In 2019 the Australian new car market finished 7.8 per cent down on the previous year to record the lowest total since 2011.

  

According to VFACTS data released today by The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), for the full calendar year 2019, a total of 1,062,867 new vehicles were recorded as sold.

  

December faired reasonably well when compared to the corresponding month last year, in the final month of 2019 84,239 new vehicles were registered, a decrease of 3.8 per cent from December 2018.

 

Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said: “2019 reflects a tough year for the Australian economy, with challenges including tightening of lending, movements in exchange rates, slow wages growth and, of course, the extreme environmental factors our country is experiencing.”

 

Buyers continue to shift to SUVs which accounted for 45.5 per cent market share (up 2.5 per cent). Passenger cars still hold 29.7 per cent share, while light commercials commanded a 21.2 per cent piece of the pie.

 

As night follows day, Toyota dominated the market with 205,766 sales (down 5.2 per cent). Despite a 12.3 per cent drop, Mazda held onto second spot with 97,619 registrations. Hyundai also kept a place on the podium with 86,104 sales.

  

Kia was the only regular top ten brand to grow in 2019, remarkably in a tight market, Kia finished up 4.6 per cent with 61,503 sales.

  

After falling by a significant 28.9 per cent, former high flyer Holden finished in the top 10 with 43,176 sales.

 

Along with Kia, LDV (6480, up 6.9 per cent), Skoda (7001, up 20.6 per cent), Volvo (7779, up 16.2 per cent), Lexus (9612, up 9 per cent), Porsche (4161, up 6.4 per cent) and BMW (23,307, up 1.1 per cent) all finished in the black.

 

The Toyota HiLux achieved the four-peat, again claiming the title of number one selling vehicle in 2019. The HiLux was followed by the Ford Ranger, again number two in the market with 40,960 sales.

 

Rounding out the top five were the the Toyota Corolla (30,468), Hyundai i30 (28,378) and the Mitsubishi Triton (25,819).

 

During the announcement of the 2019 sales results, the FCAI noted further improvements to the VFACTS data recording system. “Like any data platform, continuous improvement is a key requirement,” Mr Weber said.

 

“For this reason, we have instituted a further confirmation on data presented to the VFACTS system from our members.  This data is, as necessary, verified against the national registration database and, when confirmed, vehicles are accepted into the monthly VFACTS reporting system.”

  

 

Toyota - 205,766 (-5.2 per cent)

Mazda - 97,619 (-12.3 per cent)

Hyundai - 86,104 (-8.6 per cent)

Mitsubishi - 83,250 (-2.0 per cent)

Ford - 63,303 (-8.4 per cent)

Kia - 61,503 (+4.6 per cent)

Nissan - 50,575 (-12.3 per cent)

Volkswagen - 49,928 (-11.8 per cent)

Honda - 43,868 (-14.9 per cent)

Holden - 43,176  (-28.9 per cent)

 

 

Toyota HiLux - 47,649

Ford Ranger - 40,960

Toyota Corolla - 30,468

Hyundai i30 - 28,378

Mitsubishi Triton - 25,819

Mazda CX-5 - 25,539

Mazda 3 - 24,939

Toyota RAV4 - 24,260

Kia Cerato - 21,757

Mitsubishi ASX - 20,806