VFACTS October 2021: Car sales hit 19-year low amid stock shortages, Ford Ranger tops Toyota HiLux
The global shortage of semiconductors – and the subsequent slowdown of car assembly lines – has finally been felt on showroom floors across Australia.
Australia might be coming out of lockdown, but the car industry is still feeling the effects of the global pandemic.
The semiconductor crisis slowed new-car deliveries to their lowest since 2002 last month, dipping below sales levels during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and 2009.
After making a strong recovery at the start of the year – with 11 months in a row in positive territory – new-car sales hit reverse last month.
Official new-car sales figures for October 2021 in Australia – released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries – show 74,650 vehicles were reported as sold, down 8.1 per cent compared to the same month last year (which was still in the grip of the COVID pandemic) and the weakest October result in 19 years.
“Unfortunately we have been bracing for this slowdown for some time, given the ongoing stock shortages in the car industry globally,” said James Voortman, the CEO of the Australian Automotive Dealers Association (AADA).
“This result is not a surprise given the difficulty dealers are having in securing new cars due to the global supply crunch.”
The AADA has forecast a few more months of slowdowns before the car industry starts to recover again.
The global shortage of semiconductors – which take 26 weeks to manufacture in surgery-like environments – has crippled the automotive industry as modern vehicles are equipped with more technology.
Each new vehicle produced today has between 300 and 3000 semiconductors, or computer chips. Combined with increases in demand for smartphones, computers, and medical equipment, the car industry is competing for access to the critical devices.
Despite the setback, the Australian new-car market is still likely to eclipse 1 million sales in 2021, with 890,790 vehicles reported as sold in the first 10 months of the year, an increase of 22.7 per cent compared to record lows posted during the pandemic last year.
“The good news is that demand remains strong and we are hopeful that (production) issues subside in the coming months which will allow us to satisfy that demand,” said Mr Voortman.
Dealers canvassed by Drive say they continue to take a record number of vehicle orders but can only deliver about a quarter of the cars they are selling.
“Many of our customers will have to wait for their new vehicle orders and anyone thinking of buying a new car should place an order as soon as they can,” said Mr Voortman.
“As we have been saying throughout this crisis, we strongly encourage customers to get their orders in now, because the supply issues will eventually be resolved and customers will get their cars. But they need to get in the queue.”
New-car sales figures for October 2021 also showed the Ford Ranger has closed the gap to the Toyota HiLux and is now just 3066 sales away from becoming Australia’s top-selling vehicle outright.
If the Ford Ranger topples the Toyota HiLux – which has been experiencing production slowdowns – it will be the first time in 26 years a Ford vehicle has led the Australian car market.
Utes filled three of the top five sales spots in October 2021 after the Isuzu D-Max had another strong month.
In other upsets, South Korean car maker Hyundai was second on the charts – by brand – after ranking third outright each calendar year since 2016.
All but two Top 10 brands posted sales declines, with Hyundai and MG both posting gains in a tough month.
Fellow Chinese brands Great Wall Motors Haval and LDV also posted sales gains but were just outside the Top 10.
Indeed, they outperformed Japanese car maker Honda, which continued its poor sales performance since the switch to fixed-prices, ranking 18th outright in October as it experienced stock shortages along with the rest of the industry.
Data below supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, compiled by Drive news journalists William Davis and Alex Misoyannis.
TOP 10 CARS IN October 2021
Rank | Model | Volume October 2021 | Change year-on-year |
1 | Ford Ranger | 4135 | down 1.9 per cent |
2 | Toyota HiLux | 3961 | down 10.9 per cent |
3 | Toyota Corolla | 1989 | up 2.4 per cent |
4 | Hyundai i30 | 1946 | up 36.0 per cent |
5 | Isuzu D-Max | 1694 | down 12.3 per cent |
6 | Toyota RAV4 | 1670 | down 59.1 per cent |
7 | Hyundai Tucson | 1532 | down 8.7 per cent |
8 | Mitsubishi ASX | 1464 | up 30.8 per cent |
9 | Nissan X-Trail | 1420 | up 10.7 per cent |
10 | Kia Cerato | 1381 | down 14.7 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN October 2021
Rank | Brand | Volume October 2021 | Change year-on-year |
1 | Toyota | 15,395 | down 21.1 per cent |
2 | Hyundai | 6115 | up 2.8 per cent |
3 | Ford | 5462 | down 4.9 per cent |
4 | Mazda | 5181 | down 3.5 per cent |
5 | Kia | 4853 | down 8.5 per cent |
6 | Mitsubishi | 4203 | down 6.8 per cent |
7 | Nissan | 3397 | down 4.0 per cent |
8 | MG | 3136 | up 86.7 per cent |
9 | Volkswagen | 2192 | down 6.4 per cent |
10 | Subaru | 2736 | down 5.7 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in October 2021
Micro | Kia Picanto (467) | Mitsubishi Mirage (388) | Fiat 500 (124) |
Light < $25k | MG 3 (1269) | Kia Rio (425) | Volkswagen Polo (348) |
Light > $25k | Mini (95) | Audi A1 (44) | Citroen C3 (4) |
Small < $40k | Toyota Corolla (1989) | Hyundai i30 (1946) | Kia Cerato (1381) |
Small > $40k | BMW 1 Series (268) | Mercedes–Benz A-Class (255) | BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe (162) |
Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (953) | Volkswagen Passat (129) | Mazda 6 (93) |
Medium > $60k | BMW 3 Series (310) | Mercedes–Benz CLA-Class (123) | Lexus ES (79) |
Large < $70k | Kia Stinger (71) | Skoda Superb (40) | |
Large > $70k | Mercedes–Benz E-Class (72) | BMW 5 Series (32) | Porsche Taycan (16) |
Upper Large < $100k | Chrysler 300 (13) | ||
Upper Large > $100k | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (19) | Porsche Panamera (3), BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe (3), BMW 7-Series (3) | Mercedes-AMG GT (2) |
People Movers | Kia Carnival (317) | Hyundai Staria (106) | LDV G10 (89) |
Sports < $80k | Ford Mustang (269) | Mazda MX-5 (38) | Nissan 370Z (27) |
Sports > $80k | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (86) | Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe/convertible (85) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe/convertible (22) |
Sports > $200k | Nissan GT-R (31) | Porsche 911 (28) | Ferrari coupe/convertible (12) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in October 2021
Light SUV | Kia Stonic (638) | Toyota Yaris Cross (554) | Volkswagen T-Cross (503) |
Small SUV < $40k | Mitsubishi ASX (1464) | MG ZS (1127) | Hyundai Kona (1007) |
Small SUV > $40k | Audi Q3 (430) | BMW X1 (247) | Volvo XC40 (210) |
Medium SUV < $60k | Toyota RAV4 (1670) | Hyundai Tucson (1532) | Nissan X-Trail (1420) |
Medium SUV > $60k | Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class (457) | BMW X3 (328) | Lexus NX (273) |
SUV Large < $70k | Toyota Kluger (1275) | Subaru Outback (1236) | Toyota Prado (1051) |
SUV Large > $70k | Mercedes–Benz GLE (400) | BMW X5 (194) | Audi Q7 (126) |
SUV Upper Large < $100k | Toyota LandCruiser Wagon (683) | Nissan Patrol Wagon (309) | |
SUV Upper Large > $100k | Mercedes-Benz GLS (125) | Mercedes-Benz G-Class (65) | BMW X7 (56) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in October 2021
Vans < 2.5t | Volkswagen Caddy (98) | Renault Kangoo (57) | Peugeot Partner (14) |
Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce Van (890) | LDV G10/G10+ (292), Mitsubishi Express (292) | Hyundai Staria Load (155) |
4x2 Utes | Toyota HiLux 4X2 (1201) | Isuzu Ute D-Max 4X2 (455) | Ford Ranger 4X2 (294) |
4x4 Utes | Ford Ranger 4X4 (3841) | Toyota Hilux 4X4 (2760) | Toyota LandCruiser 70-Series (1348) |
The market
The tally of 74,650 new cars reported as sold across Australia during October 2021, represents a 8.1 per cent decrease compared to the same month last year.
Brands
Toyota remained market leader throughout June 2021 with 15,395 vehicles reported as sold, comfortably ahead of its nearest rivals Hyundai (6115) and Ford (5462).
Models
Dual cab utes once again dominated sales nationwide, representing the top two best selling models (and three of the top ten). The Ford Ranger was the best selling vehicle outright, with 4135 examples reported as sold.