Industry Sales Results
Industry Sales Results

VFACTS: November 2019 sales results

New vehicle sales in Australia fell for the 20th successive month during November. Consumer confidence is at a low and some dealers are discussing the topic of a consumer recession.


VFACTS numbers released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) this morning show the market for new vehicles dipped 9.8 per cent for November, to 84,708 sales. Annually the tally sits at 978,628, down 8.2 per cent on 2018’s running total.

This is the worst November tally since 2008, when the Global Financial Crisis was destroying markets. It’s also the worst January-November tally since 2011. Naturally, the FCAI peak body is trying to put a brave spin on it.

“The industry has been looking for a lift for some time now and has activated multiple levers to achieve some stimulation, including incentives, sales and special vehicle editions. However, the appetite for new vehicles remains suppressed,” said its CEO, Tony Weber.

“On the bright side, there has never been a better time to purchase a new vehicle… Now, with the holiday season upon us, is a great time to act!”

The top three brands were Toyota, Mitsubishi and Hyundai, and the top three models were the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger (which beat its rival in the 4x4 segment but not the 4x2 or overall), and the Mitsubishi Triton, Yep, all utes.

 

Brands:

Of the 47 brands that sold at least one car, SUV or light commercial in November (excluding those that only sell trucks and buses), 24 recorded sales declines in November relative to the same month last year.

However more tellingly, eight of the top 10-selling brands went backwards, and these account for 73 per cent of the market’s total sales. Smaller-scale nameplates recording growth matters less in the grand scheme.

Top five were Toyota (16,954 sales, down 7.2 per cent), Mitsubishi (6861, down 1.3 per cent and finishing second thanks to a slighter dip than most), Hyundai (6821, down 13.3 per cent), Mazda (6167, down 30.7 per cent), and Kia (5141, up 10.7 per cent, continuing its outlier form this year).

Positions six to 10 were occupied by Ford (4966, down 10 per cent), Nissan (4272, down 19.8 per cent), Volkswagen (3923, down 16.8 per cent), Mercedes-Benz (3407, up 39.2 per cent thanks to an influx of new product and a loyal base), and Honda (3825, down 12 per cent).

The next tier included Subaru (3141, down 19.9 per cent) and Holden (2668, down 47.9 per cent, almost half its tally in November 2018). That’s reportedly the Lion Brand’s weakest monthly result since the company was established 71 years ago.

There were some brands that grew their monthly sales, including China’s Haval (174, up 138.4 per cent) and MG (866, up 126.1 per cent), showing how customers are tightening their belts.

Ram Trucks doubled its tally to 307, Renault by 45.7 per cent to 1024, Skoda by 30.4 per cent to 618, Lexus by 27.4 per cent to 894, Land Rover by 16.7 per cent to 629, Volvo Car by 16.6 per cent to 652, Audi by 11.7 per cent to 1608, and BMW by 5.7 per cent to 1731.

Smaller brands and luxury marques benefit greatly from the launch of new models, and are often supply-constrained. These factors both played a role in the paragraph above.

The likes of Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, McLaren, and Porsche also grew sales, suggesting again that the super-wealthy still spend during recessive trends.

 

Models:

November top 20 models:

Toyota HiLux — 3687 (down 21.1 per cent)

Ford Ranger — 3491 (up 0.6 per cent)

Mitsubishi Triton — 3123 (up 29.9 per cent)

Hyundai i30 — 2339 (down 1.6 per cent)

Toyota RAV4 — 2316 (up 19.6 per cent)

Toyota Corolla — 2229 (down 16.2 per cent)

Toyota Camry — 2001 (up 54.5 per cent)

Nissan X-Trail — 1882 (down 3.1 per cent)

Mazda CX-5 — 1735 (down 13.2 per cent)

Kia Cerato — 1639 (up 21.3 per cent)

Mitsubishi Outlander — 1523 (up 52.5 per cent)

Hyundai Tucson — 1444 (down 11 per cent)

Isuzu D-Max — 1438 (down 9.4 per cent)

Mazda 3 — 1435 (down 38.7 per cent)

Subaru Forester — 1317 (down 6.3 per cent)

Hyundai Kona — 1303 (up 30.2 per cent)

Toyota Prado — 1204 (down 17.8 per cent)

Holden Colorado — 1156 (down 15.1 per cent)

Honda CR-V — 1141 (down 1.6 per cent)

Mazda CX-3 — 1107 (down 15 per cent)

Vehicles that experienced the biggest bump in November were the fleet-favourite Camry (up 706 units over November ’18’s tally), Triton 4x4 (up 595), just-updated Outlander (up 524), RAV4 (up 380 despite hybrid supply headaches) and Kona (up 302).

The vehicles the fell most dramatically for the month were the more expensive new-generation Mazda 3 (down 907), Holden Astra (down 829), Toyota HiLux 4x4 (down 794), Ford Mustang (down 661 in an example of how sports car sales invariably decline as they age), and the Mazda 2 (down 541, tempered by the arrival of an updated one this month).

 

Top three sellers per segment:

Micro Cars (295, down 50.8 per cent): Kia Picanto (217), Mitsubishi Mirage (45), Fiat 500 (33)

Light Cars (3936, down 35.3 per cent): Toyota Yaris ( 889), Kia Rio (438), Suzuki Baleno (415)

Small Cars < $40k (10,863, down 19.8 per cent): Hyundai i30 (2339), Toyota Corolla (2229), Kia Cerato (1639)

Small Cars > $40k (1095, up 7 per cent): Mercedes-Benz A-Class (370), Audi A3 (251), Mercedes-Benz B-Class (224)

Medium Cars < $60k (2618, up 15.7 per cent): Toyota Camry (2001), Mazda 6 (173), Skoda Octavia (142)

Medium Cars > $60k (1328, up 30.3 per cent): Mercedes-Benz C-Class (467), BMW 3 Series (307), Audi A4 (112)

Large Cars < $70k (470, down 48.4 per cent): Holden Commodore (309), Kia Stinger (113), Skoda Superb (31)

Large Cars > $70k (209, down 26.9 per cent): Mercedes-Benz E-Class (99), BMW 5 Series (48), Audi A6 (23)

People Movers (1047, down 13.7 per cent): Kia Carnival (471), Honda Odyssey (133), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (94)

Sports Cars < $80k (370, down 69.4 per cent): Ford Mustang (119), Hyundai Veloster (49), BMW 2 Series (36)

Sports Cars $80k - $200k (449, up 81 per cent): Mercedes-Benz C-Class (229), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (47), Audi A5 (36)

Small SUV < $40k (9823, up 0.6 per cent): Hyundai Kona (1303), Mazda CX-3 (1107), Mitsubishi ASX (1027)

Small SUV > $40k (1488, up 9.3 per cent): BMW X1 (285), Mercedes-Benz GLA (246), Volvo XC40 (234)

Medium SUV < $60k (14,276, down 0.1 per cent): Toyota RAV4 (2316), Nissan X-Trail (1882), Mazda CX-5 (1735)

Medium SUV > $60k (2565, up 19.6 per cent): Mercedes-Benz GLC (485), BMW X3/X4 (464), Audi Q5 (433)

Large SUV < $70k (8345, down 16.6 per cent): Toyota Prado (1204), Toyota Kluger (1084), Isuzu MU-X (723)

Large SUV > $70k (1627, up 60.9 per cent): Mercedes-Benz GLE (318), BMW X5/X6 (283), Lexus RX (207)

Upper Large SUV < $100k (1146, down 9.9 per cent): Toyota LandCruiser (916), Nissan Patrol (230)

Upper Large SUV > $100k (271, up 67.3 per cent): Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen (105), BMW X7 (40), Audi Q8 (37)

Small Vans (257, down 21.2 per cent): Volkswagen Caddy (123), Renault Kangoo (113), Fiat Doblo (12)

Medium Vans (1474, down 16.9 per cent): Toyota HiAce (542), Hyundai iLoad (234), Ford Transit Custom (214)

4x2 Utes (2495, down 18.7 per cent): Toyota HiLux (812), Isuzu D-Max (434), Mitsubishi Triton (328)

4x4 Utes (14,552, down 6.5 per cent): Ford Ranger (3218), Toyota HiLux (2875), Mitsubishi Triton (2795)

 

Miscellaneous:

Every State and Territory fell, ‘led’ by Victoria (down 2890 units, 10.6 per cent), NSW (down 2705, 9.2 per cent) and Queensland (down 2002, 10,7 per cent).

SUVs held 46.7 per cent market share, passenger cars 27.2, and light commercial utes and vans 22.5. The top five segments by market share were Medium SUV (19.9), 4x4 utes (17.2), Small Cars (14.1), Small SUV (13.4) and Large SUV (11.8).

Across the market, business fleet sales accounted for 37,532 units (down 4.5 per cent), while private buyers purchased 34,628 (down 14.7 per cent). Rental cars (6236, down 6.9 per cent) and government departments (3232, down 9.2 per cent) made up the remainder.

Hybrid car sales were 3897, up 137 per cent. Electric and PHEV cars (excluding Tesla, which refuses to disclose data) totalled 331 units, up three-fold but still fractional.

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