With only one month to go before the end of the year, we now have some fairly solid clues as to what will be the best-selling cars of 2019. Let’s take a look over the November 2019 VFACTS, handed out today, for a closer inspection.
It seems local buyers are remaining reluctant when it comes to buying new vehicles, compared with last year. Sales for the first 11 months of the year (YTD) are down 8.2 per cent, which is a decline on a negative 8.0 per cent YTD recorded in October.
Kicking off with the best-selling brands, once again Toyota stands at the top. It’s easily on track to become the best-selling vehicle brand in Australia for all of 2019, following previous years at the top. The Japanese company is experiencing some downturn though, coinciding with the market slump. Year-to-date figures show a drop of 6.2 per cent through November for Toyota.
Runner-up brand for November specifically, Mitsubishi, is reporting a YTD drop of only 1.9 per cent, followed by Hyundai with a drop of 8.7 per cent. Once again, Holden has been booted out of the top 10, reporting a YTD drop of 28.5 per cent. See below for the top 10 best-selling car brands in November 2019:
- Toyota – 16,954 (down from 16,988 of October 2019 sales)
- Mitsubishi – 6861 (up from 4811)
- Hyundai – 6821 (down from 7455)
- Mazda – 6167 (down from 6370)
- Kia – 5141 (up from 5062)
- Ford – 4966 (up from 4891)
- Nissan – 4272 (up from 4011)
- Volkswagen – 3923 (down from 4220)
- Honda – 3285 (up from 2761)
- Subaru – 3141 (down from 3303)
In terms of the best-selling vehicle models specifically, the Toyota HiLux remains in front and is highly likely to be the best-selling vehicle in Australia for 2019. Taking a look at the top 10, it’s easy to see how Toyota remains at the top of the brands list above; four Toyota models make the cut.
Some interesting observations compared with October include the Mitsubishi Triton making a re-entrance into the top 10 list. It seems Triton sales fluctuate quite a bit throughout the year. Some months it gets close to being the best-selling ute, while others it lands way down the list. Also, the Hyundai i30 looks set to take the crown for the best-selling small car of 2019, but more on that further below. The top 10 best-selling vehicle models for November 2019 were as follows:
- Toyota HiLux – 3687 (up from 3516 of October 2019)
- Ford Ranger – 3491 (up from 3160)
- Mitsubishi Triton – 3123 (up from 1344)
- Hyundai i30 – 2339 (up from 2216)
- Toyota RAV4 – 2316 (up from 2132)
- Toyota Corolla – 2229 (up from 2117)
- Toyota Camry – 2001 (up from 1505)
- Nissan X-Trail – 1882 (up from 1592)
- Mazda CX-5 – 1735 (up from 1708)
- Kia Cerato – 1639 (down from 1827)
Small Cars under $40,000 – The Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30 are neck-and-neck for YTD sales. Which will take the crown for 2019? So far (through November) Toyota has racked up 27,691 sales of the Corolla, while Hyundai has 26,443 sales of the i30 under its belt. Going by the projections, the Corolla’s YTD percentage is down 16.1 per cent while the i30 is actually up 0.1 per cent. However, Toyota has just launched the new Corolla sedan which may see a slight increase in figures in December, while the i30 hasn’t had any significant change to its lineup in recent months.
Unfortunately for Mazda, the new Mazda3 isn’t in the race this year. It has reported 23,654 sales so far this year, down 17.8 per cent. This could be due to the new model arriving with higher price points than the previous model. Also, it could simply be a case where the competitors are selling more. The class overall is reporting an 18.3 per cent drop YTD, which means the Mazda3 is doing okay and going against the market trends somewhat. The top 10 best-selling small cars in November 2019 were as follows:
- Hyundai i30 – 2339 (up from 2216)
- Toyota Corolla – 2229 (up from 2117)
- Kia Cerato – 1639 (down from 1827)
- Mazda3 – 1435 (up from 1415)
- Volkswagen Golf – 1098 (up from 1077)
- Honda Civic – 865 (up from 673)
- Subaru Impreza – 305 (down from 381)
- Ford Focus – 265 (down from 267)
- Holden Astra – 171 (up from 105)
- Hyundai Elantra – 157 (down from 170)
Small Cars over $40,000 – Moving up a class, the premium small cars are experiencing a similar decline although not quite as steep. YTD figures show a 12.3 per cent drop. The Mercedes-Benz A-Class looks set to take the crown this year, and it posted the highest figure for November. Its sales are up 10.1 per cent while all of the main competitors are reporting drops in YTD numbers (except the B-Class, up 35.4 per cent). The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during November 2019 were as follows:
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 370 (up from 202)
- Audi A3 – 251 (up from 236)
- Mercedes-Benz B-Class – 224 (up from 198)
- BMW 1 Series – 136 (down from 196)
- Nissan LEAF – 51 (up from 45)
- Toyota Camry – 2001 (up from 1505)
- Mazda6 – 173 (up from 144)
- Skoda Octavia – 142 (up from 122)
- Subaru Liberty – 88 (down from 303)
- Volkswagen Passat – 54 (up from 45)
Medium Cars over $60,000 – Over in the premium mid-sizers, the Mercedes C-Class looks set to take the crown for the year. It is reporting a whopping 42 per cent increase in sales across the year so far, against a 3.5 per cent decline in sales for the segment. Runner-up BMW 3 Series isn’t doing as well, with a 3.0 per cent decline in sales. We find this rather strange as the 3 Series is a much newer and more superior vehicle in our opinion. The current C-Class has been around in essentially the same shape since 2014. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment in Australia during November 2019 were as follows:
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 467 (down from 546)
- BMW 3 Series – 307 (down from 365)
- Audi A4 – 112 (up from 94)
- Audi A5 Sportback – 91 (up from 69)
- Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class – 83 (down from 111)
Large Cars under $70,000 – Moving up a size, this poor old segment has seen better days. Even its chief is dwindling and on the brink of extinction. Holden Commodore sales are down 37.4 per cent across YTD, and the segment is down 30.3 per cent. All models here are reporting drops except the new Peugeot 508, as it is a new model. Only these four models reported sales in November 2019:
- Holden Commodore – 309 (down from 469)
- Kia Stinger – 113 (down from 131)
- Skoda Superb – 31 (down from 38)
- Peugeot 508 – 17 (down from 20)
Large Cars over $70,000 – Into the premium version of above, things aren’t looking quite so bad. YTD figures for the segment are down 14.6 per cent. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class leads the way, but its YTD figure of 1116 is down 21.8 per cent. For comparison, the BMW 5 Series, in second place, has reported 952 sales so far this year, up 30.2 per cent. This may be influenced by certain police departments adopting the 5 Series for highway patrol services. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during November 2019 were as follows:
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 99 (up from 84)
- BMW 5 Series – 48 (down from 64)
- Audi A6 – 21 (up from 14)
- Audi A7 – 17 (up from 11)
- Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class – 13 (down from 22)
Sports Car under $80,000 – Over in the exciting stuff, and the Ford Mustang is still in the lead by a big margin. However, its YTD figure is down 38 per cent. That’s slightly more than the segment decline of 35.9 per cent so far this year. BMW 2 Series sales aren’t doing much better, with 865 sales YTD, down 32.2 per cent. Hyundai’s new Veloster remains in second position for the month. Renault’s Megane RS moved up to fourth for November, although we’re not sure why it’s still listed in this class considering it’s now a regular five-door hatch. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class for November 2019 were as follows:
- Ford Mustang – 119 (down from 214 in October)
- Hyundai Veloster – 49 (down from 76)
- BMW 2 Series Coupe/Convertible – 36 (down from 75)
- Renault Megane RS – 34 (up from 29)
- Toyota 86 – 33 (down from 47)
Sport Cars over $80,000 – Mercedes-Benz C-Class two-door sales continue to dominate here as well, despite, again, being an older vehicle than many of the rivals. It easily outsold its key competitors and will no doubt take the crown for the year in this class. Segment sales are up 9.7 per cent so far this year (YTD). The top five best-selling models in this segment for November 2019 were as follows:
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe/Convertible – 229 (up from 196)
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible – 47 (up from 39)
- Audi A5 coupe/convertible – 36 (down from 42)
- Toyota Supra – 26 (down from 46)
- Lexus RC – 14 (down from 27)
Sport Cars over $200,000 – At the pinnacle segment for driving fans, the Porsche 911 looks set to be the best-seller of the year here. Its figure is, remarkably, exactly the same as last year’s 11-month figure of 488 sales. Ferrari sales continue to surprise, with impressive figures for a bespoke supercar brand. So far this year 243 lucky buyers have purchased a Prancing Horse, up 9.5 per cent YTD. Segment sales YTD are down 7.9 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in the class during November 2019 were as follows:
- Porsche 911 – 27 (down from 33 in October)
- Ferrari (not specified) – 17 (down from 21)
- Mercedes-AMG GT – 11 (down from 19)/Lamborghini (not specified) – 11 (up from 2)
- Aston Martin coupe/convertible – 8 (down from 10)/McLaren (not specified) – 8 (up from 3)/Bentley (coupe/convertible) – 8 (up from 2)
- BMW 8 Series – 5 (up from 4)/Rolls-Royce (coupe/convertible) – 5 (up from 1)
Combined 4×2 and 4×4 ute – If there’s one segment that is winning this year it’s the utes. Particularly the 4×4 utes. These are reporting a drop of only 2.9 per cent so far this year. And it’s the Ford Ranger that leads the pack, with 33,905 sales so far against 33,061 sales of the Toyota HiLux 4×4. The top 10 best-selling utes (4×2 and 4×4 combined – excludes LandCruiser and RAM 1500) for November 2019 were as follows:
- Toyota HiLux – 3687 (up from 3516)
- Ford Ranger – 3491 (up from 3160)
- Mitsubishi Triton – 3123 (up from 1344)
- Isuzu D-Max – 1438 (up from 1275)
- Holden Colorado – 1156 (down from 1357)
- Nissan Navara – 955 (down from 1089)
- Volkswagen Amarok – 724 (down from 874)
- Mazda BT-50 – 706 (down from 731)
- LDV T60 – 360 (up from 254)
- Mercedes-Benz X-Class – 176 (down from 185)
It looks like the Toyota RAV4 may pass the Mazda CX-5 to become the best-selling SUV in Australia for 2019. Year-to-date figures are extremely close, with 23,711 sales of the CX-5 against 22,048 sales of the RAV4. However, the RAV4 is on a better trajectory, with its to-date figure up 7.9 per cent to the Mazda’s 2.0 per cent decline.
The Mercedes GLC looks set to take the crown as best-selling premium SUV for the year, with 5356 sales so far (down 0.2 per cent). The next closest is the BMW X3, with 4361 sales (down 4.6 per cent), followed by the Audi Q5 with 3768 units (up 3.0 per cent). Interestingly, the front-runners for premium SUVs are all in the mid-size class.
In terms of the most popular SUV segments overall during November, the ‘Medium under $60,000’ class wins with 14,276 sales for the month, down 1.6 per cent YTD. The second most popular segment was the ‘Small under $40,000’ class, with 9823 units for the month, down 1.9 per cent YTD. In third place it’s the ‘Large under $70,000’ category, reporting 8345 sales for the month, down 9.1 per cent YTD.
The top three best-selling SUVs in all segments for November 2019 were as follows:
- SUV Small under $40,000:
Hyundai Kona – 1303 (down from 1367 in October 2019)
Mazda CX-3 – 1107 (down from 1216)
Mitsubishi ASX – 1027 (down from 1517) - SUV Small above $40,000:
BMW X1 – 285 (down from 286)
Mercedes-Benz GLA – 246 (up from 167)
Volvo XC40 – 234 (up from 200) - SUV Medium under $60,000:
Toyota RAV4 – 2316 (up from 2132)
Nissan X-Trail – 1882 (up from 1592)
Mazda CX-5 – 1735 (up from 1708) - SUV Medium above $60,000:
Audi Q5 – 433 (up from 395)
Mercedes-Benz GLC – 384 (down from 457)
BMW X3 – 361 (up from 266) - SUV Large under $70,000:
Toyota LandCruiser Prado – 1204 (down from 1513)
Toyota Kluger – 1084 (down from 1087)
Isuzu MU-X – 723 (up from 672) - SUV Large above $70,000:
Mercedes-Benz GLE – 291 (down from 306)
BMW X5 – 269 (up from 168)
Lexus RX – 207 (up from 166) - SUV Upper Large under $100,000:
Toyota LandCruiser – 916 (down up 1325)
Nissan Patrol – 230 (up from 94) - SUV Upper Large above $100,000:
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class – 105 (up from 34)
BMW X7 – 40 (down from 60)
Audi Q8 – 37 (down from 39)
Total new vehicle sales in Australia in November were up on October figures. During November, Australian consumers bought 84,708 vehicles according to VFACTS, compared with 82,456 in October 2019. Overall sales for the month of November are down 9.8 per cent compared with November 2018, and down 8.2 per cent year-to-date.
