The November 2018 VFACTS report is out, revealing the best-selling new vehicles in Australia. It’s coming down to crunch time, with firm predictions now possible on what vehicles will be the best-sellers of the year.
Starting with the most popular vehicle brands. Toyota goes home with the crown once again, dominating the local market across three key segments; the small car, medium car and the increasingly-popular ute. Brand sales are up 0.8 per cent year-to-date (YTD), but down 2.8 per cent for the month of November compared with last year.
Mazda remains in second spot, with its sales dropping 3.8 per cent YTD and down 4.6 per cent for November. Rounding out the top three is Hyundai. It’s sales are also down, 2.7 per cent YTD and 10.4 per cent for the month. See below for the top 10 best-selling brands during November 2018.
- Toyota – 18,271 (up from 17,811 of October 2018 sales)
- Mazda – 8905 (up from 8172)
- Hyundai – 7869 (up from 7432)
- Mitsubishi – 6953 (up from 6217)
- Ford – 5519 (up from 5362)
- Nissan – 5330 (up from 4241)
- Holden – 5125 (down from 5256)
- Volkswagen – 4713 (down from 4835)
- Kia – 4644 (up from 4583)
- Subaru – 3921 (down from 4370)
When it comes to kicking goals, nothing seems to be able to succeed as well as the Toyota HiLux. It is still very much firmly placed as the best-selling vehicle for the month, and is very likely to be the best-seller of all of 2018. Sales stomped all over the competition in November.
A quick look at the top 10 and you’ll notice that almost all vehicles are either SUVs or utes, proving just how popular these recreation-style vehicles are becoming. Only the Corolla, i30 and Mazda3 are passenger cars. Interestingly, the i30 outsold the Mazda3 during the month. The top 10 best-selling vehicles for November 2018 were as follows:
- Toyota HiLux – 4671 (up from 4401)
- Ford Ranger – 3469 (down from 3511)
- Toyota Corolla – 2659 (down from 2663)
- Mitsubishi Triton – 2404 (up from 1650)
- Hyundai i30 – 2378 (up from 2049)
- Mazda3 – 2342 (up from 2094)
- Mazda CX-5 – 1998 (down from 2000)
- Nissan X-Trail – 1942 (up from 1644)
- Toyota RAV4 – 1936 (up from 1582)
- Hyundai Tucson – 1623 (up from 1530)
Small Cars under $40,000 – As we saw just above, the Hyundai i30 has overtaken the Mazda3 for the month. We suspect some Mazda3 buyers might be holding off until the all-new model arrives in about six months. The rest of the top 10 standings remain steady. The top 10 best-selling small cars in November 2018 were as follows:
- Toyota Corolla – 2659 (down from 2663)
- Hyundai i30 – 2378 (up from 2049)
- Mazda3 – 2342 (up from 2094)
- Volkswagen Golf – 1372 (down from 1418)
- Kia Cerato – 1351 (up from 1338)
- Holden Astra – 1000 (down from 1103)
- Honda Civic – 969 (up from 546)
- Subaru Impreza – 582 (up from 546)
- Mitsubishi Lancer – 511 (up from 461)
- Hyundai Elantra – 231 (up from 224)
Medium Cars under $60,000 – There doesn’t seem to be much attention on this class, especially as buyers shift to SUVs and utes. Even so, the Toyota Camry is the leader here, reporting respectable sales. All of the competition dwindles behind, and the segment as a whole is experiencing a 30.9 per cent decrease YTD. The top five best-selling models in this segment for November 2018 were as follows:
- Toyota Camry – 1295 (up from 1132 of October)
- Mazda6 – 325 (up from 306)
- Ford Mondeo – 126 (down from 193)
- Volkswagen Passat – 123 (up from 122)
- Skoda Octavia – 117 (up from 106)
Medium Cars over $60,000 – Here in the premium sector, BMW retains the sales lead with the 3 Series, ahead of the common favourite Mercedes C-Class. BMW has little chance of taking out the best-seller crown for all of 2018 though, with YTD figures showing 2918 units against the C-Class’s 4395 units. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class during November 2018 were as follows:
- BMW 3 Series – 226 (up from 219)
- Audi A4 – 120 (down from 161)
- Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class – 137 (down from 155)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 183 (up from 133)
- Jaguar XE – 83 (up from 44)
Large Cars under $70,000 – With sales of the Ford Falcon and Toyota Aurion now pretty much finished, the segment is all down to the ZB Commodore and Kia Stinger. The Skoda Superb also soaks up some of the leftovers. Sales overall in this class are down a whopping 55.7 per cent YTD. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class for November 2018 were as follows:
- Holden Commodore – 701 (up from 663 in November)
- Kia Stinger – 122 (down from 178)
- Skoda Superb – 87 (up from 39)
- Hyundai Genesis– 0 (equal)
- Peugeot 508 – 0 (equal)
Large Cars over $70,000 – In the luxury version of above, the Mercedes E-Class continues to dominate. It is on track to be the best-seller of the year, with 1427 sales YTD against the nearest rival, BMW 5 Series, and its 731 sales. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment in November 2018 were as follows:
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 126 (up from 104)
- BMW 5 Series – 79 (up from 52)
- Jaguar XF – 25 (up from 14)
- Audi A7 – 16 (up from 9)
- Maserati Ghibli – 13 (up from 12)
Sports Car under $80,000 – The Ford Mustang leads the sales race for entry level driving enthusiast vehicles. It will easily take home the overall trophy this year, having already recorded 5973 sales. The only car that comes close, and it’s not even close, is the BMW 2 Series with 1276 sales YTD. In other areas, we see the new Renault Megane RS has joined the top-sellers. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class for November 2018 were as follows:
- Ford Mustang – 780 (up from 569 of October)
- BMW 2 Series Coupe/Convertible – 91 (down from 136)
- Mazda MX-5 – 84 (up from 63)
- Toyota 86 – 72 (up from 64)
- Renault Megane RS – 45 (up from 11)
(Subaru WRX – 138 [down from 174] – not officially in this segment, shown for comparison)
Sport Cars over $80,000 – As for the more premium and faster stuff, the Mercedes E-Class two-door models are the favourite. These aren’t likely to take the year’s crown though. YTD sales sit at 703 units, while the C-Class two-model has racked up 1395 sales. Further down the ranks, the BMW 4 Series will likely take home third prize this year, reporting 625 sales YTD. The top five best-selling models in this segment for November 2018 were as follows:
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible – 60 (down from 95)
- Audi A5 – 43 (up from 33)
- BMW 4 Series Coupe – 33 (down from 35)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe/Convertible – 19 (down from 48)
- Lexus RC – 17 (down from 34)
Sport Cars over $200,000 – Into the more serious end and it’s the Porsche 911 that remains the king across YTD. However, Ferrari has gone home with the goods for November. It outsold all of the competition. YTD figures are up 24.7 per cent, which means it will probably celebrate a record year in Australia. With 222 units, it’s in the running for second place behind Porsche, on 488 units. The top five best-selling vehicles in the segment during November 2018 were as follows:
- Ferrari (not specified) – 25 (down from 28)
- Porsche 911 – 18 (down from 43)
- Aston Martin (not specified) – 15 (up from 11)
- Mercedes-AMG GT – 10 (down from 11)
- Bentley Coupe/Convertible – 9 (down from 13)
Combined 4×2 and 4×4 ute – Now, this is where it seems to be at for Australian buyers. Ute sales just keep steaming ahead, and it’s the HiLux that holds a commanding lead. Further down the ranking the Isuzu D-Max has overtaken the Colorado for fourth place for the month, while the Mercedes X-Class has snuck back into the top 10. The top 10 best-selling utes (4×2 and 4×4 combined – excludes LandCruiser) for November 2018 were as follows:
- Toyota HiLux – 4671 (up from 4401 from October)
- Ford Ranger – 3469 (down from 3511)
- Mitsubishi Triton – 2404 (up from 1650)
- Isuzu D-Max – 1587 (up from 1433)
- Nissan Navara – 1496 (up from 1124)
- Holden Colorado – 1364 (down from 1578)
- Mazda BT-50 – 1080 (up from 886)
- Volkswagen Amarok – 913 (from 793)
- LDV T60 – 457 (up from 342)
- Mercedes-Benz X-Class – 121 (up from 108)
Lastly, the ever-popular SUVs. The most popular segment for the month is the ‘Medium under $60,000’ class, reporting 14,268 sales. Across YTD, this is up 6.2 per cent. Sitting as second most popular size and category, it’s the ‘Large under $70,000’ segment. It posted 10,001 sales, and YTD figures are up 0.6 per cent.
Completing the top three, it’s the ‘Small under $40,000’ segment. This is usually the second favourite. During November the class saw 9763 sales. However, it remains as the fastest-growing category, with YTD figures up 20.3 per cent. The top three best-selling SUVs in all categories for November 2018 were as follows:
- SUV Small under $40,000:
Nissan Qashqai – 1343 (up from 1054)
Mazda CX-3 – 1302 (up from 1274)
Mitsubishi ASX – 1261 (down from 1739) - SUV Small above $40,000:
Mercedes-Benz GLA – 277 (up from 245)
Audi Q3 – 226 (down from 249)
Volvo XC40 – 210 (down from 239) - SUV Medium under $60,000:
Mazda CX-5 – 1998 (down from 2000)
Nissan X-Trail – 1942 (up from 1644)
Toyota RAV4 – 1936 (up from 1582) - SUV Medium above $60,000:
Audi Q5 – 317 (down from 459)
Mercedes-Benz GLC – 315 (down from 537)
BMW X3 – 310 (up from 268) - SUV Large under $70,000:
Toyota LandCruiser Prado – 1464 (up from 1388)
Toyota Kluger – 1174 (down from 1294)
Isuzu MU-X – 800 (up from 668) - SUV Large above $70,000:
BMW X5 – 200 (up from 156)
Lexus RX – 152 (down from 209)
Porsche Cayenne – 143 (down from 152) - SUV Upper Large under $100,000:
Toyota LandCruiser – 1162 (down from 1181)
Nissan Patrol – 110 (up from 55) - SUV Upper Large above $100,000:
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class – 56 (down from 62)
Lexus LX – 38 (down from 58)
Range Rover – 17 (down from 18)
Total new vehicle sales in Australia in November were slightly up on October figures. During November 2018, Australian consumers bought 93,860 vehicles compared with 90,718 in October. Sales for the month are down 7.4 per cent compared with November 2017, and YTD sales are down 1.9 per cent.
