VFACTS: Vehicle sales in April 2022

Australia’s new car sales plummeted 12.2% in April – compared with the same month in 2021 – as supply constraints continue to take their toll.

VFACTS sales data recorded 81,065 new car sales in April, with monthly sales falling across all States and Territories. Up to the present time (YTD) is at the one-third calendar year mark, with sales of 343,501 units, a more modest decrease of 3.5% compared to the beginning of the year.

Toyota leads the market with a total of 17,956 vehicles sold and a solid 22.2% market share. Mazda came in second (7378), ahead of Mitsubishi (6463), Kia (6180) and Hyundai (5552).

The Toyota HiLux is as usual the best-selling model (4493), while the Ford Ranger comes in second despite the imminent transition to an all-new version (3581). The Toyota RAV4 is third (3373), the Mazda CX-5 is fourth (2701) and the Isuzu D-Max is fifth (2374).

“We know this [result] Federal Automotive Industry Chamber executive director, Tony Weber, said.

“This is a reflection of the global auto industry’s ability to deliver vehicles that are not
Australia market only, but all worldwide market.

“Automakers continue to experience processor shortages
this is affecting their ability to increase production to pre-pandemic levels.

“Covid-19 continues to impact production and supply, especially where factories are forced to close and shipping operations have not fully recovered. This is being reflected in the extended delivery times for new vehicles.”

Supply constraints, cited by FCAI as the cause of the disappointing sales month, were a top concern for most OEMs. Just yesterday we spoke with Nissan Australia chief executive Adam Paterson who said:

“I would like to tell our dealer partners that there has not been any volatility from a production and supply point of view. [But] There is certainly volatility and we are far from over any supply challenges.

“We were expecting by the middle of this calendar year to normalize supply, [but] that is not a fact. ”

Brand

Toyota, Mazda and Mitsubishi led the way despite all recording double-digit sales declines, while Kia bucked the trend and came in fourth – ahead of sister brand Hyundai for the whole month and YTD.

Ford was sixth, MG seventh, Isuzu Ute eighth despite selling only two models, while Mercedes-Benz and Nissan made the top 10.

Brands that have shown growth, dominating the market, include Citroen (eight times growth from a small base), Renault (an impressive 103.4 percent increase under new Ateco distribution), Ram Trucks (domestic right-hand drive conversion, up 86.4%) cents), and Chevrolet’s domestic RHD converter, sold by GMSV, up 62.2%.

Brands with the largest sales as a percentage include Subaru (down 52.4%), Volkswagen (down 44.9%), Peugeot (down 44.4%), Jeep (down 42. 4%), Nissan (down 41.4%) ), Lexus (down 39.2%) and Honda (37.2%).

Model

Utes once again dominate the sales charts, taking three of the top five spots, with two midsize SUVs split.

The top 20 list mostly consists of familiar nameplates, although the MG HS makes its first appearance in a big month by its standards.

The overall composition of the top 20 is 5 cars, 5 midsize SUVs, 3 large SUVs, 3 small SUVs, 3 small cars and one light vehicle.

In the top 20, Toyota-branded products occupy five positions, ahead of Mitsubishi with four positions. MG and Mazda each have three of the top 20 – in the case of MG, that means all of its models.

Segment

• Micro car: Kia Picanto (555), Mitsubishi Mirage (52), Fiat 500 (42)
• Light cars under $25,000: MG 3 (1615), Suzuki Baleno (991), Kia Rio (472)
• Light cars over $25,000: Mini Hatch (108), Audi A1 (31), Citroen C3 (9)
• Small cars under $40,000: Toyota Corolla (2202), Hyundai i30 (2071), Kia Cerato (1007)
• Small cars over $40,000: Mercedes-Benz A-Class (267), BMW 1 Series (105), Audi A3 (86)
• Midsize cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (519), Skoda Octavia (182), Mazda 6 (135)
• Midsize cars over $60,000: Mercedes-Benz C-Class (477), BMW 3 Series (212), Mercedes-Benz CLA (129)
• Large cars under $70,000: Kia Stinger (316), Awesome Skoda (79)
• Large cars over 70,000 USD: Porsche Taycan (58), Audi A6 (26), BMW 5 Series (25)
• On the big Car: Mercedes-Benz S-Class (14), Chrysler 300 (13), BMW 7 Series (8)
• Moving person: Kia Carnival (483), Hyundai Staria (92), Honda Odyssey (31)
• Sports car under $80,000: Ford Mustang (97), Subaru BRZ (83), Mazda MX-5 (28)
• Sports cars over $80,000: BMW 4 Series (58), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (28), Audi A5 (20)
• Sports cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (40), Ferrari (15), Bentley two-door (10)

• Light SUVs: Kia Stonic (949), Hyundai Venue (576), Volkswagen T-Cross (491)
• Small SUVs under $40,000: MG ZS (1923), Mitsubishi ASX (1300), Mazda CX-30 (1175)
• Small SUVs over $40,000: Volvo XC40 (388), Audi Q3 (262), Mercedes-Benz GLA (250)
• Midsize SUVs under $60,000: Toyota RAV4 (3373), Mazda CX-5 (2701), Kia Sportage (1327)
• Midsize SUVs over $60,000: BMW X3 (483), Mercedes-Benz GLC (397), Volvo XC60 (376)
• Large SUVs under $70,000: Toyota Prado (1631), Toyota Kluger (1381), Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (1124)
• Large SUVs over $70,000: BMW X5 (184), Mercedes-Benz GLE (178), Land Rover Defender (152)
• Large SUVs around 100,000 USD: Toyota LandCruiser Wagon (829), Nissan Patrol (275)
• Large SUVs over $100,000: Lexus LX (80), BMW X7 (64), Mercedes-Benz GLS (51)

• Light Truck: Renault Kangoo (73), Volkswagen Caddy (57), Peugeot Partner (29)
• Average truck: Toyota HiAce (657), Hyundai Staria Load (321), LDV G10 (224)
• Big truck: LDV Deliver 9 (319), Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (280), Renault Master (95)
• Light bus: Toyota HiAce (192), LDV Deliver 9 (19), Toyota Coaster (13)
• 4 × 2 Ute: Toyota HiLux (1052), Isuzu D-Max (643), Mitsubishi Triton (251)
• 4 × 4 Utes: Toyota HiLux (3441), Ford Ranger (3361), Mitsubishi Triton (2106)

Other terms

Sales by region

• New South Wales: 25,432, down 12.7%
• Victoria: 21,339, down 11.0%
• Queensland: 17,424, down 11.2%
• Western Australia: 7896, down 20.4%
• South Australia: 5459, down 6.2%
• Tasmania: 1466, down 7.9%
• Australian Capital Territory: 1201, down 14.1%
• Northern Territory: 848, down 4.8%

Category analysis

• SUV: 42,370 sales, 52.3% market share
• Light advertising: 19,636 sales, 24.2% market share
• Tourist car: 15,444 sales, 19.1% market share
• Heavy advertising: 3615 sales, 4.5% market share

Top segments by market share

• Midsize SUV: 20.1%
• 4 × 4 Ute: 18.6%
• Large SUVs: 13.4%
• Small SUVs: 12.6%
• Small car: 8.1%

Sales by type of buyer

• Private Buyers: 43,237, down 8.9%
• Sales team: 27,157, down 17.6%
• Car rental fleet: 4976, down 20.4%
• Government fleet: 2080, down 9.8%

Sold by propulsion or fuel type

• Petroleum: 41,796, down 16.1%
• Diesel oil: 27,882, down 10.1%
• Mixture: 6277, down 17.2%
• Electricity: 866
• PHEV: 628, up 153.2%
• Hydrogen FCEV: first

Sales by country of origin

• Japan: 24,353 pieces, down 30.1%
• Thailand: 19,271 units, down 8.6%
• Korea: 12,137 units, up 2.2%
• China: 8284 units, up 47.0%
• USA: 2959, up 32.3%

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