November car sales show continued strength in the market

Australians may be in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis but they are still buying new cars in record numbers. And it’s one type of vehicle that’s leading the way.

Australians are on track to buy an all-time record number of new cars this year, despite soaring prices, cost-of-living pressures and interest rate rises.

The “extraordinary result” comes as car makers recover from crippling supply issues caused by the pandemic and a shortage of semiconductors.

The surge in sales was spearheaded by the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux utes, which are in a neck-and-neck battle for the title of top dog in the sales race.

The HiLux has been the country’s favourite vehicle for the past seven years, but the Australian-designed and engineered Ranger was number one in November, cutting Toyota’s year-to-date lead to just 379 vehicles.

The Ford dominates the more lucrative 4WD ute market.

Utes took out two of the top three spots on the November sales charts, as the Isuzu D-Max came in third.

Neck and neck: The Ford Ranger may be about to break the Toyota Hilux’s reign as top selling vehicle in the country. Picture: Mark Bean

Commercial vehicle sales were up almost 25 per cent in November, while SUV sales were up almost 20 per cent.

Tesla’s Model Y electric SUV was the number one passenger car last month, as overall sales of EVS almost doubled over the same period last year.

A record 112,141 new cars were delivered to Australians last month, bringing the year-to-date total to more than 1.1 million sales.

Australians have already bought 36,000 more new cars than last year with a month remaining.

Sales were up almost 18 per cent on November last year, while year-to-date sales are up 12.6 per cent.

Tesla’s Model Y was the top selling passenger vehicle in the country. Picture: Mark Bean.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said six of the past seven months had set new sales records.

“This is an extraordinary result in what is now likely to be an extraordinary record-

breaking year. Another record-breaking month underscores the dynamic and competitive nature of Australia’s automotive landscape,” Mr Weber said.

“As the challenges of the past year’s supply chain disruptions recede, consumers have

greater access to a broad range of choices and increased accessibility in the market,” he said.

But Mr Webber warned that cost-of-living pressures could lead to a cooling of the market in the coming months, before a “more challenging 2024”.

Australians have bought a record 80,466 electric vehicles in the first 11 months of the year, up dramatically from the 28,326 sold over the same period last year.

Electric vehicles now make up 7.2 per cent of total sales.

The Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger are separated by less than 400 sales. Picture: Mark Bean

Sales were strong across the country, but South Australia (up 28.3 per cent) and Western Australia (20.8 per cent) enjoyed the strongest growth.

Toyota continues to dominate the local market, selling more cars than the second and third-placed Mazda and Ford combined.

But the brand has struggled more than most with supply issues and is one of the few makers to record a drop in sales, dipping almost nine per cent this year.

By contrast, Ford sales have surged by almost 30 per cent on the back of the Ranger and its wagon spin-off, the Everest.

In the process, the Blue Oval has overtaken both Kia and Hyundai on the sales charts.

Tesla is the fastest growing of the major brands, more than doubling its sales over the same period last year and overtaking established brands such as Nissan, Volkswagen and Subaru.