Australian Car Industry News

US pick-up sales in Australia are continuing at record pace, with Ram and Chevrolet posting big gains in the grip of the coronavirus crisis – and now the Melbourne facility that remanufactures them in right-hand-drive is struggling to keep up with demand. The Ram Trucks Australia assembly line has been running 24-hours a day, five days a week for more than a year – and the adjacent Chevrolet Silverado facility is also running at maximum capacity.

The local arm of Japanese luxury carmaker, Lexus, is riding the crest of a hybrid wave, with its range of electrified vehicles accounting for around 30 per cent of local sales. And while Lexus has confirmed its first all-electric vehicle, the crossover UX300e with 400km of range, will go on sale in China and Europe this year, it’s unlikely to make its way Down Under anytime soon.

An increasing number of new-car buyers are confident purchasing a car online despite never having driven it or seen it in person, according to new research out of the United Kingdom – which has been backed by Australian dealers. A survey of more than 700 car buyers, conducted by online retailer BuyACar.co.uk, found almost 25 per cent of respondents said they would "be confident in buying a car without seeing it, if it was protected by guarantees and a warranty".

A group of Australian automotive executives is working on a plan to assemble hydrogen vehicles locally – with key components to be sourced from Europe and the Americas. Start-up manufacturer H2X Australia has bold plans to begin assembling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for the commercial industry and mining sectors, before potentially moving on to taxis, vans and passenger cars. If successful, the proposal is to assemble the vehicles in Port Kembla, south of Sydney.

Buyers appear to be returning to showrooms as COVID-19 restrictions are eased, according to official new-car sales figures for May 2020. After new-car sales dropped by 48.5 per cent in April – the biggest decline in at least 30 years – the slowdown of 35.3 per cent in May is being viewed as a sign the worst could be over. Figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show a total of 59,894 vehicles were reported as sold in May 2020, versus 92,961 for the same month last year.