It was a record April for the Australian new car market, with demand for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles outpacing demand for electric vehicles (EVs).
A total of 92,202 vehicles were sold in Australia in April 2024, an increase of 18.3% compared to April 2023 figures.
Compared to April 2023, hybrid vehicle sales increased 194.5% to 16,466 units, while plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) sales increased 138.5% to 1300 units.
In contrast, electric vehicle sales fell 5.1% last April, with sales of 6194 units – strongly impacted by the electric vehicle leader’s 43.5% year-on-year decline is Tesla.
That results in an electric vehicle market share of just 6.4%, down from 7.9% in April 2023.
However, things look a little brighter for electric vehicles when looking at the year-to-date figures. In the first four months of 2024, electric vehicle deliveries increased 32.3% to 31,662 units, although hybrid vehicle sales increased 138.2% to a total of 51,669 units sold.
PHEV sales also increased rapidly, up 135.6% year-on-year to 4,726 units.
New car sales increased by double digits across every state and territory, with South Australia (33.5%) and Tasmania (31.9%) seeing the biggest spikes.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber said: “The April results highlight strong consumer confidence in buying new vehicles, exceeding our expectations and being demonstrates consumer choice and the industry’s resilience in a challenging economic climate.”
He noted that the industry has set a record 10 monthly sales results over the past year. This year is off to a strong start with record results for new car sales in the first quarter.
Despite expectations that new car sales may start to decline due to cost-of-living pressures, they are still rising – although it’s worth noting that sales are recorded after customers take delivery of the goods and are due Some of these vehicles may have been ordered months ago.
Brand
It’s no surprise who’s the winner here: Toyota, as usual, with sales of 20,771 units, up 72.7% over the same month last year.
Nissan had a slight decline, falling out of the top 10 in monthly sales. However, it still ranks seventh in the rankings as of now.
Tesla saw a much larger monthly decline. Although it is the 10th best-selling brand this year, in April it was 13th and no vehicle made the top 20.
Its sales figures are still being reported in VFACTS even though the brand has left the FCAI. In contrast, Polestar has also quit and no longer publishes figures.
Other brands with a decrease compared to the same period last year are Hyundai (down 9.5%) and Volkswagen (down 4.0%).
Significantly larger declines were recorded by Ram (down 44.2%), Jeep (down 39.7%) and Renault (down 36.8%), while brands with strong sales increases included Isuzu Ute (up 46.6%), GWM (up 50.3%), Suzuki (up 40.7%) and Chery (up 37.6%).
| Trademark | Sales April 2024 | Changes every year |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota | 20,771 | +72.7% |
| Ford | 8648 | +71.3% |
| Mazda | 7301 | +5.4% |
| That | 6653 | +7.3% |
| Mitsubishi | 5314 | +19.7% |
| Hyundai | 5185 | -9.5% |
| Isuzu Ute | 4256 | +46.6% |
| MG | 3781 | +9.2% |
| GWM | 3330 | +50.3% |
| Subaru | 3246 | +29.3% |
| Nissan | 2905 | -3.5% |
| Volkswagen | 2838 | -4.0% |
| Tesla | 2077 | -43.5% |
| BMW car | 2074 | +18.5% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 2057 | -17.2% |
| Suzuki | 1622 | +40.7% |
| Audi | 1411 | +32.0% |
| BYD | 1410 | +26.1% |
| Honda’s motobike | 1191 | +34.0% |
| LDV | 1178 | -18.0% |
| Lexus | 1069 | -16.1% |
| Volvo | 728 | -30.3% |
| Land Rover | 601 | -31.9% |
| Chery | 585 | +37.6% |
| Skoda | 475 | -4.6% |
| SsangYong | 461 | -4.9% |
| Renault | 403 | -36.8% |
| Porsche | 369 | -7.5% |
| Chevrolet | 362 | +54.7% |
| Dam | 324 | -44.2% |
| small | 234 | -1.7% |
| Jeep car | 210 | -39.7% |
| fiat currency | 178 | +24.4 |
| Peugeot | 175 | -4.9% |
| Cupra | 170 | +6.9% |
| Genesis | 135 | -15.6% |
| Alfa Romeo | 57 | +137.5% |
| Jaguar | 57 | +62.9% |
| Maserati | 29 | -50.0% |
| Lamborghini | 15 | +400.0% |
| lotus | 15 | +650.0% |
| Bentley | twelfth | – |
| McLaren | 11 | – |
| Aston Martin | 9 | -43.8% |
| Citroen | 9 | -66.7% |
| Ferrari | 9 | -18.2% |
| Rolls Royce brand car | 4 | +33.3% |
Model
The best-selling car in Australia is the Toyota RAV4, with sales of 5857 units – an increase of 166.5% over the previous year.
The smaller Corolla Cross entered the top 20 for the month, posting triple-digit sales increases compared to April last year alongside the Corolla, RAV4, Yaris and Yaris Cross.
However, Toyota is not the best-selling car model in Australia, with the Ford Ranger maintaining its lead. While the HiLux leads 4×2 ute sales, the Ranger easily beats it in the higher-volume 4×4 ute segment.
| Model | Sales April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Toyota RAV4 | 5857 |
| Ford Ranger | 5569 |
| Toyota Hilux | 4693 |
| Ford Everest | 2400 |
| Isuzu D-Max | 2380 |
| Toyota Corolla | 2097 |
| Toyota LandCruiser wagon | 1970 |
| Isuzu MU-X | 1876 |
| Toyota Camry | 1873 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 1848 |
| MG ZS | 1707 |
| Kia Sportage | 1699 |
| Mazda CX-5 | 1629 |
| Hyundai Tucson | 1548 |
| Kia Cerato | 1454 |
| Mazda CX-3 | 1416 |
| Hyundai Kona | 1303 |
| Mitsubishi Triton | 1287 |
| Nissan X-Trail | 1219 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross | 1180 |
Segment
- Super small car: Kia Picanto (392), Fiat 500 (40)
- Light vehicles under 30,000 USD: MG 3 (890), Mazda 2 (453), Toyota Yaris (393)
- Light vehicles over 30,000 USD: Volkswagen Polo (164), Mini Hatch (118), Skoda Fabia (39)
- Small cars under 40,000 USD: Toyota Corolla (2097), Kia Cerato (1454), Mazda 3 (893)
- Small cars over 40,000 USD: MG 4 (476), Audi A3 (345), Mercedes-Benz A-Class (251)
- Midsize cars under 60,000 USD: Toyota Camry (1873), BYD Seal (811), Mazda 6 (104)
- Midsize cars over 60,000 USD: Tesla Model 3 (911), BMW 3 Series (219), BMW i4 (206)
- Large cars under 70,000 USD: Skoda Superb (16), Citroen C5 X (4)
- Large cars over 70,000 USD: BMW 5 Series (57), Mercedes-Benz EQE (19), Audi A6 (13)
- Large cars over 100,000 USD: BMW i7 (6), BMW 7 Series (4), Porsche Panamera (4)
- Vehicles transporting people under 70,000 USD: Kia Carnival (647), Hyundai Staria (85), LDV MIFA (36)
- Movers over $70,000: Volkswagen Multivan (60), Lexus LM (27), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (19)
- Sports cars under $80,000: Subaru BRZ (74), Mazda MX-5 (58), Toyota GR86 (37)
- Sports cars over $80,000: BMW 2 Series two-door (131), BMW 4 Series two-door (42), Chevrolet Corvette (20)
- Sports cars over 200,000 USD: Porsche 911 (59), McLaren series (11), Lamborghini two-door series (8)
- Light SUV: Mazda CX-3 (1416), Suzuki Jimny (862), Toyota Yaris Cross (714)
- Small SUV under 45,000 USD: MG ZS (1707), Hyundai Kona (1303), Toyota Corolla Cross (1180)
- Small SUV over 45,000 USD: Audi Q3 (428), Lexus LBX (252), Volvo XC40 (251)
- Mid-size SUV under 60,000 USD: Toyota RAV4 (5857), Mitsubishi Outlander (1848), Kia Sportage (1699)
- Mid-sized SUV over 60,000 USD: Tesla Model Y (1166), Lexus NX (368), BMW X3 (341)
- Large SUV under 80,000 USD: Ford Everest (2400), Isuzu MU-X (1876), Kia Sorento (1054)
- Large SUV over 80,000 USD: BMW X5 (271), Defender (255), Range Rover Sport (180)
- Large SUVs under $120,000: Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1169), Nissan Patrol (460), Kia EV9 (61)
- Large SUVs over 120,000 USD: BMW X7 (99), Mercedes-Benz G-CLass (46), Range Rover (43)
- Light trucks: Volkswagen Caddy (67), Peugeot Partner (50), Renault Kangoo (25)
- Medium trucks: Toyota HiAce (651), Hyundai Staria Load (333), Ford Transit Custom (253)
- 4×2 vehicles: Toyota HiLux (664), Isuzu D-Max (592), Ford Ranger (480)
- 4×4 vehicles: Ford Ranger (5089), Toyota HiLux (4029), Isuzu D-Max (1788)
- Large pickups: Ram 1500 (276), Chevrolet Silverado (191), Ford F-150 (173)
Sales by category
| Type | Market share |
|---|---|
| SUVs | 55.7% |
| Light commercial vehicle | 22.0% |
| Coach | 17.8% |
| Heavy commercial vehicles | 4.5% |
Leading segment by market share
| Part | Sales | Changes every year |
|---|---|---|
| Midsize SUV | 21,811 | +11.4% |
| 4×4 vehicle | 16,198 | +32.8% |
| Small SUV | 14,218 | +21.6% |
| Large SUV | 11,857 | +24.3% |
| Small cars | 7918 | +38.3% |
Sales by region
| State/territory | Sales | Changes every year |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 29,263 | +16.9% |
| Victoria | 26,492 | +19.2% |
| Queensland | 20,872 | +14.8% |
| Western Australia | 9806 | +18.1% |
| South Australia | 6789 | +33.5% |
| Tasmania | 1677 | +31.9% |
| Australian Capital Territory | 1444 | +14.5% |
| Northern Territory | 859 | +12.9% |
Sales by buyer type
| Customer Type | Sales | Changes every year |
|---|---|---|
| Private buyers | 48,943 | +12.8% |
| Business | 35,914 | +27.8% |
| Boat rental fleet | 4879 | +7.3% |
| Government | 3126 | +38.9% |
Sales by engine or fuel type
| Type | Sales | Changes every year |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 40,565 | -4.3% |
| Diesel oil | 28,336 | +21.9% |
| Mixture | 16,466 | +194.5% |
| Electricity | 6194 | -5.1% |
| PHEV | 1300 | +138.5% |
Sales by country of origin
Here are the top five countries of origin:
| Nation | Sales | Changes every year |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 30,320 | +35.9% |
| Thailand | 22,956 | +44.5% |
| China | 13,159 | -2.0% |
| Korea | 12,426 | -4.1% |
| Germany | 3179 | +3.4% |
THAN: VFACTS March 2024: Big month leads to record quarterly results
THAN: VFACTS February 2024: Another record month for new car sales in Australia
THAN: VFACTS January 2024: Record start to the year but slower times ahead
