Australian vehicle sales for October 2022: VFACTS

Brett Davis 1 year ago

Can you believe we’re almost at the end of the year? Australian new vehicle registration figures for October 2022 have been released, in the form of VFACTS, giving us some idea as to what cars will be the best-sellers of the year.

The charts show 87,299 vehicles were newly-registered in October (we’ll call them sales), which is a 16.9 per cent increase on the same month last year and contributes to a 0.9 per cent rise in the year-to-date tally, of 898,429 units.

Production issues facing much of the industry – and other industries – seem to be easing a bit, with a decent flow of new vehicles consistently being brought into the country. However, according to our car buying partners, OnlineAuto, who find a tonne of new vehicles for buyers every year in Australia, there are still lengthy wait times for various models.

The Toyota RAV4, some versions of the Isuzu D-Max and Land Rover Defender, and variants of the Kia Sorento are still at least 12 months away if ordered today. Ford is also experiencing delays with the new Ranger, especially upper-spec models, and many hybrid vehicles across the industry in particular are still enduring semi-conductor bottlenecks.

Although, OnlineAuto says it has experienced a slight drop in average wait times across all of its orders it submits, with around 190 days being the average wait time in September dropping to about 160 days in October. It says the RAV4 hybrid is consistently at the top of its list for wait times, with current orders scheduled for expected delivery in 550-560 days.

Around the different states and territories, NSW took in 26,869 new registrations in October (up 10.2 per cent on October, 2021), Victoria registered 23,283 new vehicles (up 24.5 per cent), and Queensland reported 18,859 new vehicles (up 16.7 per cent). Western Australia took in 9050 sales (up 22.5 per cent), South Australia saw 5564 sales (up 12.4 per cent), and Tasmania registered 1652 new vehicles (up 25.1 per cent).

In the territories, the ACT reported 1305 sales (up 17.3 per cent), and the Northern Territory recorded 726 sales (up 13.1 per cent).

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA

Despite the delays for Toyota’s most popular models, and even a stop-order status for some versions of the LandCruiser, it maintained its industry stronghold in October, reporting the highest sales of all brands. It sold 18,259 vehicles, which is up 18.6 per cent on last October and adds to a 1.3 per cent rise on its YTD tally.

Interestingly, Ford has stormed right up into second spot for the month, pushing well ahead of the popular front-runners. Kia is holding onto a strong position as well, and Mitsubishi has overtaken Mazda from the previous month.

It looks like Tesla is out of the top 10 again, reporting 1109 new registrations. It is easily the most sporadic car brand in terms of deliveries, according to VFACTS figures, with September seeing 5969 units – that’s well over five times the amount registered in October. See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicle brands in Australia during October 2022:

  1. Toyota – 18,259 (up from 14,852 in September 2022)
  2. Ford – 7823 (up from 6635)
  3. Kia – 6380 (down from 7290)
  4. Mitsubishi – 5982 (down from 6784)
  5. Mazda – 5775 (down from 7259)
  6. Hyundai – 5289 (down from 6501)
  7. MG – 5031 (up from 3261)
  8. Volkswagen – 3199 (down from 3698)
  9. Isuzu – 2865 (up from 2818)
  10. GWM – 2462 (down from 3050)

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING PREMIUM CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA

As for the premium brands, BMW took the lead in October with 1918 new registrations. Its most popular model was the X3, making up 447 units of that total figure. Arch rival Mercedes-Benz saw a slight dip in figures compared with the previous month, and obviously Tesla wasn’t quite so high up on the list as before.

Further down the top 10 Polestar joins the lineup. It outsold Genesis (125) and Alfa Romeo (37) for the month. Porsche experienced a big jump in figures, too. In fact, its monthly total is up a whopping 187.1 per cent on last October, adding to a YTD increase of 29.9 per cent.

Lexus and Land Rover also saw a healthy spike in numbers from the previous month, jumping by around 45 per cent. See below for the top 10 best-selling premium car brands in Australia during October 2022:

  1. BMW – 1918 (down from 2032)
  2. Mercedes-Benz – 1719 (down from 2240)
  3. Audi –1283 (down from 1431)
  4. Tesla – 1109 (down from 5969)
  5. Volvo – 721 (down from 1001)
  6. Porsche – 692 (up from 330)
  7. Lexus – 618 (up from 408)
  8. Land Rover – 482 (up from 229)
  9. Polestar – 246 (up from 85)
  10. MINI – 154 (down from 344)

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING VEHICLES IN AUSTRALIA

The overall best-selling vehicle model for the month was not the Toyota HiLux. As strange as that is to see. It was the Ford Ranger that towered over all in October, reporting 5628 sales. This was no doubt thanks to the influx of interest surrounding the new model, including the Raptor, which went on sale a few months ago.

It was followed up by the Toyota HiLux in second spot, obviously. The RAV4 also reported high figures despite constant delivery delays – it would be interesting to see how many orders Toyota actually takes in of the RAV4 per month, rather than deliveries.

Further down the top 10 we see the MG3 has jumped into eighth spot, and the Toyota LandCruiser and Mitsubishi ASX rejoin the ranking. The top 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia during October 2022 were as follows:

  1. Ford Ranger – 5628 (up from 4890 in September)
  2. Toyota HiLux – 4884 (down from 5170)
  3. Toyota RAV4 – 3222 (up from 1856)
  4. Mazda CX-5 – 2352 (down from 2439)
  5. MG ZS – 2293 (up from 994)
  6. Isuzu D-Max – 1951 (up from 1924)
  7. Kia Sportage – 1877 (up from 1775)
  8. MG MG3 – 1823 (up from 1423)
  9. Toyota LandCruiser – 1767 (up from 1640)
  10. Mitsubishi ASX – 1734 (up from 1408)

SMALL CARS UNDER $40,000

Kicking off the segments, the popular small cars were dominated once again by the Hyundai i30. Its figure is down on the previous month, and in fact most models here experienced a drop. The Toyota Corolla, Kia Cerato, and Mazda3 all experienced a big decrease in figures compared with September.

Overall, this class reported 4480 sales in October, which is down 37.4 per cent on the same month last year. Its YTD tally of 66,574 units is also down 22.8 per cent. See below for the top 10 best-selling small cars in Australia during October 2022:

  1. Hyundai i30 – 1441 (down from 1733 in September)
  2. Toyota Corolla – 904 (down from 1554)
  3. Kia Cerato – 788 (down from 1257)
  4. Volkswagen Golf – 346 (equal)
  5. Mazda3 – 327 (down from 434)
  6. Subaru Impreza – 242 (down from 328) / Subaru WRX – 242 (down from 305)
  7. Honda Civic – 84 (up from 70)
  8. Skoda Scala – 41 (down from 51)
  9. Ford Focus – 24 (up from 3)
  10. Peugeot 308 – 22 (up from 0)

SMALL CARS OVER $40,000

In the luxury sector, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class moved back into the lead. It is usually the best-seller every month but lately it has been falling back, losing out to the Audi A3 during the previous month, for example. A-Class sales are down 28.6 per cent YTD, and down 20 per cent compared with last October.

However, this vehicle segment isn’t doing particularly well overall. We assume this is due to many buyers moving over to the popular SUV body style. Class figures topped 752 units in October. That’s up 1.5 per cent for the month, but contributes to a YTD drop of 15.4 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during October 2022:

  1. Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 204 (down from 162)
  2. Audi A3 – 183 (down from 285)
  3. BMW 1 Series – 153 (down from 195)
  4. BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe – 144 (down from 151)
  5. Cupra Leon – 29 (up from 15)

MEDIUM CARS UNDER $60,000

Speaking of dwindling sales, the poor old default sedan class is being held afloat by the Toyota Camry, basically. But even its figures are dropping, with a 36.9 per cent decrease for the month and a 22.3 per cent decline across YTD. It’s still the best-seller by far though, outselling its closest rival six-fold.

Overall, the class reported 894 sales, down 32.8 per cent compared with last October, and adding to a 22 per cent decrease for the year-to-date period. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this category during October 2022:

  1. Toyota Camry – 601 (down from 663)
  2. Mazda6 – 104 (down from 112)
  3. Hyundai Sonata – 61 (up from 36)
  4. Volkswagen Passat – 56 (down from 97)
  5. Skoda Octavia – 54 (up from 4)

MEDIUM CARS OVER $60,000

Moving up a rung and we see the Mercedes C-Class is back in front, followed by the the Polestar 2 and BMW 3 Series. The Tesla Model 3 is not even in the top five, despite holding best-seller status during the previous month.

Class numbers reached 1207 units during the month, which is more than the non-premium class above (although there are more models here, with 18 versus 10 model lines). The figure is 50.9 per cent up on last October, with the YTD variance standing at a positive 89.2 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during September 2022:

  1. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 287 (up from 278)
  2. Polestar 2 – 246 (up from 85)
  3. BMW 3 Series – 192 (down from 356)
  4. Mercedes-Benz CLA – 110 (down from 113)
  5. Volkswagen Arteon – 81 (up from 65)

LARGE CARS UNDER $70,000

This segment is growing, who would have thought? It is only growing by one vehicle though, with the new Citroen C5 X entering the scene. As a result, overall class figures totalled 175 units for the month, which is up 57.7 per cent compared with last October and adds to a 45.7 per cent increase in YTD variance. The only vehicles listed in this class in VFACTS for October 2022 recorded the following figures:

  1. Kia Stinger – 112 (up from 98 in September)
  2. Citroen C5 X – 34 (new model)
  3. Skoda Superb – 29 (dwn from 44)

LARGE CARS OVER $70,000

High-rollers (and some police departments) shopping in this segment flocked to the BMW 5 Series more than any other model in October. Although, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wasn’t far behind, with the Audi A6 remaining in third place on the popularity board.

Segment figures topped 137 units for the month, which is down 18 per cent on last October. Through YTD, the segment has reported 1697 sales, which is down 27.2 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during October 2022 were as follows:

  1. BMW 5 Series – 37 (down from 50)
  2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 29 (down from 39)
  3. Audi A6 – 21 (down from 27)
  4. Audi A7 – 16 (up from 7)
  5. Porsche Taycan – 11 (down from 27)

SPORTS CARS UNDER $80,000

Over in the driver’s car classes, and the entry level go-to was the Ford Mustang once again. However, the Subaru BRZ was right behind it in October. We expect to see a slight drop in figures for the Mustang as Ford transitions to the new model later next year – some buyers might hold out purchasing one until then.

This class reported 414 sales during the month. That’s up 12.2 per cent on last October, and contributes to a 15.7 per cent drop for the period covering the first 10 months of the year (YTD). The top five best-selling vehicles in this category during October 2022 were as follows:

  1. Ford Mustang – 135 (down from 237 in September 2022)
  2. Subaru BRZ – 116 (up from 80)
  3. BMW 2 Series – 50 (down from 74)
  4. Toyota GR 86 – 43 (down from 92) / Mazda MX-5 – 43 (down from 59)
  5. Nissan Z – 26 (down from 37)

SPORT CARS OVER $80,000

Higher-end models were topped by the BMW 4 Series once again. It easily outsold its nearest competitors in October. In fact, the 4 Series made 100 more sales than the Mercedes C-Class two-door rival. Most of the lineup here seems to have taken a nap during October though, with quite low figures across the board.

Speaking of which, the segment saw 220 sales during the month. That’s down 16 per cent on the same month last year. Year-to-date, the variance is negative 21.1 per cent. The top five best-selling models in this segment during October 2022 were as follows:

  1. BMW 4 Series – 135 (up from 115)
  2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe/Convertible – 35 (down from 49)
  3. Chevrolet Corvette – 12 (up from 11)
  4. Audi A5 – 11 (up from 8)
  5. BMW Z4 – 6 (down from 14)

SPORT CARS OVER $200,000

At the top of the class, the Porsche 911 is clearly the favourite. Sales for the iconic sports car are up 89.3 per cent for the month, and up 43 per cent year-to-date. Ferrari sales were strong in October too, especially for such a high-end brand, with Lamborghini not far behind.

Overall class figures reached 135 units for the month, which is up 20.5 per cent on the same month last year. Across YTD, the segment is seeing a 4.4 per cent increase. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during October 2022:

  1. Porsche 911 – 53 (up from 26)
  2. Ferrari Coupe/Convertible – 31 (up from 0)
  3. Lamborghini Coupe/Convertible – 21 (up from 15)
  4. BMW 8 Series – 12 (up from 3)
  5. McLaren Coupe/Convertible – 11 (up from 0)

COMBINED 4×2 AND 4×4 UTES

The increasingly-popular combined ute class was led by the Ford Ranger, as we discovered at the beginning. Aside from the Toyota HiLux coming in behind in second spot, the rest of the range remained in the same order as the previous month. This reflects how consistent, and consistently popular, this vehicle type is.

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

  1. Ford Ranger – 5628 (up from 4890 in September)
  2. Toyota HiLux – 4884 (down from 5170)
  3. Isuzu D-Max – 1951 (down from 1924)
  4. Mitsubishi Triton – 1679 (up from 2319)
  5. Great Wall Motors Ute – 692 (up from 946)
  6. Nissan Navara – 654 (up from 819)
  7. Mazda BT-50 – 602 (down from 538)

Over the 4×4-exclusive ute category, we can’t help but notice the list is growing here, with more brands keen to cash in on the demand. In fact, the 4×4 category is seeing an 18.9 per cent increase in sales compared with October last year. That’s not only due to an increase in demand but also an increase in new models being introduced.

The most popular for the month was the LDV T60, with the usual favourite, the LandCruiser 70 Series, dropping down to third. We suspect this is mainly due to the lack of deliveries, or slowing thereof. See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicles in this segment during October 2022:

  1. LDV T60 – 893 (down from 962)
  2. RAM 1500 – 596 (up from 557)
  3. Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series – 550 (down from 1006)
  4. Volkswagen Amarok – 446 (up from 318)
  5. SsangYong Musso – 216 (down from 222)
  6. Chevrolet Silverado – 203 (down from 220)
  7. Jeep Gladiator – 64 (down from 117)
  8. RAM 2500 – 53 (up from 44)
  9. Chevrolet Silverado HD – 45 (up from 37)
  10. RAM 3500 – 8 (up from 2)

BEST-SELLING SUVS IN ALL SEGMENTS

Just as popular, the SUVs were led by the Toyota RAV4 overall, with the Tesla Model Y remaining as the most popular premium SUV for the month.

Some of the interesting moves we notice include the Porsche Macan and Cayenne reporting strong figures in their segments, the new Ford Everest creeping up in its class, the Land Rover Defender scoring top numbers, and the new Toyota Corolla Cross jumping straight into the ranks soon after hitting the market.

In terms of the segments, the medium sub-$60k category had the most sales, with 15,095 units (up 14.2 per cent YTD), followed by the small sub-$40k class with 11,135 units (down 3.6 per cent YTD), and then the large sub-$70k segment with 9439 units (up 4.1 per cent YTD).

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

SUV Light (no price range):

SUV Small under $40,000:

  • MG ZS – 2293 (up from 994)
  • Mitsubishi ASX – 1734 (up from 1408)
  • Toyota Corolla Cross – 1025 (new model)
  • Hyundai Kona – 821 (down from 1098)
  • Volkswagen T-Roc – 772 (up from 499)

SUV Small above $40,000:

SUV Medium under $60,000:

SUV Medium above $60,000:

SUV Large under $70,000:

SUV Large above $70,000:

SUV Upper Large under $100,000:

SUV Upper Large above $100,000:

Total new vehicle sales in Australia in October 2022 were down on September 2022 figures. During October 2022, Australian consumers bought 87,299 vehicles according to VFACTS, as mentioned, compared with 93,555 in September. Overall sales for the month are up 16.9 per cent compared with October 2021, and up 0.9 per cent year-to-date.

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