VFACTS February 2024: Another record month for Australian new car sales

February 2024 was yet another record-breaking month for new car deliveries in Australia, with a long-expected slowdown in sales yet to be reflected in the tallies.

A total of 105,023 vehicles were sold in February, an increase of 20.9 per cent compared with February 2023.

Not only were sales up across every state and territory, every SUV, ute and van segment was up, while small and mid-sized passenger cars also saw a bump.

Sales of traditional petrol and diesel vehicles were up 4.5 and 21.1 per cent respectively, while electric vehicle (EV) sales jumped 70.4 per cent and hybrids saw an even greater increase of 100.2 per cent.

EVs accounted for 9.6 per cent of the market and the Tesla Model 3 was the third best-selling vehicle overall, behind the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

However, the peak body for new car brands cited the fact just one electric ute was sold – the LDV eT60, which is more than double the price of its turbo-diesel counterpart – as a reason the Australian Government should be cautious about its proposed efficiency and emissions standards.

“Australian motorists’ strong preference for utes, accounting for 20.3 per cent of sales this month, demonstrates the challenges with the proposed New Vehicle Emissions (sic) Standard,” said Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber.

“Out of 21,327 utes sold in February, only one was an EV.

“Growing sales of electric vehicles across other market segments proves that where a battery electric product exists which suits the driving habits of Australian motorists, work and recreation needs they will purchase these vehicles.”

Brands

Toyota was comfortably ensconced in the top spot, though HiLux 4×2 sales sunk 51.4 per cent year-over-year, the Kluger fell by 19.4 per cent, and the Prado dropped by 9.3 per cent ahead of the launch of a new-generation model mid-year.

Mazda sat in second with 7350 sales, down 4.1 per cent. It was let down by a drop in CX-5 sales (down 36.8 per cent) plus the drying up of CX-9 stock, though the updated Mazda 2 also sunk by 35.1 per cent.

Ford was up 20.8 per cent to 7275 sales, and even a drop in Ranger 4×2 sales couldn’t stop the Ranger from being Australia’s best-selling vehicle. Everest sales were up 40.8 per cent and Ranger 4×4 sales by 26.2 per cent.

Just outside of the top three was Nissan, which had a huge month especially considering it sat in 12th place last month.

Nissan sales were up 157.2 per cent over February 2023, with the X-Trail up 283.5 per cent, the Patrol by 206.3 per cent, the Juke by 223.4 per cent, and the Navara up by 181 per cent.

After fending off Kia in January, Hyundai was overtaken by its in-house rival (5703 sales vs 6141 sales). Both were outsold by Mitsubishi, which recorded 6411 deliveries.

The top 10 was rounded out by Tesla, Isuzu Ute and MG.

With updated Model 3 deliveries back on track, Tesla wasn’t outsold by BYD again.

Models

After snatching the crown from the Toyota HiLux in 2023, the Ford Ranger was once again Australia’s best-selling vehicle.

Not only that, it managed to beat the HiLux in 4×2 ute sales – typically, the Ranger only beats the HiLux in 4×4 sales. The Isuzu D-Max also pushed past the HiLux in 4×2 sales.

The Tesla Model 3 overtook the Model Y in sales, no doubt buoyed by a recent update and the resumption of sales following a brief pause to address a compliance issue.

The Nissan X-Trail stormed past all its mid-sized SUV rivals bar the Toyota RAV4.

1. Ford Ranger: 5353
2. Toyota HiLux: 4403
3. Tesla Model 3: 3593
4. Isuzu D-Max: 2941
5. Toyota RAV4: 2843
6. Nissan X-Trail: 2508
7. Toyota Corolla: 2439
8. MG ZS: 2357
9. Mitsubishi Outlander: 2209
10. Tesla Model Y: 2072
11. Isuzu MU-X: 1751
12. Hyundai Tucson: 1687
13. Mazda CX-5: 1642
14. Toyota LandCruiser wagon: 1578
15. Toyota Camry: 1552
16. Mitsubishi Triton: 1537
17. Nissan Navara: 1501
18. Mazda BT-50: 1389
19. Hyundai i30: 1372
20. Kia Sportage: 1350

Segments

• Micro cars: Kia Picanto (260), Fiat 500 (46)
• Light cars under $30,000: MG 3 (1015), Suzuki Swift (519), Mazda 2 (327)
• Light cars over $30,000: Mini Hatch (166), Volkswagen Polo (137), Skoda Fabia (35)
• Small cars under $40,000: Toyota Corolla (2495), Hyundai i30 (1372), Kia Cerato (1116)
• Small cars over $40,000: MG 4 (446), Audi A3 (272), Volkswagen Golf (189)
• Medium cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (1552), BYD Seal (619), Skoda Octavia (126)
• Medium cars over $60,000: Tesla Model 3 (3593), BMW 3 Series (186), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (141)
• Large cars under $70,000: Skoda Superb (26), Citroen C5 X (2)
• Large cars over $70,000: BMW 5 Series (57), Porsche Taycan (43), Audi A6 (24)
• Upper large cars: Porsche Panamera (5), BMW i7 (5), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (4)
• People movers under $70,000: Kia Carnival (464), Hyundai Staria (93), LDV MIFA (42)
• People movers over $70,000: Lexus LM (47), Volkswagen Multivan (38), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (25)
• Sports cars under $80,000: Subaru BRZ (103), Toyota GR86 (61), Mini Cabriolet (42)
• Sports cars over $80,000: BMW 2 Series (71), BMW 4 Series (60), Porsche Cayman (29)
• Sports cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (96), Lamborghini two-door range (14), Ferrari two-door range (10)

• Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (1232), Kia Stonic (794), Suzuki Jimny (722)
• Small SUVs under $45,000: MG ZS (2357), Subaru Crosstrek (1254), GWM Haval Jolion (1202)
• Small SUVs over $45,000: Audi Q3 (342), BMW X1 (331), Volvo XC40 (285)
• Medium SUVs under $60,000: Toyota RAV4 (2843), Nissan X-Trail (2508), Mitsubishi Outlander (2209)
• Medium SUVs over $60,000: Tesla Model Y (2072), Lexus NX (533), Porsche Macan (293)
• Large SUVs under $80,000: Isuzu MU-X (1751), Ford Everest (1059), Toyota Prado (1018)
• Large SUVs over $80,000: Land Rover Defender (208), Kia EV6 (192), BMW X5 (188)
• Upper Large SUVs under $120,000: Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1578), Nissan Patrol (1020), Land Rover Discovery (46)
• Upper Large SUVs over $120,000: BMW X7 (82), Lexus LX (60), Range Rover (44)

• Light vans: Peugeot Partner (52), Volkswagen Caddy (44), Renault Kangoo (1)
• Medium vans: Toyota HiAce (1184), LDV G10 (291), Hyundai Staria Load (246)
• Large vans: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (307), LDV Deliver 9 (277), Renault Master (167)
• 4×2 utes: Ford Ranger (582), Isuzu D-Max (524), Toyota HiLux (516)
• 4×4 utes: Ford Ranger (4771), Toyota HiLux (3887), Isuzu D-Max (2417)
• Large pickups: Ram 1500 (283), Ford F-150 (255), Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (171)

Sales by category

• SUVs: 57,773 sales, 55 per cent market share
• Light commercial vehicles: 23,675 sales, 22.6 per cent market share
• Passenger cars: 19,610 sales, 18.7 per cent market share
• Heavy commercial vehicles: 3875 sales, 3.7 per cent market share

Top segments by market share

• Medium SUVs: 22,404 sales, up 18.2 per cent
• 4×4 utes: 17,959 sales, up 29.4 per cent
• Small SUVs: 14,966 sales, up 34.5 per cent
• Large SUVs: 12,301 sales, up 5.2 per cent
• Small cars: 8384 sales, up 62.2 per cent

Sales by region

• New South Wales: 31,943 sales, up 15.7 per cent
• Victoria: 28,415 sales, up 29.8 per cent
• Queensland: 22,466 sales, up 21.9 per cent
• Western Australia: 11,317 sales, up 15.3 per cent
• South Australia: 6451 sales, up 16.3 per cent
• Tasmania: 1817 sales, up 28.5 per cent
• Australian Capital Territory: 1743 sales, up 19.9 per cent
• Northern Territory: 871 sales, up 20.1 per cent

Sales by buyer type

• Private buyers: 55,729 sales, up 22.7 per cent
• Businesses: 37,103 sales, up 21.1 per cent
• Rental fleets: 5104 sales, up 9.3 per cent
• Government: 3212 sales, up 37.0 per cent

Sales by propulsion or fuel type

• Petrol: 46,533 sales, up 4.5 per cent
• Diesel: 32,022 sales, up 21.1 per cent
• Hybrid: 11,447 sales, up 100.2 per cent
• Electric: 10,111 sales, up 70.4 per cent
• Plug-in hybrid: 1034 sales, up 127.8 per cent

Sales by country of origin

• Japan: 32,476 sales, up 30.9 per cent
• Thailand: 23,160 sales, up 24.8 per cent
• China: 17,943 sales, up 31.7 per cent
• Korea: 12,424 sales, up 1.5 per cent
• Germany: 3980 sales, up 33.8 per cent

MORE: VFACTS January 2024: Record start to the year but slower times ahead