Sales of small hatchbacks and sedans fell at more than twice the overall market rate in 2019, as buyers continued their migration to higher-riding SUVs.
Industry VFACTS data summing up 2019 showed that while the overall market fell 7.8 per cent (to depths not plumbed since 2011), the Small Car segment fell by 18 per cent compared to the previous year.
Your local petrol station may be set to receive a vintage facelift this year, with news Caltex Australia will transition its name to Ampol over the next three years, commencing in 2020.
The move comes after U.S. oil company Chevron terminated the licensing agreement allowing Caltex Australia to use the Caltex name.
Kia the only brand inside the Top 10 to post a sales increase in 2019
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Hyundai’s sister brand Kia was the only brand inside the Top 10 to report sales growth in 2019 – the slowest new-car market since 2011 – after posting its fifth record result in a row and tripling its sales in 10 years.
Kia wasn’t even in the Top 10 until 2004 and 2005 – when it scraped into 10th place – when the Korean cars were imported by an independent distributor.
The number of people killed on Australian roads rose again in 2019, with the national road toll finishing at 1182.
Victoria had a horror year on the roads, with 50 more lives lost than the year before, while South Australia saw its death toll rise by 33.
The road toll also increased in New South Wales and Western Australia, while the remaining states and territories had fewer deaths on their roads.
In total, 1182 people died on the road in Australia last year – up 47 on 2018.
Tesla has delivered the first cars from its new factory in Shanghai, China, less than 12 months after breaking ground on the site.
The first 15 examples of the Chinese-built Model 3 were handed over to Tesla employees on December 30, according to The New York Times, with one employee proposing to his girlfriend at the event.
The only difference between cars built in Shanghai and those assembled in California is the badge, which is Chinese.
