Australian vehicle sales for November 2022: VFACTS

Brett Davis

It’s almost the end of the year which means the best-selling new vehicles for 2022 will soon be revealed. In the meantime though VFACTS new vehicle registration figures for November have been released today providing some pretty good clues.

According to the stats, there were 95,080 new vehicles registered in November 2022 (we’ll call them sales), marking a 17.9 per cent increase on the same month last year. The total year-to-date figure stands at 993,509 units around the country, which is up 2.3 per cent over the same period in 2021.

All states and territories experienced some level of positive growth for the month of November, with Western Australia seeing the biggest increase, where sales are up 36.5 per cent compared with last November. Keep in mind last year various parts of the country were in strong lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NSW posted the highest sales with 29,545 units (up 7.5 per cent on November, 2021), followed by Victoria with 25,534 units (up 19.1 per cent), and then Queensland with 20,621 units (up 28.9 per cent).Β Western Australia reported 9668 units (up 36.5 per cent), while South Australia contributed 5673 units (up 12.3 per cent). Tasmania added 1783 units to the overall tally (up 23 per cent).

The ACT saw the weakest increase of 2.5 per cent, with 1441 sales, while the Northern Territory saw its November figure jump 14.1 per cent to 815 units.

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA

Toyota remains in front by a big margin and is extremely likely to be the best-selling car brand in Australia for the year 2022. Sales are up 31.9 per cent for month, and up 3.6 per cent to 214,776 units across YTD for the Japanese brand. The second favourite brand so far, Mazda, has sold less than half as many vehicles in the same period (87,218 YTD). Although, its effort for November is up an impressive 42.6 per cent compared with last November.

Ford has dropped down to third spot for the month after shifting into second the previous month, while Subaru enters back into the top 10 with an impressive 3701 sales for the month, and that’s good enough for eighth position. See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicle brands in Australia during November 2022:

  1. Toyota – 20,107 (up from 18,259 in October 2022)
  2. Mazda – 7549 (up from 5775)
  3. Ford – 7165 (down from 7823)
  4. Kia – 6120 (down from 6380)
  5. Mitsubishi – 5559 (down from 5982)
  6. Hyundai – 5519 (up from 5289)
  7. MG – 5497 (up from 5031)
  8. Subaru – 3701 (up from 2462)
  9. Volkswagen – 3045 (down from 3199)
  10. GWM – 2914 (up from 2462)

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING PREMIUM CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA

In terms of the favourite premium brands, Tesla is back at the top. It seems to be in and out of the top 10 with variable figures on a monthly basis. Mercedes-Benz is back in front of the main German brands, while BMW has dropped down to fourth leaving the door open for Audi to take third position overall.

Further down the list there are only minor changes in positions, with Polestar moving up to eighth and Land Rover dropping to ninth. Volvo is continuing to post strong figures for a relatively small brand. Lexus also overtook Porsche for the month. See below for the top 10 best-selling premium car brands in Australia during November 2022:

  1. Tesla – 2196 (up from 1109)
  2. Mercedes-Benz – 1935 (up from 1719)
  3. Audi –1658 (up from 1283)
  4. BMW – 1621 (down from 1918)
  5. Volvo – 883 (up from 721)
  6. Lexus – 567 (down from 618)
  7. Porsche – 379 (down from 692)
  8. Polestar – 240 (down from 246)
  9. Land Rover – 239 (down from 482)
  10. MINI – 123 (down from 154)

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING VEHICLES IN AUSTRALIA

The Toyota HiLux is back at the top following October’s favourite, the Ford Ranger. Despite ongoing production delays Toyota still managed to get four models into the top 10. Although, LandCruiser sales include the 70 Series models, which are predominately made up of the ute version.

Mitsubishi posted strong figures of its new Outlander, helping it move into the top 10, while the MG ZS moved further up the list to position four. ZS sales are up an insane 93.6 per cent from last November, and up 18 per cent year-to-date.Β The top 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia during November 2022 were as follows:

  1. Toyota HiLux – 5440 (up from 4884 in October)
  2. Ford Ranger – 5073 (down from 5628)
  3. Toyota Corolla – 3732 (up from 904)
  4. MG ZS – 3051 (up from 2293)
  5. Toyota LandCruiser – 2296 (up from 1767)
  6. Toyota RAV4 – 2282 (down from 3222)
  7. Mazda CX-5 – 1949 (down from 2352)
  8. Mitsubishi Outlander – 1875 (up from 1619)
  9. Kia Sportage – 1844 (down from 1877)
  10. Tesla Model Y – 1805 (up from 1076)

SMALL CARS UNDER $40,000

Humble small cars were led by the Toyota Corolla in November as it reclaimed its usual top spot after Hyundai took the crown in October with the i30. Mazda moved up to third position with its Mazda3, and the Subaru WRX outsold the Impreza. The Ford Focus dropped out of the top 10 with just 8 sales.

Segment figures topped 7285 units during November, and that’s up 4.1 per cent on last November. Year-to-date though the class stands at 73,859 sales, down 20.8 per cent over the same period last year. See below for the top 10 best-selling small cars in Australia during October 2022:

  1. Toyota Corolla – 3732 (up from 904)
  2. Hyundai i30 – 1355 (down from 1441)
  3. Mazda3 – 664 (up from 327)
  4. Kia Cerato – 458 (down from 788)
  5. Volkswagen Golf – 366 (up from 346)
  6. Subaru WRX – 299 (up from 242)
  7. Subaru Impreza – 249 (up from 242)
  8. Honda Civic – 88 (up from 84)
  9. Peugeot 308 – 33 (up from 22)
  10. Skoda Scala – 27 (down from 41)

SMALL CARS OVER $40,000

Moving up a peg and it’s the Audi A3 in the lead this time around. It posted 207 sales, bettering the regular top-gun Mercedes A-Class with 178 sales. The BMW 1 Series fell hard in November to just 56 units. The new Cupra Leon appears to be working its way up the ranks, while the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe outsold its conventional hatchback sibling.

The entire segment reported 615 sales in November. That’s down 1.1 per cent for the month, contributing to a downturn of 14.5 per cent across YTD.Β See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during November 2022:

  1. Audi A3 – 207 (up from 183)
  2. Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 178 (down from 204)
  3. BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe – 73 (down from 144)
  4. Cupra Leon – 68 (up from 29)
  5. BMW 1 Series – 56 (down from 153)

MEDIUM CARS UNDER $60,000

Of course the Toyota Camry dominates the charts here, but overall numbers are falling. Even the Camry is experiencing a drop in figures, with 531 units in November translating to a 45.1 per cent drop compared with last November. Its YTD figure of 9205 units is also down 24.1 per cent from 12,133 last year.

The class reported 932 sales during the month, which is down a saddening 35.4 per cent on the same month last year. The YTD tally of 12,792 units is down 23.1 per cent on 16,645 units reported in the same period last year. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this category during November 2022:

  1. Toyota Camry – 531 (down from 601)
  2. Mazda6 – 185 (up from 104)
  3. Skoda Octavia – 93 (up from 54)
  4. Volkswagen Passat – 85 (up from 56)
  5. Hyundai Sonata – 28 (down from 61)

MEDIUM CARS OVER $60,000

Over in the premium mid-sizers and we see the Tesla Model 3 takes the cake this time. But one of its main rivals is closing in, the Polestar 2. The regulars remain up near the top, with the Mercedes CLA rounding out the top five.

Overall class numbers reached 1579 units for the month, which is more than the non-premium class above. However, there are more models available in the premium segment. Even so, the monthly figure is up 46.3 per cent on November last year, and YTD sales are up an impressive 85.2 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during November 2022:

  1. Tesla Model 3 – 391 (up from 33)
  2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 284 (down from 287)
  3. BMW 3 Series – 245 (up from 192)
  4. Polestar 2 – 240 (down from 246)
  5. Mercedes-Benz CLA – 95 (down from 110)

LARGE CARS UNDER $70,000

As we saw in October, this segment appears to be growing in popularity. We’re not sure what it is exactly, whether it’s a case of the vehicles are available in showrooms unlike the popular SUVs, or just the arrival of the new Citroen C5 X making an impact. But class figures are up 110 per cent for the month to 147 units, and up 48 per cent year-to-date.

Kia Stinger sales are up a whopping 189.2 per cent for the month, and up 57.6 per cent YTD. The only vehicles listed in this class in VFACTS for November 2022 recorded the following figures:

  1. Kia Stinger – 107 (down from 112 in October)
  2. Skoda Superb – 25 (down from 29)
  3. Citroen C5 X – 15 (down from 34)

LARGE CARS OVER $70,000

The large premium class isn’t quite the same, with overall figures hitting 134 units, which is down 16.8 per cent for the month. Across YTD the class hits 1831 sales, and that’s down 26.6 per cent compared with the same 11-month period last year.

There wasn’t much movement in the top five list, except the Maserati Ghibli basically kicked out the Audi A7.Β The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during November 2022 were as follows:

  1. BMW 5 Series – 37 (equal)
  2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 32 (up from 29)
  3. Audi A6 – 25 (up from 21)
  4. Maserati Ghibli – 12 (up from 8)
  5. Porsche Taycan – 10 (down from 11)

SPORTS CARS UNDER $80,000

Into the fun cars and we see the Ford Mustang still maintains its strength despite a number of interesting new models hitting the group, including the Subaru BRZ and more recently its platform-sharing cousin, the Toyota GR86. The new BMW 2 Series is also leaving a decent mark now with entry variants available, while the Nissan Z is trickling in some numbers (10 units for November).

This category reported 601 sales in November which is up 44.1 per cent on last November. Across YTD the class hits 4387 units, down 10.6 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in this category during November 2022 were as follows:

  1. Ford Mustang – 207 (up from 135 in October 2022)
  2. BMW 2 Series – 167 (up from 50)
  3. Subaru BRZ – 118 (up from 116)
  4. Mazda MX-5 – 65 (up from 43)
  5. Toyota GR86 – 34 (down from 43)

SPORT CARS OVER $80,000

More serious sports car fans flocked to the BMW 4 Series, mostly, with 63 units reported. The Porsche Cayman outsold the Mercedes C-Class two-door, and even the Toyota Supra equalled the C-Class. We suspect the updated version of the Supra has just started arriving.

Segment figures reached 187 units during the month, down 24.6 per cent. So far this year (YTD) the class has reported 2693 sales, or 21.4 per cent less than the same period last year. The top five best-selling models in this segment during November 2022 were as follows:

  1. BMW 4 Series – 63 (down from 135)
  2. Porsche 718 Cayman – 42 (up from 3)
  3. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe/Convertible – 25 (down from 35) / Toyota GR Supra – 25 (up from 1)
  4. Chevrolet Corvette – 13 (up from 12)
  5. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible – 8 (up from 5)

SPORT CARS OVER $200,000

In the elite driver’s car segment the most famous model sits at the top, the Porsche 911. Lamborghini outsold its old nemesis, Ferrari, just, while the BMW 8 Series continues as a decent performer.

This class reported 72 sales in November. That’s down 41 per cent on last November, whereas the YTD variance isn’t so bad, with a downturn of only 0.6 per cent.Β See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during November 2022:

  1. Porsche 911 – 21 (down from 53)
  2. Lamborghini Coupe/Convertible – 13 (down from 21)
  3. Ferrari Coupe/Convertible – 11 (down from 31)
  4. BMW 8 Series – 9 (down from 12)
  5. Maserati Coupe/Convertible – 7 (up from 1)

COMBINED 4Γ—2 AND 4Γ—4 UTES

This segment will soon become even more interesting as more and more manufacturers jump onto the trend. As exclusively reported today, Kia is preparing a new ute which will be offered in diesel, petrol and fully electric forms, which could blow a lot of the competitors here out of the water. We’ll have to wait and see.

Toyota is back in front for November after losing out to the Ford Ranger in October. So far this year Toyota has sold 60,120 HiLuxs (HiLuxes?) while Ford has sold 42,816 Rangers. Unless Ford has a miraculous month of December, the HiLux is likely to be the best-selling car of the year, again. It’ll be its seventh year in a row.

The rest of the contenders remained in the same positions as the previous month, except the Mazda BT-50 jumped from last spot to fifth position. See below for the sales results for 4Γ—2 and 4Γ—4 models combined (for models available in both driveline configurations) for November 2022:

  1. Toyota HiLux – 5440 (up from 4884 in October)
  2. Ford Ranger – 5073 (down from 5628)
  3. Isuzu D-Max – 1580 (down from 1951)
  4. Mitsubishi Triton – 1498 (down from 1679)
  5. Mazda BT-50 – 1096 (down from 602)
  6. Great Wall Motors Ute – 708 (up from 692)
  7. Nissan Navara – 519 (up from 654)

In the 4Γ—4-exclusive ute class, for models not available in 4×2 configuration, the Toyota LandCruiser regained the top spot after missing out in October. The LDV T60 is certainly hanging in there though, with the RAM 1500 creeping up from behind.

It’ll be interesting to see this list after the new VW Amarok lands, based on the very popular new Ford Ranger. See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicles in this segment during November 2022:

  1. Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series – 819 (up from 550)
  2. LDV T60 – 773 (down from 893)
  3. RAM 1500 – 655 (up from 596)
  4. Volkswagen Amarok – 541 (up from 446)
  5. SsangYong Musso – 296 (up from 216)
  6. Chevrolet Silverado – 200 (down from 203)
  7. Jeep Gladiator – 101 (up from 64)
  8. Chevrolet Silverado HD – 67 (up from 45)
  9. RAM 2500 – 49 (down from 53)
  10. RAM 3500 – 6 (down from 8)

BEST-SELLING SUVS IN ALL SEGMENTS

It’s the category of car that nobody thought could possibly gain this much popularity when it started in the 1990s. Everyone wants one and car brands are willing to offer more and more options. It’s a win-win for everyone. Although, we’d argue some models are inferior to their more affordable, more economical hatchback or sedan cousins. But hey, you can’t compete against a trend as strong as this.

The most popular SUV for the month was the MG ZS, which is one of the most affordable SUVs on the new car market. As we saw at the beginning, the ZS posted huge figures in November, and we’ve heard customers don’t have to wait long to take delivery following production in China. Well, compared with some models from Japan and Europe.

The most popular premium SUV was the Tesla Model Y once again. However, the quietly-achieving Audi Q3 is still posting very high numbers, following its stint at the top before the Model Y came along.

In terms of the classes, the medium sub-$60k segment reported the most sales with 16,098 units (up 16.2 per cent YTD), followed by the small sub-$40k category with 11,887 sales (down 1.5 per cent YTD). Rounding out the top three classes,Β theΒ large sub-$70k segment took down 10,927 deliveries (up 5.9 per cent YTD).

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

SUV Light (no price range):

SUV Small under $40,000:

  • MG ZS – 3051 (up from 2293)
  • Mitsubishi ASX – 1037 (down from 1734)
  • Subaru XV – 895 (up from 611)
  • Haval Jolion – 875 (up from 734)
  • Hyundai Kona – 808 (down from 821)

SUV Small above $40,000:

  • Audi Q3 – 697 (up from 625)
  • Volvo XC40 – 348 (down from 373)
  • Volvo C40 – 243 (up from 29)
  • BMW X1 – 122 (down from 155)
  • Mercedes-Benz GLA – 116 (down from 168)

SUV Medium under $60,000:

SUV Medium above $60,000:

  • Tesla Model Y – 1805 (up from 1076)
  • Lexus NX – 362 (up from 338)
  • Audi Q5 – 321 (up from 141)
  • Mercedes-Benz GLB – 284 (up from 148)
  • BMW X3 – 260 (down from 447)

SUV Large under $70,000:

SUV Large above $70,000:

  • Mercedes-Benz GLE – 339 (up from 239)
  • BMW X5 – 281 (up from 247)
  • Audi Q7 – 178 (up from 89)
  • Volkswagen Touareg – 144 (down from 175)
  • Land Rover Defender – 131 (down from 297)

SUV Upper Large under $100,000:

SUV Upper Large above $100,000:

  • Mercedes-Benz GLS – 69 (down from 62)
  • Audi Q8 – 32 (down from 31)
  • Lexus LX – 15 (up from 5)
  • Range Rover – 9 (up from 25) / Mercedes-Benz G-Class – 9 (up from 3)
  • Bentley Bentayga – 7 (up from 4)

Total new vehicle sales in Australia in November 2022 were up on October 2022 figures. During November 2022, Australian consumers bought 95,080 vehicles according to VFACTS, as mentioned, compared with 87,299 in October. Overall sales for the month are up 17.9 per cent compared with November 2021, and up 2.3 per cent year-to-date.

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