The Australian new car market continued to slide according to VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), a total of 99,442 vehicles were sold in March representing a decrease of 7546 vehicles sales, or 7.1 per cent, when compared to the corresponding month last year.
As of the end of March, the cumulative total for 2019 sits at 268,538 sales across all segments which is 7.9 per cent behind the same period last year.
Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said that current economic conditions had contributed to the market’s position.
“We are seeing a cautious consumer approach at the moment, and this is not surprising given the number of economic headwinds in the Australian market,” Weber said.
SUVs took a 45.9 per cent (45,660) share of the sales in March, passenger cars fell to a 29.2 per cent (28,999) share while light commercials accounted for a 21.6 per cent (21,488) share of the action.
As we’ve come to expect, Toyota was number one with 17,298 sales representing a 17.4 per cent market share.
Mitsubishi continued its renaissance finishing in second spot with its best ever March. The brand recorded 10,135 sales, an increase of 15.6 per cent on last year. The Triton, ASX and Outlander all finished in the top ten.
Kia was the only other top ten brand to better March 2018, the Korean marque was up 4.3 per cent. The sharply-priced Cerato was Kia’s best performer with 1875 sales.
We like to keep an eye on former titans Ford and Holden. The Blue Oval dropped 7.9 per cent (6160 sales), it’s only the Ranger that is keeping Ford relevant in a competitive market. Despite dropping 25 per cent, Holden held onto tenth spot with 3833 registrations.
In terms of models, the three top-selling vehicles for the month were all utes with the Toyota HiLux reporting 4527 sales, followed by the Ford Ranger with 3721 sales, and the Mitsubishi Triton which registered 2666 sales.
The passenger car battle was won by the Mazda 3 (2642), runout deals keep it ahead of the new Corolla (2499).
Mazda also scored a win with the ever-popular CX-5 finding 2414 buyers which makes it Australia’s best-selling SUV. The new RAV4 may put it under some pressure.
Top 10 selling new vehicles – March 2019
Toyota HiLux - 4527
Ford Ranger - 3721
Mitsubishi Triton - 2666
Mazda 3 - 2642
Toyota Corolla - 2499
Mazda CX-5 - 2414
Hyundai i30 - 2402
Toyota LandCruiser - 2307
Mitsubishi ASX - 2235
Mitsubishi Outlander - 2070
Top 10 selling vehicle brands - March 2019
Toyota - 17,298 (- 8.3 per cent)
Mitsubishi - 10,135 (+15.6 per cent)
Mazda - 9618 (-1.0 per cent)
Hyundai - 7731 (-8.4 per cent)
Ford - 6160 (-7.8 per cent)
Kia - 5303 (+4.3 per cent)
Nissan - 5115 (-17 per cent)
Volkswagen - 4682 (-8.8 per cent)
Honda - 4335 (-22.4 per cent)
Holden - 3833 (-25 per cent)
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