According to VFACTS data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) 85,633 new cars were sold in August, a 10.1 per cent drop over the same month last year.

 

Each segment of the market recorded a downturn, with passenger vehicles dropping 16.7 per cent with 25,783 sales, SUVs down 5.4 per cent with 39,040 sales and light commercial vehicles down 8.6 per cent with 17,513 sales.

 

Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, noted that the August results mark the seventeenth consecutive month of declining sales.

 

“There’s no doubt it is a very tough market at the moment, and despite the best efforts of the industry, the decrease in sales continues.”

 

“It is well known that Australia is one of the most competitive markets in the world, and with the current economic environment, it is also one of the most difficult markets in the world.”

 

“This environment stems from a slow start to the year, with tight financial lending, State and Federal elections and a general lack of consumer confidence, both here in Australia and on an international basis.”

 

“The question needs to be asked about whether the current regulatory approach to financing is appropriate, and if not, what harm it is doing to both the sector and the economy more broadly,” Mr Weber said.

 

As of the end of August, the cumulative total reached 723,823 units, representing an 8.0 per cent drop when compared to the first eight months of 2018.

 

Despite an 11.3 per cent drop, Toyota remained the top-selling marque for the month with 16,700 sales for a 19.5 per cent market share, followed by Hyundai (7320 sales for 8.5 per cent market share) and Mazda (7291 sales for 8.5 per cent market share), Mitsubishi (6242 sales for 7.3 per cent market share) and Ford (4916 sales for 5.7 per cent market share).

 

Kia is the only top ten brand to keep bucking the downward trend, the brand sold 4662 cars in August, a gain of 0.9 per cent. A brilliant effort considering the state of play.

 

In the premium segment, Mercedes-Benz was down 8.3 per cent (2380), while BMW was up 5.7 per cent (1860), Audi was up 27.9 per cent (1365…not sure how they managed this) and Lexus was up a whopping 32 per cent (817).

 

The best-selling vehicle for the month was again the Toyota HiLux (3674), followed by the Ford Ranger (3181), Toyota Corolla (2863), Hyundai i30 (2813) and the Toyota RAV4 (2006).

 

 

Toyota HiLux - 3674

Ford Ranger - 3181

Toyota Corolla - 2863

Hyundai i30 - 2813

Toyota RAV4 - 2006

Mazda 3 - 1999

Toyota LandCruiser - 1916

Mazda CX-5 - 1797

Mitsubishi Triton - 1755

Nissan X-Trail - 1743

 

 

Toyota - 16,700

Hyundai - 7320

Mazda - 7291

Mitsubishi - 6242

Ford - 4916

Kia - 4662

Nissan - 4583

Volkswagen - 4100

Holden - 3569

Honda - 3067