Australian vehicle sales for June 2021 (VFACTS)

It’s the start of a new financial year in Australia, which means the June 2021 VFACTS new vehicle registration figures should show some interesting numbers. And indeed the report does.

During June 2021, an impressive 110,664 new vehicles were registered in Australia (we’ll call them sales for brevity). That’s up from 100,809 during the month prior, in May. The figure is also up 0.4 per cent on June last year. Overall, that means we’ve had 567,468 sales year-to-date (YTD), which is up 28.3 per cent on the same period last year.

In terms of the states and territories, NSW made up 34,633 sales (down 0.8 per cent on June 2020), Victoria contributed 29,332 units (up 0.1 per cent), Queensland added 25,321 units (up 2.8 per cent), and Western Australia contributed 10,037 sales (up 3.2 per cent). South Australia reported 6802 sales in June (down 5.5 per cent), Tasmania saw 1899 sales (up 12.5 per cent), the ACT reported 1681 (down 13.6 per cent), and the Northern Territory added 959 sales (up 14 per cent).

So, what was the most popular vehicle brand? Toyota, again, sold the most new vehicles during the month, reporting 21,076 sales. That’s down 7.8 per cent on June last year, but across YTD, its 118,953 units is up 21.7 per cent over the same six-month period last year. Perhaps understandably, given coronavirus implications.

Top 10 best-selling car brands in Australia

In the top 10 we see Ford has moved up to third spot for the month, and Hyundai steps up from sixth in May to fifth. Further down, MG has jumped into eighth spot for the month, and in fact is currently in 10th spot across YTD with 19,544 sales so far this year.

See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicle brands overall in Australia during June 2021. The figures in brackets are from the previous month.

1. Toyota – 21,076 (down from 21,156 in May 2021)
2. Mazda – 12,225 (up from 10,554)
3. Ford – 8456 (up from 6493)
4. Kia – 7890 (up from 7124)
5. Hyundai – 7357 (up from 6450)
6. Mitsubishi – 5641 (down from 6478)
7. Volkswagen – 4675 (up from 4005)
8. MG – 4303 (up from 3506)
9. Nissan – 4036 (down from 4307)
10. Isuzu – 3964 (up from 3946)

Top 10 best-selling premium car brands in Australia

Over in the premium sector, Mercedes-Benz overtakes BMW for top spot in June. The Stuttgart-based company has sold 16,141 vehicles so far this year, ahead of 14,108 BMW sales YTD. Audi rounds out the top three. Meanwhile, further down Volvo swaps spot with Lexus to take fourth place, and MINI swaps with Porsche for seventh. See below for the top 10 best-selling premium brands in Australia during June 2021:

1. Mercedes-Benz – 3330 (up from 2526 in May)
2. BMW – 3078 (up from 2707)
3. Audi – 1608 (down from 1722)
4. Volvo – 1083 (up from 945)
5. Lexus – 992 (down from 1028)
6. Land Rover – 908 (up from 570)
7. MINI – 570 (up from 424)
8. Porsche – 411 (down from 556)
9. Jaguar – 249 (up from 145)
10. Alfa Romeo – 72 (up from 48)

Top 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia

It’s a rare sight. The Toyota HiLux is not at the top of the leaderboard. During June the best-selling vehicle was the Ford Ranger, followed by the Toyota HiLux. The Isuzu D-Max came home in third spot, which is impressive considering it was in fifth spot in May. Also interesting, Mazda posted higher sales of the CX-5 than the Toyota RAV4 for the first time in ages. We suspect the semi-conductor shortage could be the blame (or at least some of the blame) for the change-up in the top 10 runners. The top 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia during June 2021 were as follows:

1. Ford Ranger – 6058 (up from 4254)
2. Toyota HiLux – 5412 (up from 4402)
3. Isuzu D-Max – 3167 (up from 3058)
4. Mazda CX-5 – 3018 (up from 2768)
5. Kia Cerato – 2711 (up from 2052)
6. Toyota Prado – 2610 (up from 2214)
7. Toyota RAV4 – 2501 (down from 4014)
8. Hyundai i30 – 2331 (up from 2127)
9. Mitsubishi Triton – 2240 (down from 2317)
10. Toyota Corolla – 2175 (down from 2190)

Small Cars under $40,000

Again, it’s a rare sight not seeing a Toyota at the top in this class. Instead, it was the underdog, Kia Cerato, that came in with the most sales in June. Its mechanical twin, the Hyundai i30, edged in for second spot, leaving the common Corolla front-runner in third spot.

The segment reported 10,293 sales in June, which is down 17.3 per cent compared with last June, and down 5.2 per cent across YTD. See below for the top 10 best-selling small cars in Australia during June 2021:

1. Kia Cerato – 2711 (up from 2052 in May 2021)
2. Hyundai i30 – 2331 (up from 2127)
3. Toyota Corolla – 2175 (down from 2190)
4. Mazda3 – 1867 (up from 1031)
5. Subaru Impreza – 472 (up from 353)
6. Subaru WRX – 131 (down from 170)
7. Skoda Scala – 110 (down from 203)
8. Honda Civic – 92 (down from 132)
9. Ford Focus – 62 (down from 87)
10. Hyundai Ioniq – 52 (down from 54)

1. Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 621 (up from 321)
2. BMW 1 Series – 287 (up from 220)
3. BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe – 281 (up from 195)
4. Mercedes-Benz B-Class – 77 (up from 4)
5. Nissan LEAF – 48 (up from 42)

Medium Cars under $60,000

The dwindling mid-size sedan segment is still being held together by the Toyota Camry. The new Hyundai Sonata has jumped into the top five, as it enjoys its first month on the market, while the Mazda6 maintains a steady uptake.

During June, consumers bought 1502 vehicles in this class. That’s down 13.7 per cent compared with last June, and down 9.4 per cent year-to-date. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class during June 2021 were as follows:

1. Toyota Camry – 1026 (down from 1369 in May)
2. Mazda6 – 140 (down from 164)
3. Hyundai Sonata – 123 (up from 0)
4. Volkswagen Passat – 98 (up from 53)
5. Skoda Octavia – 93 (down from 126)

Medium Cars over $60,000

In the popular mid-size luxury cars, the BMW 3 Series maintained its lead from the previous month, just ahead of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The rest of the top five remained stable in their positions from May.

Overall segment sales topped 1666 units in June, down 11.3 per cent from last June, but up 20.1 per cent YTD. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class during June 2021 were as follows:

1. BMW 3 Series – 574 (up from 483)
2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 536 (up from 384)
3. Lexus IS – 135 (up from 105)
4. Mercedes-Benz CLA – 110 (up from 84)
5. Audi A4 – 81 (up from 73)

Large Cars under $70,000

Into the large car class, and it’s the Kia Stinger that maintains its lead. Holden Commodore sales are still be listed by VFACTS, although, we haven’t seen a figure above zero for months. Kia Stinger sales are up 13.6 per cent year-to-date, perhaps helped by the recent introduction of the updated model.

Buyers snapped up just 257 vehicles in this two-model class during June, which is down 18.4 per cent for the month and down 13.5 per cent YTD. The only vehicles on sale here during June reported the following figures:

1. Kia Stinger – 189 (up from 163 in May)
2. Skoda Superb – 68 (up from 56)
3. Holden Commodore – 0 (0)

Large Cars over $70,000

In the premium sector, BMW sold 101 examples of the 5 Series, which was easily enough for top spot. Mercedes E-Class sales dropped off in June, with the Porsche Taycan snapping right at its heels. Lexus didn’t sell any GS models in June, and there were also no sales reported for the Volvo V90 CC and Toyota Mirai.

This segment reported 290 sales overall in June. That’s down 13.7 per cent on last June, but up 58.9 per cent YTD. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during June 2021 were as follows:

1. BMW 5 Series – 101 (up from 75)
2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 58 (down from 75)
3. Porsche Taycan – 43 (down from 53)
4. Audi A6 – 36 (up from 31)
5. Maserati Ghibli – 20 (up from 9)

Sports Cars under $80,000

Into the fun cars, and we see the Ford Mustang holds onto its strong lead as the best-selling sports car on the market. In this entry class, it easily outsold the runner-up, Mazda MX-5, as well as the third best-seller, BMW 2 Series. Interestingly, the Subaru BRZ (2) and Toyota 86 (5) duo are dropping right off, indicating the proximity of the all-new models.

This class reported 664 sales in June, down 7.0 per cent on June last year. That figure is up 5.9 per cent YTD, though. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during June 2021 were as follows:

1. Ford Mustang – 437 (down from 441 in May)
2. Mazda MX-5 – 111 (up from 88)
3. BMW 2 Series – 57 (up from 46)
4. MINI Cabrio – 41 (up from 25)
5. Nissan 370Z – 11 (down from 23)

Sport Cars over $80,000

Up a tier, and it’s the BMW 4 Series that took the lead in June. The nameplate also includes the new M4, which was recently launched in Australia. Arch rival, the Mercedes C-Class two-door, wasn’t far behind, with the Mercedes E-Class two-door rounding out the top three. The Toyota Supra (18), Jaguar F-Type (8), and Porsche Cayman (17) couldn’t make the top five.

This segment reported 440 new vehicle sales in June. That’s down 14.2 per cent on last June, and up 22.4 per cent in the first six months of this year (YTD). The top five best-selling models in this segment during June 2021 were as follows:

1. BMW 4 Series – 158 (up from 124)
2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe/Convertible – 128 (up from 111)
3. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible – 33 (up from 25)
4. Audi A5 – 26 (up from 18)
5. Lexus RC – 20 (up from 15)

Sport Cars over $200,000

Flagship sports cars were once again led by the Porsche 911. Ferrari saw 13 sales run through, up 30 per cent on last June, while McLaren reported 10 sales, up 100 per cent on last June. Mercedes-AMG sold 4 examples of the GT, and BMW sold 4 examples of the 8 Series.

During June, this segment saw 111 sales overall. That’s up 6.7 per cent for the month, and down 7.5 per cent year-to-date. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during June 2021:

1. Porsche 911 – 57 (up from 46 in May)
2. Ferrari Coupe/Convertible – 13 (up from 9)
3. McLaren Coupe/Convertible – 10 (up from 7)
4. Bentley Coupe/Convertible – 7 (down from 17)/Lamborghini Coupe/Convertible – 7 (up from 2)
5. Nissan GT-R – 5 (down from 8)

Combined 4×2 and 4×4 utes

Into Australia’s very popular ute class, the Ford Ranger topped the HiLux for the first time in a while in terms of combined 4×2 and 4×4 sales. The Isuzu D-Max is continuing on strong, in third position, no doubt helped by the all-new model which was launched last year.

The top 9 best-selling utes (4×2 and 4×4 combined – excludes LandCruiser, LDV T60, RAM 1500 etc.) for June 2021 were as follows:

1. Ford Ranger – 6058 (up from 4254 in May)
2. Toyota HiLux –  5412 (up from 4402)
3. Isuzu D-Max – 3167 (up from 3058)
4. Mitsubishi Triton – 2240 (down from 2317)
5. Mazda BT-50 – 1886 (up from 1429)
6. Nissan Navara – 1846 (up from 1544)
7. Volkswagen Amarok – 558 (down from 588)
8. Great Wall Steed – 136 (up from 84)
9. Mercedes-Benz X-Class – 3 (up from 0)

As for the 4×4-exclusive ute segment, we see the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series is back in the lead following a second-spot placing in May. The GWM Ute was pushed down to second spot as a result, with the LDV T60 rounding out the top three. The top five best-selling 4×4 utes during June 2021 were as follows:

1. Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series – 978 (up from 604)
2. GWM Ute – 868 (up from 747)
3. LDV T60 – 633 (up from 518)
4. RAM 1500 – 579 (up from 262)
5. Chevrolet Silverado – 315 (up from 123)

Best-selling SUVs in all segments

Over in the popular SUV classes, and usually we see the Toyota RAV4 as the best-seller overall. However, the crown goes to the Mazda CX-5 this time. Meanwhile, it was the Volvo XC60 that took the crown as the best-selling premium SUV overall for June.

The ‘Medium below $60k’ class posted the highest overall figure, with 13,635 sales (up 15.3 per cent YTD). The ‘Large below $70k’ class came in second spot this time, reporting 12,977 sales (up 33.6 per cent YTD), followed by the ‘Small below $40k’ segment, with 12,158 sales (up 54.5 per cent YTD),

The top three best-selling SUVs in all segments during June 2021 were as follows:

SUV Light (no price range):

• Mazda CX-3 – 1206 (down from 1533 in May 2021)
• Kia Stonic – 745 (down from 986)
• Toyota Yaris Cross – 687 (down from 757)

SUV Small under $40,000:

• MG ZS – 2073 (up from 1605)
• Mazda CX-30 – 1561 (up from 1471)
• Hyundai Kona – 1410 (up from 1400)

SUV Small above $40,000:

• Volvo XC40 – 465 (up from 457)
• BMW X1 – 458 (up from 432)
• Mercedes-Benz GLA – 445 (up from 194)

SUV Medium under $60,000:

• Mazda CX-5 – 3018 (up from 2768)
• Toyota RAV4 – 2501 (down from 4014)
• Hyundai Tucson – 1496 (up from 1152)

SUV Medium above $60,000:

• Volvo XC60 – 470 (up from 323)
• BMW X3 – 459 (up from 370)
• Audi Q5 – 454 (down from 552)

SUV Large under $70,000:

• Toyota LandCruiser Prado – 2610 (up from 2214)
• Toyota Kluger – 1856 (up from 45)
• Mazda CX-9 – 836 (down from 909)

SUV Large above $70,000:

• BMW X5 – 341 (down from 401)
• Mercedes-Benz GLE – 289 (down from 350)
• Land Rover Defender – 275 (up from 89)

SUV Upper Large under $100,000:

• Toyota LandCruiser – 1162 (down from 2795)
• Nissan Patrol – 148 (down from 234)

SUV Upper Large above $100,000:

• Mercedes-Benz GLS – 113 (down from 139)
• Land Rover Discovery – 97 (up from 55)
• BMW X7 – 89 (up from 88)