New vehicle registration figures in Australia for October 2021 have been released, in the form of the VFACTS report by the Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
The report shows 74,650 new vehicles were registered (we’ll call them sales) during the month, which is down 8.1 per cent on October last year. It contributes to an overall increase of 22.7 per cent for the first 10 months of the year compared with the same period in 2020 (year-to-date).
Across the states and territories, NSW saw 24,380 sales (down 12.2 per cent on last October), followed by 18,701 sales in Victoria (up 6.3 per cent), and Queensland rounding out the top three with 16,159 sales (down 10.3 per cent).
Extending further, Western Australia reported 7386 sales (down 15.4 per cent), South Australia added 4948 sales (down 11.9 per cent), and Tasmania saw 1321 sales (down 1.6 per cent). In the territories, the ACT reported 1113 sales (down 22.3 per cent), and the Northern Territory reported just 642 sales (down 12.4 per cent).
TOP 10 BEST-SELLING CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA
Toyota remains at the top of the favourite brands list, shifting 15,395 vehicles in October. That’s down 21.1 per cent for the month, but contributes to an increase of 21.5 per cent across year-to-date (YTD).
Further down the top 10 we see Hyundai jumps into second spot for the month, overtaking Mazda, and MG has moved its way up to eighth spot.
See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicle brands overall in Australia during October 2021. The figures in brackets are from the previous month.
- Toyota – 15,395 (down from 20,216 in September 2021)
- Hyundai – 6115 (up from 5457)
- Ford – 5462 (down from 5759)
- Mazda – 5181 (down from 6555)
- Kia – 4853 (down from 5155)
- Mitsubishi – 4203 (down from 4605)
- Nissan – 3397 (up from 2817)
- MG – 3136 (up from 3010)
- Volkswagen – 2912 (down from 3791)
- Subaru – 2736 (down from 3062)
TOP 10 BEST-SELLING PREMIUM CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA
As for the best-selling premium brands, Mercedes-Benz holds onto its lead, but BMW is not far behind this month. It looks like the top 10 rankings are mostly unchanged from the previous month, except Porsche has jumped ahead of MINI.
Further down it’s sad to see Jaguar’s figures continuing to fall month by month. In saying that, sales of the premium British marque are up 0.6 per cent YTD. Conversely, Genesis numbers are climbing. See below for the top 10 best-selling premium car brands in Australia during October 2021:
- Mercedes-Benz – 2104 (equal to September)
- BMW – 1901 (up from 1465)
- Audi – 1102 (down from 1124)
- Lexus – 633 (down from 689)
- Volvo – 593 (down from 615)
- Land Rover – 337 (down from 433)
- Porsche – 241 (down from 300)
- MINI – 193 (down from 300)
- Jaguar – 64 (down from 104)
- Genesis – 61 (up from 48)
TOP 10 BEST-SELLING VEHICLES IN AUSTRALIA
It’s been another one of those rare occasions where the Toyota HiLux was not the best-selling car for the month. Although Toyota Australia has outlined delivery delays due to the global chip shortage, the Ford Ranger has maintained the top position for the second month in a row.
However, the next three best-selling models were from Toyota, including the HiLux, and LandCruiser (ute and wagon combined), and Corolla. The new Hyundai Tucson jumped back into the top 10, which we haven’t seen for a while (likely due to the new model coming in and some delivery delays), while the Nissan X-Trail rejoins the top list.
Common front-runners that missed out on the top 10 include the Mazda CX-5 and Mazda3, the Toyota Prado, and the Toyota Camry. The top 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia during October 2021 were as follows:
- Ford Ranger – 4135 (down from 4192)
- Toyota HiLux – 3961 (up from 3635)
- Toyota LandCruiser – 2031 (up from 1541)
- Toyota Corolla – 1989 (down from 3487)
- Hyundai i30 – 1946 (down from 2034)
- Isuzu D-Max – 1694 (down from 1833)
- Toyota RAV4 – 1670 (down from 3390)
- Hyundai Tucson – 1532 (up from 1416)
- Mitsubishi ASX – 1464 (down from 1489)
- Nissan X-Trail – 1420 (up from 645)
SMALL CARS UNDER $40,000
Here we see the humble Corolla still at the front, easily outselling most of its rivals. However, the Hyundai i30 came really close in October. In fact, it was just 43 vehicles apart. The Mazda3 is dropping well behind, considering it used to be the best-seller at one stage.
So far this year the segment has reported 86,265 sales, and that’s down only 2.0 per cent. For the month of October there were 7151 sales, down 13.4 per cent compared with last October. See below for the top 10 best-selling small cars in Australia during October 2021:
- Toyota Corolla – 1989 (down from 3487 in September)
- Hyundai i30 – 1946 (down from 2034)
- Kia Cerato – 1381 (up from 1317)
- Mazda3 – 868 (down from 1016)
- Subaru Impreza – 376 (up from 231)
- Honda Civic – 284 (up from 212)
- Volkswagen Golf – 155 (down from 204)
- Subaru WRX – 51 (down from 102)
- Hyundai Ioniq – 46 (up from 33)
- Ford Focus – 15 (down from 19)
SMALL CARS OVER $40,000
Over in the premium sector, the BMW 1 Series overtook the unstoppable Mercedes A-Class. Sales are up 21.2 per cent for the 1 Series across the first 10 months of the year, while A-Class sales are down 31.9 per cent over the same period.
Total segment sales topped 741 units in October, down 23.3 per cent on last October. Across year-to-date there have been 9019 sales, down the same 23.3 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in the class during October 2021 were as follows:
- BMW 1 Series – 268 (up from 198)
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 255 (down from 356)
- BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe – 162 (down from 176)
- Mercedes-Benz B-Class – 22 (down from 28)
- MINI Clubman – 17 (down from 22)
MEDIUM CARS UNDER $60,000
The trusty Toyota Camry remains in front in this class, while most others dwindle in the shadows. Most models here took a bit of a hit in October too, with most of the top five reporting a drop compared with September.
Segment sales hit 1331 units, down around 700 from September, and down 26.5 per cent on last October. Year-to-date there have been 15,202 sales, down 7.3 per cent on last year. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class during September 2021 were as follows:
- Toyota Camry – 953 (down from 1610 in September)
- Volkswagen Passat – 123 (up from 93)
- Mazda6 – 93 (down from 106)
- Skoda Octavia – 92 (down from 110)
- Hyundai Sonata – 54 (down from 56)
MEDIUM CARS OVER $60,000
In the junior executive class, the BMW 3 Series easily took out the crown in October. Arch rival Mercedes C-Class numbers dropped even further than the previous month, while the new Lexus ES has hit the ground running. The Volvo V6 Cross Country (40) just missed out on the top five.
Class figures hit 800 units in October, which is down 22.9 per cent on last October. So far this year the tally stands at 10,632 units, and that’s up 7.6 per cent on the same 10-month period last year. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class during October 2021 were as follows:
- BMW 3 Series – 310 (up from 195)
- Mercedes-Benz CLA – 123 (down from 206)
- Lexus ES – 79 (up from 62)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 71 (down from 80)
- Audi A4 – 43 (down from 48)
LARGE CARS UNDER $70,000
Into the almost uncomfortably grim large sedans, and even the allure of the Kia Stinger appears to be weakening. Segment sales topped just 111 units, down 55.2 per cent on last October, and the YTD figure of 1845 is down 31.6 per cent. The only vehicles listed in this class in VFACTS for October 2021 reported the following figures:
- Kia Stinger – 71 (down from 117 in September)
- Skoda Superb – 40 (up from 21)
- Holden Commodore – 0 (0)
LARGE CARS OVER $70,000
Up at the business end of the market, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class continues to steam along like an esteemed CEO. BMW 5 Series numbers aren’t too bad, either. Most competitors further down remain steady, with the Porsche Taycan still going strong for a high-end model, and the Maserati Ghibli is closely behind.
Segment sales hit 167 units during the month, down 22.3 per cent, while the YTD figure of 2332 is up 29.5 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during October 2021 were as follows:
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 72 (up from 59)
- BMW 5 Series – 32 (down from 35)
- Porsche Taycan – 16 (down from 17)
- Maserati Ghibli – 15 (up from 14)
- Audi A6 – 14 (equal)
SPORTS CARS UNDER $80,000
Over in the fun-loving segments, the Ford Mustang was the most popular sports car overall. Sales of the iconic muscle car are on the rise, by 45.4 per cent for the month and 4.4 per cent YTD, to be specific.
In the entry class we also notice the Nissan 370Z is still going strong, perhaps in the lead up to the next-gen’s arrival. The Mazda MX-5 claimed second spot though, for October, with the MINI Cabrio and BMW 2 Series rounding out the top five.
Overall class figures hit 369 units, which is down 23.1 per cent compared with last October. The year-to-date figure of 4490 is also down, by 7.4 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during October 2021 were as follows:
- Ford Mustang – 269 (up from 215 in September)
- Mazda MX-5 – 38 (up from 37)
- Nissan 370Z – 27 (down from 54)
- MINI Cabrio – 21 (up from 20)
- BMW 2 Series – 14 (down from 29)
SPORT CARS OVER $80,000
Up a class, and the BMW 4 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class were pretty much neck and neck. The Audi A5 and BMW Z4 were exactly that, while the Alpine A110 jumped into the top five.
Segment sales topped 262 units, with YTD figures at 3177. That’s up 14.9 per cent and up 17.5 per cent, respectively. The top five best-selling models in this segment during October 2021 were as follows:
- BMW 4 Series – 86 (down from 105)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe/Convertible – 85 (up from 77)
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible – 22 (down from 40)
- Audi A5 – 12 (down from 23) / BMW Z4 – 12 (up from 10)
- Alpine A110 – 9 (up from 0)
SPORT CARS OVER $200,000
Into the proper high-end stuff and interestingly it’s not the Porsche 911 that stands as the favourite. The Nissan GT-R managed to top the charts in October, likely due to fans rushing to the last hurrah run-out for the R35 model, before it is cancelled in Australia.
Class figures topped 112 units for the month, which is down 0.9 per cent, while YTD numbers are at 973 units, down 8.0 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during October 2021:
- Nissan GT-R – 31 (up from 3)
- Porsche 911 – 28 (up from 25)
- Ferrari Coupe/Convertible – 12 (down from 19)
- Mercedes-AMG GT – 11 (down from 18)
- McLaren Coupe/Convertible – 8 (up from 6)
COMBINED 4×2 AND 4×4 UTES
Into the Aussie favourites, and the Ford Ranger tops combined 4×2 and 4×4 sales as we saw earlier. Further down though and there’s been a bit of a change-up since the previous month. The Nissan Navara jumped up to fourth, and the Mitsubishi Triton has recovered somewhat. The new GWM Ute continues its stronghold as well, remaining in seventh spot for the month.
The top 10 best-selling utes (4×2 and 4×4 combined – excludes LandCruiser, LDV T60, RAM 1500 etc.) for October 2021 were as follows:
- Ford Ranger – 4135 (down from 4192)
- Toyota HiLux – 3961 (up from 3635)
- Isuzu D-Max – 1694 (down from 1833)
- Nissan Navara – 1364 (up from 1075)
- Mazda BT-50 – 1187 (down from 1444)
- Mitsubishi Triton – 595 (up from 565)
- Great Wall Motors Ute – 565 (down from 602)
- Volkswagen Amarok – 515 (down from 1096)
- Great Wall Steed – 118 (down from 160)
- Mercedes-Benz X-Class – 0 (equal)
In the 4×4-exclusive ute class, the 70 Series Toyota LandCruiser remains the favourite. The new SsangYong Musso appears to be moving its way up, while the beastly RAM 1500 is maintaining decent strength. The top five best-selling 4×4 utes during October 2021 were as follows:
- Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series – 1348 (up from 1314)
- LDV T60 – 461 (down from 580)
- RAM 1500 – 283 (up from 264)
- SsangYong Musso – 229 (up from 145)
- Chevrolet Silverado – 189 (down from 227)
BEST-SELLING SUVS IN ALL SEGMENTS
Everyone’s favourite… well, in terms of sales and demand. The SUVs remain as one of the most popular segments of all. As for the sizes, the ‘Medium below $60k’ was the most popular, reporting 9201 sales (up 4.3 per cent YTD), followed by the ‘Large below $70k’ class with 8285 sales (up 35.5 per cent YTD), with the ‘Small below $40k’ class very close behind with 8283 sales (up 38.5 per cent).
The Toyota RAV4 was the best-selling SUV overall, and the Audi Q3 continues to be the most popular premium SUV. The top five best-selling SUVs in all segments during October 2021 were as follows:
SUV Light (no price range):
- Kia Stonic – 638 (down from 721 in September)
- Toyota Yaris Cross – 554 (down from 737)
- Volkswagen T-Cross – 503 (up from 410)
- Hyundai Venue – 475 (up from 364)
- Mazda CX-3 – 390 (down from 571)
SUV Small under $40,000:
- Mitsubishi ASX – 1464 (down from 1489)
- MG ZS – 1127 (down from 1161)
- Hyundai Kona – 1007 (up from 691)
- Mazda CX-30 – 904 (down from 1078)
- Subaru XV – 587 (down from 779)
SUV Small above $40,000:
- Audi Q3 – 430 (down from 492)
- BMW X1 – 247 (up from 118)
- Volvo XC40 – 210 (down from 360)
- Audi Q2 – 121 (up from 112)
- Mercedes-Benz GLA – 98 (down from 171)
SUV Medium under $60,000:
- Toyota RAV4 – 1670 (down from 3390)
- Hyundai Tucson – 1532 (up from 1416)
- Nissan X-Trail – 1420 (up from 645)
- MG HS – 740 (up from 702)
- Mazda CX-5 – 697 (down from 1415)
SUV Medium above $60,000:
- Mercedes-Benz GLC – 381 (up from 342)
- BMW X3 – 328 (up from 312)
- Lexus NX – 273 (up from 255)
- Volvo XC60 – 238 (up from 158)
- Audi Q5 – 218 (up from 206)
SUV Large under $70,000:
- Toyota Kluger – 1275 (up from 1266)
- Subaru Ouback – 1236 (up from 1162)
- Toyota LandCruiser Prado – 1051 (down from 2173)
- Isuzu MU-X – 671 (down from 1297)
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport – 606 (up from 489)
SUV Large above $70,000:
- Mercedes-Benz GLE – 307 (up from 253)
- BMW X5 – 194 (up from 103)
- Audi Q7 – 126 (up from 106)
- Lexus RX – 112 (down from 167)
- Land Rover Defender – 95 (down from 150)
SUV Upper Large under $100,000:
- Toyota LandCruiser – 683 (up from 227)
- Nissan Patrol – 309 (down from 700)
SUV Upper Large above $100,000:
- Mercedes-Benz GLS – 125 (up from 67)
- Mercedes-Benz G-Class – 65 (up from 53)
- BMW X7 – 56 (up from 44)
- Land Rover Discovery – 33 (down from 54)
- Audi Q8 – 31 (up from 25)
Total new vehicle sales in Australia in October were down on September 2021 figures. During October 2021, Australian consumers bought 74,650 vehicles according to VFACTS, as mentioned, compared with 83,312 in September. Overall sales for the month are down 8.1 per cent compared with October 2020, but up 22.7 per cent year-to-date.
