September 2024 new car sales results

One type of vehicle has emerged as a big loser in the Australian car market, despite plenty of love not long ago.

Australians have turned their back on conventional passenger cars as our appetite for utes and SUVs hits top gear.

Classical sedans, hatchbacks, coupes, station wagons and people movers are slipping down the sales charts at a rapid rate, representing less than 15 per cent of cars sold last month.

Aussie drivers have gravitated toward SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4.

Passenger cars such as the Mazda3 or Toyota Corolla hatchbacks used to be the most popular cars in the land, though that is no longer the case today.

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid was the most popular car in Australia in September, when it was the only car to attract more than 5000 sales.

Ford’s Ranger ute was second, followed by its arch rival in the Toyota HiLux, then the wagon-bodied Ford Everest four-wheel-drive.

Isuzu’s D-Max finished fifth, ahead of the Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota LandCruiser, Kia Sportage and a pair of Mazdas in the CX-3 and CX-5.

Electric car sales were flat, thanks in part to a quiet month for Tesla, which delivered 2861 cars in September 2024 – well down from the 5287 vehicles shipped in the same month last year.

Ford’s Ranger is the best-selling car so far this year.

The news was sweet and sour for the car industry as a whole – September saw national sales 900,000 before the end of the third quarter of the year for the first time, while September sales were down by 12.4 per cent compared to last year.

Tony Weber, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, said “the September result shows that the state of the economy is impacting purchasing intentions”.

Weber said the were clear lessons in the month’s sales tally.

“First, SUVs and utes remain the vehicle of choice for around 80 per cent of new car buyers” he said.

“Nine of the top ten vehicles sold during September were in the Medium or Large SUV or Light Commercial segments. By contrast the passenger segment was less than 15 per cent of the market.

“Second, across the board customers are showing a willingness to take steps towards lower emission vehicles with sales of hybrid and plug-in hybrid continuing to increase. 

Small cars such as the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 have dropped in popularity. Picture: Thomas Wielecki.

“Third, recorded sales of battery electric vehicles are again disappointing this month. This is in spite of a strong supply of EVs and the addition of a number of new brands and models being introduced into the Australian market. It is important to note that right now EVs are concentrated in limited market segments such as Passenger Medium and Small and Medium SUVs.

“This trend in lower EV sales and increased hybrid and plug-in hybrids is reflected in markets across the world as production and purchase incentives are being wound back.”

Originally published as September 2024 new car sales results