VFACTS: Shortages dent January sales despite consumer demand

New car sales declined 4.8 per cent as supply chain and shipping snags continued to hamper deliveries, with subsequent upward price pressures apparent.

3 Feb 2022 at 2:28 pm

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Mike Costello

Senior Contributor

Mike Costello

Senior Contributor

Australian new vehicle sales dipped 4.8 per cent in January this year relative to the same month in 2021, as ongoing supply chain snags keep on keeping on.

The FCAI’s monthly VFACTS report of sales provided by the car brands and checked against registrations, tallied 75,863 units compared to 79,666 in January 2021.

The January 2022 haul was higher than 2020 (71,731) and 2011 (73,584) but lower than every other year within this window.

Top five were Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Kia and Hyundai
Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger topped charts as always
MG powered into seventh, ahead of Subaru
Mercedes-Benz dispatched luxury competitors in first month with set national pricing
Mazda CX-5 eclipses supply-constrained RAV4, takes SUV title
BEV sales even without Tesla spike by 109.5 per cent

“The microprocessor shortage and the pandemic’s impact on supply chains continues into 2022. This is an issue impacting markets all over the globe. Despite this, consumer interest, inquiry, and the fundamental demand for new cars in Australia remains strong,” according to FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.

“Manufacturers are continuing to work hard to address supply chain and production issues. We are also experiencing bottlenecks in having vehicles processed from some Australian ports. We will continue to work with all parties involved to resolve the issue.”

Sales were down for the month in all States and Territories aside from Tasmania (up 15.4 per cent).

Private, business fleet, and government department sales all dipped too, with only rental cars purchases bucking the trend.

Vehicles classified as SUVs achieved whopping 52.2 per cent market share, against 24.1 per cent for commercial utes and vans, and a meagre 20.7 per cent for conventional passenger cars: meaning sedans, hatchbacks, wagons, people movers, coupes and convertibles.

Brands

Market leader Toyota posted 15,333 sales, down 8.8 per cent, with supply restrictions on the LandCruiser (down 51.3 per cent) and RAV4 (down 53.5 per cent) in particular biting hard.

Mazda finished second with 9805 sales, up 15.5 per cent thanks in large part to a huge month for the CX-5 SUV – presumably a beneficiary of ongoing RAV4 shortages.

Mitsubishi got off to a good start with 6533 sales, up 26.1 per cent, pushing it onto the podium, with an influx of Triton stock driving this rebound – the 4×4 Triton even outsold the 4×4 Toyota HiLux.

Kia took bragging rights over its big brother Hyundai managing 5520 sales (up 0.4 per cent), compared to 5128 sales (down 13.8 per cent), though once again both brands were bogged down by lengthy wait lists on key vehicles.

Ford ended January in sixth on 4528, down 11.2 per cent, ahead of MG which continues to power up the charts. The Chinese brand grew 46.9 per cent and finished seventh overall, leading in the Small SUV and Light Car segments.

Rounding out the top 10 were Subaru (2722, down 15.5 per cent), Isuzu Ute (2715, up 14.9 per cent), and Nissan (2334, down 37.9 per cent).

Smaller-volume brands that outperformed the market included Great Wall Motor (GWM Haval), fellow Chinese brand LDV, Renault, SsangYong, Ram Trucks, Peugeot, GM Specialty Vehicles (Chevrolet), and Genesis.

The biggest monthly losers included Volkswagen (down 43.9 per cent), Honda (down 48.8 per cent), Audi (down 46 per cent), Lexus (down 29.1 per cent), Land Rover (down 36.8 per cent), Skoda (down 63.4 per cent), Porsche (down 31.6 per cent), and Mini (down 39.4 per cent).

January 2022 sales by brand

Brand	Sales	Change over Jan 21
Toyota	15,333	-8.8%
Mazda	9805	15.2%
Mitsubishi	6533	26.1%
Kia	5520	0.4%
Hyundai	5128	-13.8%
Ford	4528	-11.2%
MG	3538	46.9%
Subaru	2722	-15.5%
Isuzu Ute	2715	14.9%
Nissan	2334	-37.9%
Mercedes-Benz	2556	-4.5%
BMW	1565	-8.0%
Volkswagen	1527	-43.9%
Suzuki	1413	-12.4%
Honda	1173	-48.8%
GWM Haval	1163	51.2%
LDV	1052	36.6%
Audi	786	-46.0%
Volvo Car	726	-9.6%
Renault	645	150.0%
Lexus	528	-29.1%
Jeep	446	-11.7%
Land Rover	339	-36.8%
Skoda	330	-63.4%
Porsche	275	-31.6%
SsangYong	253	44.6%
Ram	196	64.7%
Peugeot	184	72.0%
Mini	146	-39.4%
Chevrolet GMSV	120	87.5%
Genesis	80	433.3%
Fiat	120	0.8%
Alfa Romeo	45	18.4%
Maserati	44	22.2%
Jaguar	33	-37.7%
Citroen	29	70.6%
Ferrari	20	25.0%
Chrysler	13	-55.2%
Lotus	12	–
Aston Martin	7	-53.3%
Bentley	5	-70.6%
McLaren	4	-20.0%
Alpine	1	0.0%
Lamborghini	1	-91.7%

Models

As has become the norm, the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger topped the charts.

The Mazda CX-5 had its best relative month in ages, finishing third overall and returning to the number-one SUV slot on the back of the RAV4’s supply-related decline.

Shipments of Mitsubishi Triton to deliver on orders drove the ute into fourth, ahead of the Toyota Prado. Rounding out the top 10 were the Isuzu D-Max, Hyundai i30, MG ZS, MG 3, and Subaru Forester.

If you told someone a few years ago that two MG models would outsell the Corolla and Mazda 3, you would have been laughed out of the room.

The top 20 sellers list included seven SUVs, six utes, six passenger sedans/hatches, and one van/light bus.

Model	Sales	Change over Jan 21
Toyota HiLux	3591	-8.2%
Ford Ranger	3245	4.0%
Mazda CX-5	3213	54.4%
Mitsubishi Triton	2876	50.7%
Toyota Prado	2566	88.8%
Isuzu D-Max	1895	4.0%
Hyundai i30	1642	-15.9%
MG ZS	1588	26.7%
MG 3	1551	80.6%
Subaru Forester	1480	20.2%
Toyota Corolla	1442	-30.1%
Toyota RAV4	1425	-53.5%
Mazda CX-30	1388	53.0%
Mitsubishi Outlander	1352	38.1%
Mazda 3	1273	-15.2%
Toyota Camry	1233	51.3%
Mazda BT-50	1222	16.7%
Kia Cerato	1208	-21.8%
Nissan Navara	1179	28.2%
Toyota Hiace	1130	27.8%

Segments

We can also identify the most popular models in each vehicle segment.

Micro Cars: Kia Picanto (572), Mitsubishi Mirage (259), Fiat 500 (54)
Light Cars under $25,000: MG 3 (1551), Mazda 2 (554), Kia Rio (450)
Light Cars over $25,000: Mini Hatch (85), Audi A1 (15), Citroen C3 (7)
Small Cars under $40,000: Hyundai i30 (1642), Toyota Corolla (1442), Mazda 3 (1273)
Small Cars over $40,000: Mercedes-Benz A-Class (252), BMW 1 Series (91), BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe (87)
Medium Cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (1233), Mazda 6 (111), Hyundai Sonata (105)
Medium Cars over $60,000: Mercedes-Benz CLA (170), BMW 3 Series (162), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (119)
Large Cars under $70,000: Kia Stinger (77), Skoda Superb (49)
Large Cars over $70,000: Porsche Taycan (37), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (25), BMW 5 Series (22)
Upper Large Cars: Mercedes-Benz S-Class (32), Chrysler 300 (13), BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (6)
People Movers: Kia Carnival (495), Honda Odyssey (129), Hyundai Staria (120)
Sports Cars under $80,000: Ford Mustang (105), Subaru BRZ (97), BMW 2 Series (59)
Sports Cars over $80,000: Mercedes-Benz C-Class (80), BMW 4 Series (53), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (31)
Sports Cars over $200,000: Ferrari range (20), Porsche 911 (19), Aston Martin/Bentley/McLaren two-door ranges (4)

Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (905), Toyota Yaris Cross (841), Hyundai Venue (598)
Small SUVs under $40,000: MG ZS (1588), Mazda CX-30 (1388), Mitsubishi ASX (1022)
Small SUVs over $40,000: Mercedes-Benz GLA (352), Volvo XC40 (324), Audi Q3 (121)
Medium SUVs under $60,000: Mazda CX-5 (3213), Subaru Forester (1480), Toyota RAV4 (1425)
Medium SUVs over $60,000: Audi Q5 (456), Mercedes-Benz GLC (436), BMW X3 (412)
Large SUVs under $70,000: Toyota Prado (2566), Isuzu MU-X (820), Ford Everest (730)
Large SUVs over $70,000: Mercedes-Benz GLE (212), BMW X5 (202), Land Rover Defender (146)
Upper Large SUVs under $100,000: Toyota LandCruiser Wagon (730), Nissan Patrol (115)
Upper Large SUVs over $100,000: BMW X7 (87), Mercedes-Benz GLS (73), Land Rover Discovery (21)

Light Vans: Renault Kangoo (39), Volkswagen Caddy (24), Peugeot Partner (9)
Medium Vans: Toyota HiAce (853), LDV G10 (296), Hyundai Staria Load (179)
Large Vans: LDV Deliver 9 (117), Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (110), Fiat Ducato (66)
Light Buses: Toyota HiAce (277), Toyota Coaster (14), LDV Deliver 9 (12)
4×2 Utes: Toyota HiLux (1022), Isuzu D-Max (441), Mitsubishi Triton (272)
4×4 Utes: Ford Ranger (2986), Mitsubishi Triton (2604), Toyota HiLux (2569)