Australian new car sales post first positive result in 31 months

In another strong sign that the Australian economy has turned a corner, new car sales skyrocketed in November, driven by one segment.

New car sales bounced back dramatically in November, buoyed by a huge 50 per cent increase in sales of SUVs.

The growth was driven by Australians cancelling overseas trips and buying vehicles to explore Australia, according to the head of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Tony Weber.

“We believe that, given our inability to travel internationally, many Australians are choosing to purchase a new vehicle and holiday at home this year — and we fully expect to see a notable increase in family driving trips over the Christmas season,” Mr Weber said.

Monthly new car sales rose for the first time in two and a half years in November, up 12 per cent — or more than 10,000 vehicles — over the same period last year.

Mr Weber said improving consumer confidence and government stimulus programs had also contributed to the change.

Toyota sold more than 5000 HiLux utes in November.

Aside from private SUV buyers, tradies also returned to the market in November, driving an 11 per cent rise in sales of commercial vehicles.

Leading the charge in November was the Toyota HiLux, which registered more than 5000 sales. This was followed by the Ford Ranger ute with 4260 sales.

The stellar result bodes well for the Australian economy after the announcement earlier this week that the country is officially out of a recession after GDP grew by 3.3 per cent in the September quarter.

Ute sales rebounded very strongly in November.

Mr Weber said: “Recent Australian new vehicles sales have seen 31 months of straight decline. This has been caused by a number of well recognised factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and environmental and financial issues,” said Mr Weber.

“With the Australian economy showing improvement, it’s good news to see new vehicle sales trending in a more positive direction.”

One in four new cars sold in the past month was a Toyota.

Toyota furthered cemented itself as the king of Aussie roads with a bumper November where the RAV4 SUV (3800 sales), Toyota LandCruiser 4WD (2947), Toyota Corolla small car (2774) and Toyota Prado 4WD (2602) sat in positions three through six.

Isuzu’s new D-Max ute had a very strong November.

These strong results along with the HiLux helped Toyota sell more than 23,000 vehicles in November alone, which means one in every four cars sold in the past month was a Toyota.

A surprise entrant into the top 10 for the first time was the Isuzu D-Max ute. The Japanese ute has a cult following in rural areas but the release of a new variant earlier this year has made it a genuine contender to the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

Aussies are big fans of the Mazda CX-5 SUV.

Mazda bounced back to its best, selling more than 9000 vehicles, a rise of almost 50 per cent compared to October.

Several luxury car brands also had a bumper November. Audi sales were up 13 per cent, BMW cashed in with a 53 per cent increase and Lexus was up 18 per cent.

But nothing compares to the rise of Chinese vehicle sales.

The recent war of words between China and Australia has had no effect on the staggering growth of Chinese-made vehicles. Sales of Chinese cars were up about 130 per cent in November and 60 per cent for the year.

Top 10 sellers in November

Toyota HiLux 5038

Ford Ranger 4260

Toyota RAV4 3800

Toyota LandCruiser 2947

Toyota Corolla 2774

Toyota Prado 2602

Mazda CX-5 2412

Isuzu D-Max 2095

Hyundai i30 2047

Hyundai Tucson 1995

Top 10 brands in November

Toyota 23,204

Mazda 9053

Hyundai 6903

Ford 6613

Mitsubishi 5488

Kia 5376

Nissan 4001

Volkswagen 3280

Subaru 3203

Isuzu 2943

Originally published as Australian new car sales post first positive result in 31 months