Time to buy: Big deals for new cars in region

One Mackay dealership expects sales to improve and costs to rise while COVID-19 restrictions ease.

IT COULD be the perfect time for bargain hunters to buy a new car in Mackay.

Car dealerships across the region have been sporting significant deals to improve sales.

A total of 38,926 new vehicle sales were recorded across Australia in April.

This figure showed a fall of 48.5 per cent over the same period last year (75,550 sales), and the largest single decrease of any month in recorded history.

As a result of the decrease in sales, manufacturers cut costs wherever they could.

Mackay dealerships were no exception with two of the region's biggest suppliers reporting a similar decline in sales as the national average.

But dealer principal at Mackay City Auto Group Ky Vogler expected a rise this month that would continue while social restrictions relaxed.

Mr Vogler said sales were down by about 50 per cent in April.

He added there was an increase towards the end of the month that he expected would grow.

"I think we will only be about 25 per cent off the mark compared to what we normally do," he said.

Mr Vogler said manufacturers expected sales to rise to reach about 60 to 80 per cent of usual sales going forward.

An increase in sales would likely allow manufacturers to bump up new car costs again that made these months the best opportunity to hunt for a bargain.

Mr Vogler said there was already an improvement in interest after the most recent relaxation on COVID-19 regulations.

"Some people are still conservative … but there are a good number of people who are thinking 'well nothing changes, we're going to come out of this, and I can probably grab a new car now at a better price than when everything eases'," he said.

North Jacklin Mackay general manager John Nash Junior said deals applied across most of his businesses' range with the exception of dual cab utes which had still maintained a decent demand because of business purchases for fleet cars.

John Nash Jnr is excited about North Jacklin's expansion plans.

"We are selling in a similar pattern to what we would normally, it's just on a smaller scale," he said.

"All (vehicles) are on a similar side of reduction apart from the dual cab utes which have held up well.

"I suppose that comes down to businesses like the mines supporting those types."

Mr Vogler gave a similar overview but said the cars that had maintained a higher demand were the higher end specs while mid to low range vehicles had decreased more significantly.

Both dealerships said used cars had faced a similar decline in sales.

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