2023 finished on a high note, with new vehicle sales climbing 12.1 per cent in December 2023 over December 2022.

    Sales were up in every state and territory, which helped make 2023 a record year for new vehicle sales in Australia.

    Passenger vehicle sales were up by 8.7 per cent, SUV sales were up by 6.5 per cent, and light commercial vehicle sales were up by 31.2 per cent.

    You can view our full-year 2023 VFACTS breakdown here.

    Brands

    Toyota naturally held onto the top spot, with 19,281 sales – accounting for 19.6 per cent of the total new vehicle market in Australia.

    Ford pushed past Mazda thanks to strong sales of its Ranger and Everest, with 9826 sales – up 59.4 per cent over December 2022. It had an even 10 per cent of the overall market.

    Mazda finished in second overall for 2023 but sat in third place for the month of December, with sales dipping 20.4 per cent compared with December 2022 for a total of 6765 units.

    Hyundai was overtaken by Kia in December, which helped the latter become the best-selling Korean brand in 2023 despite selling an almost identical number of vehicles as the previous December.

    Kia (in fifth place) and Hyundai (in seventh) bookended Mitsubishi in sixth, with 5134 sales for the Japanese brand – up 4.2 per cent on December 2022.

    The top 10 was rounded out by Isuzu, GWM, MG and Subaru.

    BrandDec sales% Change YoY
    Toyota19,28118.5%
    Ford982659.4%
    Mazda 6765-20.4%
    Kia5583-0.8%
    Mitsubishi51344.2%
    Hyundai488710.2%
    Isuzu398759.2%
    GWM386217.2%
    MG3834-26.2%
    Subaru3623-11%
    Volkswagen361318.1%
    Mercedes-Benz 22679.94%
    Nissan26584.6%
    Tesla2192-3.3%
    BMW2005106.5%
    LDV162311.5%
    Honda157758.3%
    Audi147016.5%
    BYD146315.4%
    Suzuki1203-9.3%
    Lexus1144109.5%
    Volvo927-5.4%
    Chery730NEW
    Land Rover649258.6%
    Skoda6318.6%
    SsangYong494-4.6%
    Renault448-3.4%
    Polestar40556.4%
    Chevrolet356-1.9%
    Ram349-44.5%
    Jeep325-24.1%
    Porsche302-31.1%
    Cupra28243.1%
    Mini279149.1%
    Peugeot21739.1%
    Fiat172107.2%
    Genesis11359.2%
    Jaguar77999%
    Alfa Romeo5739%
    Maserati37-9.8%
    Bentley3193.8%
    Lamborghini23283.3%
    Aston Martin166.7%
    Citroen14-54.8%
    Ferrari13-23.5%
    Lotus9N/A
    Rolls-Royce5-28.6%
    McLaren4-20%

    Models

    1. Ford Ranger – 7767
    2. Toyota HiLux – 5143
    3. Isuzu D-Max – 2833
    4. Toyota Prado – 2475
    5. Toyota RAV4 – 2192
    6. Toyota Corolla – 1888
    7. Mitsubishi Outlander – 1882
    8. Kia Sportage – 1546
    9. MG ZS – 1522
    10. Ford Everest – 1496
    11. Subaru Forester – 1447
    12. Mazda CX-5 – 1423
    13. Hyundai Tucson – 1390
    14. Mitsubishi Triton – 1354
    15. Tesla Model Y – 1351
    16. Toyota Camry – 1312
    17. Toyota LandCruiser Wagon – 1311
    18. Mazda BT-50 – 1288
    19. Mazda CX-3 – 1252
    20. Isuzu MU-X – 1154
    21. Toyota LandCruiser ute – 1083
    22. GWM Haval Jolion – 1083
    23. Hyundai i30 – 1047
    24. Kia Carnival – 1001
    25. Hyundai Kona – 995

    Segments

    Sales by region

    • New South Wales: 28,675 sales, up 11.2 per cent
    • Victoria: 27,508 sales, up 14.6 per cent
    • Queensland: 21,188 sales, up 4.9 per cent
    • Western Australia: 9850 sales, up 14.1 per cent
    • South Australia: 7135 sales, up 26.3 per cent
    • Tasmania: 2105 sales, up 26.2 per cent
    • Australian Capital Territory: 1340 sales, up 6.9 per cent
    • Northern Territory: 743 sales, up 5.1 per cent

    Sales by vehicle type

    • SUVs: 52,275 sales, 53 per cent market share
    • Light commercial vehicles: 25,639 sales, 26 per cent market share
    • Passenger vehicles: 16,245 sales, 16.5 per cent market share
    • Heavy commercial vehicles: 4385 sales, 4.4 per cent market share

    Top segments by market share

    • 4×4 ute: 20,817 sales, 21.1 per cent market share
    • Medium SUV: 19,903 sales, 20.2 per cent market share
    • Large SUV: 13,559 sales, 13.8 per cent market share
    • Small SUV: 12,784 sales, 13 per cent market share
    • Small cars: 7316 sales, 7.4 per cent market share

    Sales by buyer type

    • Private: 46,203 sales, down 1.7 per cent
    • Business: 38,154 sales, up 30 per cent
    • Government: 3384 sales, up 65.3 per cent
    • Rental: 6418 sales, up 24.5 per cent

    Sales by propulsion or fuel type

    • Petrol: 40,993 sales, 41.6 per cent market share
    • Diesel: 35,214 sales, 35.7 per cent market share
    • Hybrid: 9875 sales, 10 per cent market share
    • Electric: 6771 sales, 6.9 per cent market share
    • Plugin hybrid: 1302 sales, 1.32 per cent market share

    Sales by country of origin

    1. Japan: 27,812 sales, up 4.6 per cent
    2. Thailand: 24,621 sales, up 28.8 per cent
    3. China: 15,001 sales, up 2 per cent
    4. Korea: 11,185 sales, up 4.1 per cent
    5. Germany: 4452 sales, up 59.1 per cent

    MORE: VFACTS 2023: All-time Australian sales record, Ford Ranger tops charts
    MORE: VFACTS 2023: Chinese car sales soar, push past Korean cars
    MORE: VFACTS: The biggest sales winners of 2023
    MORE: VFACTS: The biggest sales losers of 2023

    William Stopford

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

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