundai i30 (1648), Mazda 3 (491)
• Small Cars over $40,000: MG 4 (645), Volkswagen Golf (432), Audi A3 (334)
• Medium Cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (1089), Skoda Octavia (152), Mazda 6 (100)
• Medium Cars over $60,000: Tesla Model 3 (1366), BMW 3 Series (252), Polestar 2 (111)
• Large Cars under $70,000: Kia Stinger (49), Skoda Superb (26), Citroen C5 X (17)
• Large Cars over $70,000: Porsche Taycan (54), BMW 5 Series (47), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (46)
• Upper LargeCars: BMW 7 Series (14), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (9), BMW i7/Porsche Panamera (8)
• People Movers: Kia Carnival (1123), Hyundai Staria (62), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (35)
• Sports Cars under $80,000: Subaru BRZ (158), Toyota GR86 (91), BMW 2 Series (81)
• Sports Cars over $80,000: BMW 4 Series (111), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (57), Chevrolet Corvette (42)
• Sports Cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (86), Lamborghini 2-door range (23), Ferrari range (23)

• Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (1531), Toyota Yaris Cross (641), Kia Stonic (522)
• Small SUVs under $45,000: MG ZS (2528), Hyundai Kona (1218), Mazda CX-30 (1205)
• Small SUVs over $45,000: BMW X1 (516), Volvo XC40 (453), Audi Q3 (342)
• Medium SUVs under $60,000: Toyota RAV4 (2798), Mitsubishi Outlander (2612), Kia Sportage (2031)
• Medium SUVs over $60,000: Tesla Model Y (3811), Lexus NX (772), Mercedes-Benz GLC (577)
• Large SUVs under $70,000: Ford Everest (1984), Toyota Prado (1976), Subaru Outback (1355)
• Large SUVs over $70,000: Land Rover Defender (501), Lexus RX (286), BMW X5 (251)
• Upper Large SUVs under $120,000: Toyota LandCruiser (1404), Nissan Patrol (1208), Land Rover Discovery (73)
• Upper Large SUVs over $120,000: Range Rover (77), Lexus LX (76), BMW X7 (63)

• Light Vans: Volkswagen Caddy (73), Peugeot Partner (26), Renault Kangoo (1)
• Medium Vans: Toyota HiAce (708), LDV G10 (309), Hyundai Staria Load (215)
• Large Vans: LDV Deliver 9 (305), Renault Master (230), Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (229)
• Light Buses: Toyota HiAce (182), Toyota Coaster (23), LDV Deliver 9 (17)
• 4×2 Utes: Toyota HiLux (1046), Isuzu D-Max (546), Ford Ranger (305)
• 4×4 Utes: Ford Ranger (5124), Toyota HiLux (4730), Isuzu D-Max (2339)
• Utes above $100,000: Ram 1500 (586), Chevrolet Silverado (238), Chevrolet Silverado HD (96)

Miscellaneous

EV-specific models top-sellers*:

1. Tesla Model Y: 3811
2. Tesla Model 3: 1366
3. BYD Atto 3: 702
4. MG 4: 645
5. Cupra Born: 218
6. Kia EV6: 202
7. Polestar 2: 111
8. Mercedes-Benz EQA: 102
9. Hyundai Ioniq 5: 76
10. GWM Ora: 71

Doesn’t include models with both ICE and EV options eg. MG ZS or Hyundai Kona. We will run a full EV breakdown this week when we get more data

Sales by region

• New South Wales: 35,968, up 20.6 per cent
• Victoria: 29,426, up 16.0 per cent
• Queensland: 23,415, up 13.5 per cent
• Western Australia: 10,577, up 22.4 per cent
• South Australia: 6676, up 11.2 per cent
• Tasmania: 1972, up 21 per cent
• Australian Capital Territory: 1806, up 20.6 per cent
• Northern Territory: 862, up 3.6 per cent

Category breakdown

• SUV: 64,052 sales, 57.9 per cent share
• Light commercials: 27,793 sales, 21.5 per cent share
• Passenger cars: 18,611 sales, 16.8 per cent share
• Heavy commercials: 4246 sales, 3.8 per cent share

Top segments by market share

• Medium SUV: 23.3 per cent share
• 4×4 Utes: 16.4 per cent share
• Small SUV: 14.6 per cent share
• Large SUV: 12.8 per cent share
• Small Car: 7.2 per cent share

Sales by buyer type

• Private buyers: 58,129, up 14.2 per cent
• Business fleets: 38,508, up 24.5 per cent
• Rental fleets: 6706, up 24.2 per cent
• Government fleets: 3113, up 43.8 per cent

Sales by propulsion or fuel type

• Petrol: 52,619, up 10.5 per cent
• Diesel: 33,614, up 14.4 per cent
• Hybrid: 10,138, up 119.5 per cent
• Electric: 8821, up 21.7 per cent
• PHEV: 1264, up 140.8 per cent
• HydrogenFCEV: 0

Sales by country of origin

• Japan: 33,827, up 41.7 per cent
• Thailand: 22,852, up 12.2 per cent
• China: 17,429, up 17.1 per cent
• Korea: 14,372, down 0.5 per cent
• Germany: 5531, up 34.4 per cent

Some previous monthly reports

• August 2023 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• July 2023 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• June 2023 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• May 2023 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• April 2023 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• March 2023 Australian new vehicle sales (VFACTS)
• 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!