Australian vehicle sales for May 2022: VFACTS

Brett Davis 2 years ago

It’s that time of the month again. Australian new vehicle registration figures in the form of VFACTS compiled by the FCAI have been released, covering May 2022 consumer stats for the new car market.

According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), there were 94,383 new vehicles registered in May (we’ll call them sales). That’s down 6.4 per cent on the same month last year. The FCAI says supply constraints continue to restrict the buying potential. In a statement today, FCAI chief Tony Weber said the issue is global and not unique to Australia. He said:

“Car makers continue to report high demand across dealer showrooms and online marketplaces. Pandemic interruptions continue to impact manufacturing and conflict in Ukraine has disrupted vehicle component supply. Monthly sales figures are also dependent on shipping arrivals which continue to be uncertain. We do not expect supply chains to stabilise until these issues are resolved.”

Across the states and territories, NSW reported 30,757 sales (down 6.3 per cent on May 2021), with Victoria recording 25,164 units (down 0.8 per cent), and Queensland contributing 18,997 sales (down 11.3 per cent). Over in Western Australia there were 9353 sales (down 9.1 per cent), while South Australia reported 6098 units (down 8.2 per cent), and Tasmania added 1651 (down 6.8 per cent).

In the territories, the ACT reported 1367 units (down 11 per cent), and the Northern Territory reported 996 sales (up 2.4 per cent) – interesting that the NT was the only region to see an increase on last May.

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA

At the top of the charts is Toyota once again. It managed to sell 22,813 vehicles in May, which is up an impressive 7.8 per cent on May last year. That’s despite ongoing supply issues which are causing major production delays. Year-to-date (YTD) figures for the Japanese brand are up 1.0 per cent.

Mazda lost second spot in May, with Kia jumping in and Hyundai following closely behind in third. Interestingly, both BMW (2534) and Mercedes-Benz (2282) outsold mainstream brand, Honda (1423).

See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicle brands overall in Australia during May 2022:

  1. Toyota – 22,813 (up from 17,956 in April 2022)
  2. Kia – 7307 (up from 6180)
  3. Hyundai – 7063 (up from 5552)
  4. Mazda – 6474 (down from 7378)
  5. Mitsubishi – 6086 (down from 6463)
  6. Ford – 5233 (up from 4974)
  7. MG – 4064 (down from 4773)
  8. Subaru – 3626 (up from 1644)
  9. Isuzu – 3494 (up from 3032)
  10. Nissan – 2970 (up from 2050)

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING PREMIUM CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA

As indicated above, BMW was the best-selling premium brand in Australia during May this year. Its figure is down 6.4 per cent compared with last May, while Mercedes-Benz is experiencing a more serious drop of 9.7 per cent.

Next up, Volvo is working its way up the rankings, overtaking Audi for third spot in May. Its effort is up a whopping 18.6 per cent on last May, and up 5.6 per cent YTD. In fact, the Swedish brand managed to sell more vehicles than Jaguar Land Rover entirely and MINI and Tesla (12), all put together.

See below for the top 10 best-selling premium car brands in Australia during May 2022:

  1. BMW – 2534 (up from 1663)
  2. Mercedes-Benz – 2282 (down from 2307)
  3. Volvo – 1121 (up from 854)
  4. Audi – 941 (down from 1036)
  5. Lexus – 680 (up from 552)
  6. Porsche – 476 (down from 481)
  7. MINI – 436 (up from 202)
  8. Land Rover – 409 (down from 585)
  9. Polestar – 153 (up from 93)
  10. Jaguar – 71 (down from 93)

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING VEHICLES IN AUSTRALIA

It’s the Toyota HiLux that remains best-selling nameplate of the lot, for May. The humble ute has been at the top for so long, we can’t even remember when the previous best-seller was. Without investigating further our guess is the HiLux has been at the top now for over three or four years. Although, there have been a few months where the Ford Ranger recorded the most sales within that time.

Interestingly, Toyota vehicles made up five of the top 10 spots in May. The RAV4 is still suffering production delays but it hasn’t seemed to impact hard enough to slow a strong flow of vehicles hitting Aussie roads.

The top 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia during May 2022 were as follows:

  1. Toyota HiLux – 5178 (up from 4493 in April)
  2. Toyota RAV4 – 3925 (up from 3373)
  3. Ford Ranger – 3751 (up from 3581)
  4. Toyota Corolla – 3310 (up from 2202)
  5. Toyota LandCruiser – 2667 (up from 1665)
  6. Isuzu D-Max – 2433 (up from 2374)
  7. Toyota Prado – 2195 (up from 1631)
  8. Mitsubishi Triton – 2054 (down from 2357)
  9. Hyundai i30 – 2027 (down from 2071)
  10. Mazda CX-5 – 1947 (down from 2701)

SMALL CARS UNDER $40,000

Over in the small car class, the Corolla is obviously at the top. But further down we see the new WRX has posted a decent increase in numbers from the previous month, and Honda Civic sales are up slightly as well compared with April.

Class figures hit 7818 units during the month. That’s down 10.9 per cent on last May, contributing to a YTD drop of 22 per cent. See below for the top 10 best-selling small cars in Australia during May 2022:

  1. Toyota Corolla – 3310 (up from 2202 in April)
  2. Hyundai i30 – 2027 (down from 2071)
  3. Kia Cerato – 1237 (up from 1007)
  4. Mazda3 – 358 (up from 264)
  5. Volkswagen Golf – 280 (up from 60)
  6. Subaru Impreza – 241 (up from 160)
  7. Subaru WRX – 162 (up from 63)
  8. Honda Civic – 98 (up from 61)
  9. Hyundai Ioniq – 66 (down from 93)
  10. Skoda Scala – 22 (down from 25)

SMALL CARS OVER $40,000

For premium small cars, it was the Mercedes A-Class that was the most popular, followed by the BMW 1 Series. We still find it strange that the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe sits in this class but the Mercedes CLA does not, even though they are direct rivals.

Segment figures reached 567 units in May, which is down 32.6 per cent on last May. Year-to-date figures are down 37.3 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during May 2022:

  1. Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 174 (down from 267)
  2. BMW 1 Series – 112 (up from 105)
  3. BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe – 107 (up from 42)
  4. Audi A3 – 70 (down from 86)
  5. Nissan LEAF – 46 (up from 34)

MEDIUM CARS UNDER $60,000

Humble sedans were led by the Toyota Camry once again, but numbers for the popular sedan are falling. Compared with last May Camry sales are down 58.5 per cent, and down 15.1 per cent YTD.

Overall class figures topped 821 units in May. That’s down 52.3 per cent from last May. Year-to-date the segment has reported 6292 sales, and that’s down 10.9 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during May 2022:

  1. Toyota Camry – 568 (up from 519)
  2. Skoda Octavia – 111 (down from 182)
  3. Mazda6 – 49 (down from 135)
  4. Volkswagen Passat – 48 (up from 33)
  5. Hyundai Sonata – 21 (down from 37)

MEDIUM CARS OVER $60,000

In the luxury class, the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class is going strong, with sales up 1.3 per cent compared with last May. Its arch rival, the BMW 3 Series, is down 46 per cent compared with last May.

Tesla Model 3 sales were down to just 12 in May, a massive contrast to earlier this year. Interestingly, its rival, the Polestar 2, seems to be building momentum, jumping into third spot for May.

Combined segment sales topped 1349 in May, which is up 0.4 per cent on last May. Year-to-date numbers are at 9895, and that’s up an impressive 74.6 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during May 2022 were as follows:

  1. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 389 (down from 477)
  2. BMW 3 Series – 261 (up from 212)
  3. Polestar 2 – 153 (up from 93)
  4. BMW 4 Series – 132 (up from 114)
  5. Mercedes-Benz CLA – 120 (down from 129)

LARGE CARS UNDER $70,000

The Kia Stinger experienced a neat spike in May, recording 428 sales compared with 316 in April. That’s also up 162.6 per cent on last May.

Segment sales of the two-vehicle lineup hit 507 units, which is up 131.5 per cent on last May. The only vehicles listed in this class in VFACTS for May 2022 recorded the following figures:

  1. Kia Stinger – 428 (up from 316 in April)
  2. Skoda Superb – 79 (equal)

LARGE CARS OVER $70,000

BMW 5 Series sales jumped in May, putting it at the top. Porsche Taycan sales are still going strong, especially for such a high-end model. Speaking of which, the Maserati Ghibli jumped back into the top five for May.

Class figures hit 169 units for the month, which is down 37.4 per cent on last May. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during May 2022 were as follows:

  1. BMW 5 Series – 47 (up from 25)
  2. Porsche Taycan – 42 (down from 58)
  3. Audi A6 – 29 (up from 26)
  4. Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 21 (up from 12)
  5. Maserati Ghibli – 9 (up from 8)

SPORTS CARS UNDER $80,000

Into the fun stuff, the new Subaru BRZ is taking off, even blitzing the ever-popular Ford Mustang for the month. BRZ sales are up 115.3 per cent YTD, but that’s somewhat understandable considering the previous model was starting to go out of production.

The entry sports car segment hit 220 sales in May, which is down 66.5 per cent on last May. Year-to-date figures are at 1516 units, down 42 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class during May 2022 were as follows:

  1. Subaru BRZ – 84 (up from 83 in April 2022)
  2. Ford Mustang – 52 (down from 97)
  3. MINI Cabrio – 33 (up from 11)
  4. Mazda MX-5 – 29 (up from 28)
  5. BMW 2 Series – 20 (down from 21)

SPORT CARS OVER $80,000

Into to the more serious stuff and it’s the BMW 4 Series that edges out in front. Chevrolet Corvette sales are creeping up, good enough for third place overall in the 18-car segment (listed in VFACTS). The American muscle car just outsold the Toyota GR Supra.

Combined class figures reached 274 sales, which is down 25.9 per cent on last May. Year-to-date, the tally stands at 1196 units, down 27.6 per cent on the same period last year. The top five best-selling models in this segment during May 2022 were as follows:

  1. BMW 4 Series – 123 (up from 58)
  2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe/Convertible – 35 (up from 28)
  3. Chevrolet Corvette – 25 (up from 10)
  4. Toyota Supra – 22 (up from 16)
  5. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible – 13 (up from 12)

SPORT CARS OVER $200,000

At the top end of the sports cars range, the Porsche 911 remains king. Sales are up 25.1 per cent YTD for the legendary model, and up 13 per cent compared with last May. Ferrari came home in second spot, followed by Aston Martin.

Segment sales hit 100 units clean in May, which is down 2.9 per cent on last May. So far this year the class has seen 441 sales, down 3.9 per cent YTD. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during May 2022:

  1. Porsche 911 – 52 (up from 40)
  2. Ferrari Coupe/Convertible – 14 (down from 15)
  3. Aston Martin Coupe/Convertible – 10 (up from 6)
  4. McLaren Coupe/Convertible – 8 (up from 4)
  5. Bentley Coupe/Convertible – 5 (down from 10) / BMW 8 Series – 5 (down from 6)

COMBINED 4×2 AND 4×4 UTES

Here in the must-have group of vehicles, for Australians, the utes were topped by the HiLux once again, followed by the Ford Ranger. The rest of the lineup remained in the same positions as the previous month except the Nissan Navara jumped up one position and overtook the BT-50.

See below for the sales results for 4×2 and 4×4 models combined (available in both driveline configurations) for May 2022:

  1. Toyota HiLux – 5178 (up from 4493 in April)
  2. Ford Ranger – 3751 (up from 3581)
  3. Isuzu D-Max – 2433 (up from 2374)
  4. Mitsubishi Triton – 2054 (down from 2357)
  5. Nissan Navara – 1206 (up from 869)
  6. Mazda BT-50 – 919 (down from 1333)
  7. Great Wall Motors Ute – 766 (up from 325)
  8. Great Wall Steed – 0 (down from 0)

In the 4×4-exclusive ute segment, the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series continues at the front of the pack. RAM 1500 sales shifted up in second position, while all others remain unmoved in the top five. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during May 2022:

  1. Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series – 1304 (up from 836)
  2. RAM 1500 – 447 (up from 410)
  3. Volkswagen Amarok – 303 (down from 426)
  4. LDV T60 – 232 (down from 285)
  5. Chevrolet Silverado – 167 (up from 116)

BEST-SELLING SUVS IN ALL SEGMENTS

SUV classes experienced some interesting changes, however, it was the Toyota RAV4 that came home with the most sales of all models. It was followed by the Prado and then the CX-5 in the overall rankings. For premium buyers, it was the Volvo XC40 that recorded the highest figure, making it the best-selling premium SUV in the country for May.

Splitting up the popular segments, the medium sub-$60k class took down 15,723 sales (up 3.9 per cent YTD), followed by the large sub-$70k segment with 12,483 units (up 11.5 per cent YTD), and then the small sub-$40k category, noting 10,068 sales (down 11.5 per cent).

See below for the top five best-selling SUVs in all segments during May 2022:

SUV Light (no price range):

SUV Small under $40,000:

SUV Small above $40,000:

SUV Medium under $60,000:

SUV Medium above $60,000:

  • BMW X3 – 471 (down from 483)
  • Audi Q5 – 321 (up from 265)
  • Mercedes-Benz GLC – 312 (down from 397)
  • Volvo XC60 – 307 (down from 376)
  • Lexus NX – 231 (up from 176)

SUV Large under $70,000:

SUV Large above $70,000:

  • BMW X5 – 387 (up from 184)
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE – 222 (up from 178)
  • Lexus RX – 214 (up from 151)
  • Range Rover Sport – 174 (up from 118)
  • Volvo XC90 – 156 (up from 30)

SUV Upper Large under $100,000:

SUV Upper Large above $100,000:

  • BMW X7 – 109 (up from 64)
  • Mercedes-Benz G-Class – 103 (up from 28)
  • Lexus LX – 70 (down from 80)
  • Mercedes-Benz GLS – 64 (up from 51)
  • Audi Q8 – 40 (up from 21)

Total new vehicle sales in Australia in May 2022 were up on April 2022 figures. During May 2022, Australian consumers bought 94,383 vehicles according to VFACTS, as mentioned, compared with 81,065 in April. Overall sales for the month are down 6.4 per cent compared with May 2021, and down 4.1 per cent year-to-date.

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