The cars Australians like and dislike

These brands are kicking major goals as Australian drivers line up to try something different. One surprising brand is having a huge year.

Australian buyers are embracing new brands and new forms of technology.

The latest sales figures for September shows a clear trend away from some once-popular brands to recent newcomers to the market.

These are the brands Aussie buyers can’t get enough of – and the ones they’re tiring of.

WHAT’S HOT

TESLA

The American brand has proven Australians are keen on electric cars.

Tesla sold almost 6000 vehicles in September, which made it the seventh highest selling brand in the nation.

The Tesla Model Y was the third best selling car in the country in September. Photos by Thomas Wielecki.

The electric vehicle maker delivered 4359 Model Y SUVs throughout the past month, which made it the third highest selling vehicle in the country and the best-selling SUV

Only the Toyota HiLux (5170) and new Ford Ranger (4890) were more desirable than the electric SUV.

Tesla also sold 1610 Model 3 sedans in September. The Model 3 has now outsold the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class by about four to one this year.

The Model 3 is also the best selling sedan in the country, eclipsing the Toyota Camry for year-to-date sales.

Tony Weber, the head of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, says market share for electric vehicles remains low at just 2.7 per cent, but this month’s results show a clear upward trend.

KIA

The South Korean brand is showing up its big brother Hyundai after it was the second best selling maker behind only Toyota during September.

Kia is closing in on the top three best selling brands in Australia, sitting just a few hundred cars behind Mitsubishi in third spot and a few thousand above Hyundai in fifth.

Kia is experiences strong sales growth across key models.

Kia doesn’t have one standout car but demand is strong for its entire range.

Its all-important Sportage medium SUV and Sorento large seven-seat SUV have experienced sharp sales growth this year.

Despite long waiting lists and supply shortages sales of its Carnival people mover are up more than 30 per cent this year.

CHINESE CARS

Chinese brands are no longer fringe players, but are genuinely competing with mainstream manufacturers.

Chinese brands such as Haval continue to grow in popularity.

MG is now firmly established as the seventh best selling brand in the country just behind long time favourites Ford and Hyundai.

Great Wall Motors, which includes the Great Wall and Haval brands, is another strong performer having sold more than 16,000 vehicles so far this year.

China’s car manufacturing is also booming. It was the third most popular exporter of new cars in September, behind Japan and Thailand after knocking Korea off the podium.

China benefits from building Australian delivered Teslas and some luxury brands, too.

WHAT’S NOT

ITALIAN CARS

September was not kind to Italian brands.

Alfa Romeo only sold 58 vehicles, a drop of more than 26 per cent on the same month in 2021.

Ferrari sold zero cars in September.

Fiat was even worse with just 12 vehicles sold or 83 per cent less than September last year.

Ferrari sold zero vehicles in a rare down month for the famed Prancing Horse brand.

Maserati was the lone bright spot with growth of more than 74 per cent for the month, though this equated to just 68 sales.

NISSAN

The Japanese brand is shedding market share fast. Its sales are down by a third in September and the same for the year as a whole.

Nissan is suffering from an ageing fleet, but help is on the way.

A new version of the Nissan X-Trail is due in Australia in coming months.

It is expected to launch the new X-Trail SUV, which competes in the popular mid-size SUV segment, before the end of the year. It also has the new Qashqai small SUV and Pathfinder large SUV due soon.

VOLKSWAGEN

The German brand’s supply issues continued throughout September.

It was down only a little compared to the same month last year but the company’s sales are down 33 per cent for the year.

Volkswagen has been hit hard by supply issues.

Nearly all vehicles in the range are affected by supply issues, but the all important Tiguan mid-size SUV is especially affected ,with long wait times.

The entire Volkswagen Group, with the exception of Porsche, is down significantly on last year as a new-car supply crunch from its European factories affect Audi and Skoda.