The official VFACTS figures for Australian new vehicle registrations for May 2013 are out, and it looks like Toyota is maintaining a strong lead over Mazda for the outright best-seller crown.
Toyota remains as the best-selling vehicle brand in the country as well, making up 19.6 per cent of overall sales in May (up from 19.9 per cent in April).
Holden regained its lead as the second most popular, after overtaking Mazda in April. Holden vehicles made up 8.6 per cent of overall sales in May, followed by Mazda’s 8.4 per cent share.
Meanwhile, Hyundai is now breathing down Mazda’s neck, making up 8.3 per cent of sales. Ford was pushed from the top three, making up 7.5 per cent.
In terms of the most popular new vehicle during May, the Toyota HiLux climbed back into top position after a few months off the top podium spot. The HiLux (combined 4×2 and 4×4) went out to 3665 new homes, stomping on Mazda3′s 3054 effort.
The Toyota Corolla also retained its lead ahead of the popular Mazda, claiming second spot. Hyundai moved into the top five, nudging out the Holden Cruze and Nissan Navara. The top five vehicles for May 2013 in terms of sales were as follows:
1. Toyota HiLux – 3665 (up from 2932 in April)
2. Toyota Corolla – 3640 (up from 3504)
3. Mazda3 – 3054 (up from 2842)
4. Mitsubishi Triton – 2606 (up from 1493)
5. Hyundai i30– 2512 (up from 2150)
In the Australian sedan segment in Large Cars under $70,000 category, Holden was the clear favourite, recording 1647 sales of the Commodore. The figure is up on the previous month’s 1515 effort, and this is before the new VF enters the market. Unfortunately, Ford Falcon sales dropped again, from 717 sales of April down to 707 in May. The Toyota Aurion saw a reasonable increase, recording 632 sales (up from 469).
In the Large Cars over $70,000 category, the BMW 5 Series regained its a lead ahead of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, while the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class pushed past the popular contenders to take third spot. The top five vehicle sales figures looked like this:
1. BMW 5 Series – 90 (up from 74 in April)
2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 75 (down from 81)
3. Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class – 73 (up from 36)
4. Jaguar XF – 59 (down from 72)
5. Lexus GS – 50 (up from 49)
Over in the Sports Car under $80,000 segment, the Toyota 86 retained its strong lead ahead of the Hyundai Veloster. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe managed to move into third spot too, pushing out the Subaru BRZ. The top five sellers in this category were as follows:
1. Toyota 86 – 582 (up from 516 sales in April)
2. Hyundai Veloster – 347 (down from 354)
3. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe – 202 (up from 124)
4. Subaru BRZ – 187 (up from 129)
5. BMW 1 Series Coupe/Convertible – 93 (down from 99)
In the desirable Sport Cars over $80,000 segment, the BMW 3 Series Coupe/Convertible maintained its lead over the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible. The Audi A5 lost out to the SLK-Class, which was April’s third best seller. The top five sellers in this category were as follows:
1. BMW 3 Series Coupe/Convertible – 91 (up from 62)
2. Mercedes-Benz SLK – 60 (up from 33)
=3. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Cabrio – 43 (down from 57)
=3. Audi A5 – 43 (down from 55)
4. Lexus IS 250C – 19 (down from 23)
5. Porsche Boxster – 15 (equal)
In the high-end Sport Cars over $200,000 category, the BMW 6 Series remained as the most popular seller. Moving into second position in May was Ferrari, jumping ahead of the other favourites. The overall top five in this segment were as followed:
1. BMW 6 Series – 26 (up from 23 in April)
2. Ferrari (models not specified) – 23 (up from 0)
3. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class – 22 (up from 11)
4. Porsche 911 – 19 (up from 12)
5. Maserati (models not specified) – 14 (up from 12)
In the semi-sporty Medium Cars under $60,000 segment, Toyota, once again, claimed the crown of this segment with the Camry, reporting a whopping 1934 sales (up from 1617). It was followed by the Volkswagen Passat (495) and the Mazda6 (492).
Moving into the premium Medium Cars over $60,000 category, the BMW 3 Series retained its lead over Mercedes-Benz C-Class with the 3 Series. The Audi A4 also maintained its lead over the Lexus IS range. The top five consisted of the following:
1. BMW 3 Series – 528 (up from 313)
2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 523 (up from 272)
3. Audi A4 – 218 (up from 201)
4. Lexus IS 250/350/IS F – 166 (down from 194)
5. Audi A5 Sportback – 64 (up from 53)
In the very popular 4×4 ute segment, the Toyota HiLux held onto the crown, reporting 2737 sales in May. It was followed by a swift move by Mitsubishi, with the Triton, which jumped up into number two spot with 2129 sales. The Nissan Navara, a regular number two, moved down into fourth spot (1388), pushed out of the top three by the Ford Ranger (1702).
For the combined 4×2 and 4×4 ute sales, the overall figures for May climbed slightly compared with April figures. The top ten 4×2 and 4×4 combined figures for May 2013 were as follows
1. Toyota HiLux – 3665 (up from 2932 in April)
2. Mitsubishi Triton – 2606 (up from 1493)
3. Ford Ranger – 1702 (up from 1683)
4. Nissan Navara – 1511 (down from 1953)
5. Holden Colorado – 1379 (up from 1088)
6. Mazda BT-50 – 1204 (up from 1009)
7. Izusu D-Max – 858 (up from 775)
8. Volkswagen Amarok – 782 (up from 584)
9. Great Wall V200 – 307 (up from 209)
10. Great Wall V240 – 177 (up from 134)
Lastly, the SUV segments saw some movement, with the Mitsubishi Outlander and Volkswagen Touareg making appearances in the top three in their respective segments. The Audi Q5 also jumped into top place in its segment, placing it as the most popular Audi for the month, overtaking the Audi Q3.
In the popular SUV Medium under $60,000 segment, the Mazda CX-5 maintained its strong lead ahead of the pack, with 1773 sales. It was followed by the Mitsubishi Outlander (1652), overtaking the Toyota RAV4 (1454).
In the small segment, sales jumped considerably across the board compared with the previous month’s figures.
In all SUV segments, the top-sellers for May 2o13 went like this:
SUV Small under $40,000:
Hyundai ix35 – 1770 (up from 1261 in April)
Nissan Dualis – 1176 (up from 667)
Subaru XV – 851 (up from 435)
SUV Small above $40,000:
Audi Q3 – 255 (down from 271)
BMW X1 – 155 (up from 153)
MINI Countryman – 42 (down from 51)
SUV Medium under $60,000:
Mazda CX-5 – 1773 (up from 1510)
Mitsubishi Outlander – 1652 (up from 564)
Toyota RAV4 – 1454 (up from 1330)
SUV Medium above $60,000:
Audi Q5 – 296 (up from 246)
Range Rover Evoque – 236 (up from 181)
BMW X3 – 221 (down from 256)
SUV Large under $70,000:
Toyota Prado – 1499 (up from 1276)
Ford Territory – 1139 (down from 1260)
Holden Captiva 7 – 1086 (up from 1071)
SUV Large above $70,000:
BMW X5 – 298 (up from 272)
Lexus RX – 204 (up from 200)
Volkswagen Touareg – 187 (up from 143)
SUV Upper Large under $100,000:
Toyota LandCruiser – 854 (down from 926)
Nissan Patrol – 201 (up from 136)
SUV Upper Large above $100,000:
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class – 57 (down from 63)
Range Rover – 26 (up from 32)
Lexus LX – 17 (down from 19)
Overall, new vehicle sales in Australia in May jumped considerably compared with April figures, with 96,788 new vehicle registrations – up from April’s effort of 85,117 sales. The numbers are slightly better than May 2012 sales; 96,069
As for what fuel types buyers preferred in May, the sales figures for private buyers in terms of vehicle fuel were as follows (passenger, SUV, and light commercial combined):
Petrol – 36,408 (up from 31,427 in April)
Diesel – 12,710 (up from 10,564)
Hybrid – 397 (up from 379)
LPG – 49 (down from 60)
Electric – 14 (up from 6)
