New vehicle sales in Victoria plunged by a massive 66 per cent in August compared with the same month a year ago, after Melbourne went into harsh stage four lockdowns in the battle against coronavirus in an overall national market that slumped by 29 per cent.

The gap between states where the economy has remained open and Victoria – which brought in tough restrictions from August 2, including work-from-home rules and an 8pm curfew – was stark in sales figures across the industry released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries on Thursday.