Australian vehicle sales for September 2022: VFACTS

Brett Davis 2 years ago

The FCAI has released its monthly VFACTS report covering new vehicle registration figures in Australia, with September showing a mild decrease on August figures but a decent increase compared with September last year.

According to the charts, which cover new vehicle registrations (not technically sales, but we’ll call them sales), the Australian market recorded 93,555 new car sales in September, 2022. That’s up 12.3 per cent on last September, with the year-to-date (YTD) tally sitting at 811,130. That’s down 0.6 per cent on the same nine-month period last year, when 816,140 registrations were recorded.

It seems some of the production delays most brands have been experiencing are showing some sign of relief, at least on the face of it. The figure for the month compares well even against pre-COVID times, with September 2019 recording 88,181 new registrations.

FCAI chief Tony Weber is highlighting a strong uptick in electric vehicle sales, however, this is partially to be expected as more and more car brands release electric vehicle options – there are more electric vehicles on the market now than ever before. The overall market share of electric vehicles in Australia remains low, in terms of new registrations, at 2.68 per cent (21,771 units YTD), up from just 0.4 per cent during the same period last year. Weber said:

“During September 2022, 7,247 battery electric vehicles were sold, more than hybrid and plug-in-hybrid combined (5,141). Year to date, 21,771 battery electric vehicles have been sold. While the overall market share of battery electric vehicles remains low (2.7 per cent), there is a clear market trend towards zero emission technology.”

Around the different states and territories, NSW recorded 28,945 sales (up 20.8 per cent on September, 2021), Victoria saw 25,367 sales (up 23.8 per cent), and Queensland took down 20,634 sales (up 2.9 per cent). Western Australia recorded 8644 sales (down 6.0 per cent), South Australia added 6005 sales (down 2.2 per cent), and Tasmania reported 1630 sales (down 0.9 per cent).

Over in the territories, the ACT noted 1498 sales, which is up a significant 67.7 per cent on last September, while the Northern Territory contributed 832 units (down 9.8 per cent).

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA

Toyota keeps pumping them through, recording yet again the most sales of any brand in Australia. In fact, Toyota’s global production increased a whopping 44.3 per cent in August. It was the first rise since March. The company produced 766,683 vehicles during the month. However, the global semiconductor shortage is expected to continue to impact outright output potentials.

Further along the list we see Mazda and Hyundai fell slightly compared with August efforts, while Kia, Mitsubishi and Ford and the remainder of the top 10 experienced a healthy spike. Ford, in particular, appears as though it is creeping up the list, likely thanks to the launch of the new Ranger and Everest, while Tesla is back in there with some unusually high numbers again, mostly from the Model Y (see further below for more). See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicle brands in Australia during September 2022:

  1. Toyota – 14,852 (down from 20,616 in August 2022)
  2. Kia – 7290 (up from 6780)
  3. Mazda – 7259 (down from 8824)
  4. Mitsubishi – 6784 (up from 6380)
  5. Ford – 6635 (up from 5839)
  6. Hyundai – 6501 (down from 6643)
  7. Tesla – 5969 (up from 3397)
  8. Volkswagen – 3698 (up from 2868)
  9. MG – 3261 (up from 3074)
  10. Subaru – 3167 (up from 2960)

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING PREMIUM CAR BRANDS IN AUSTRALIA

Over in the premium sector, Tesla was the outright favourite for the month, outselling Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi put together. You can even add Land Rover’s sales in there and Tesla still remains clear. Why is this? It seems the US company saw an incredible 4359 new Model Y SUVs registered. That’s more than what many premium brands can achieve from their total fleet.

In other areas we see Volvo made some firm tracks during September, with its effort jumping around 300 units compared with August this year. Volvo is experiencing a 62.8 per cent increase on sales compared with last September too, and is currently up 10.8 per cent YTD. See below for the top 10 best-selling premium car brands in Australia during September 2022:

  1. Tesla – 5969 (up from 3397)
  2. Mercedes-Benz – 2240 (down from 2386)
  3. BMW – 2032 (down from 2395)
  4. Audi –1431 (up from 1350)
  5. Volvo – 1001 (up from 711)
  6. Lexus – 408 (down from 477)
  7. MINI – 344 (up from 312)
  8. Porsche – 330 (up from 301)
  9. Land Rover – 229 (down from 327)
  10. Genesis – 114 (up from 89)

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING VEHICLES IN AUSTRALIA

At the top of course is the Toyota HiLux once again, followed by the Ford Ranger. In a surprise move the Tesla Model Y comes in third place for the month, while the Mazda CX-5 completes the podium. It’s strange not to see Toyotas making up the leading three or even top five, with the Corolla nowhere to be seen and the RAV4 way down in eighth place.

The Isuzu D-Max jumped up into sixth, up from 10th in August, however, it was able to maintain a consistent figure from the month prior while others around it fell. Kia’s new Sportage also made an appearance in the top 10. The top 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia during September 2022 were as follows:

  1. Toyota HiLux – 5170 (down from 6214 in August)
  2. Ford Ranger – 4890 (up from 4497)
  3. Tesla Model Y – 4359 (up from 1017)
  4. Mazda CX-5 – 2439 (up from 2325)
  5. Mitsubishi Triton – 2319 (up from 2087)
  6. Isuzu D-Max – 1924 (down from 1928)
  7. Mitsubishi Outlander – 1879 (up from 1568)
  8. Toyota RAV4 – 1856 (down from 2482)
  9. Kia Sportage – 1775 (up from 1237)
  10. Hyundai i30 – 1733 (down from 1975)

SMALL CARS UNDER $40,000

Into the common small cars and it’s not the Toyota Corolla at the top. Hyundai swooped in for first place. The Hyundai i30 is available in a range of variants, including the exciting N performance models. Toyota isn’t standing idle though as it will soon launch the all-new GR Corolla hot hatch, complete with all-wheel drive.

Further down the top 10 list we see the Kia Cerato is creeping up for the month, nudging the Corolla right on the bumper bar. One we’ve been keen to follow is the Honda Civic. Ever since the new model was launched with a near-$50k starting price sales have dwindled. It’s interesting to see Subaru sold over four times as many WRXs than Honda sold Civics. Which is a shame as the Civic was, and still is, a great package (review coming soon).

The segment combined saw 6143 sales during the month. That’s down 29.4 per cent on last September. YTD, the segment has seen 62,094 sales, and that’s down 21.5 per cent on the same period last year. See below for the top 10 best-selling small cars in Australia during September 2022:

  1. Hyundai i30 – 1733 (down from 1975 in August)
  2. Toyota Corolla – 1554 (down from 2115)
  3. Kia Cerato – 1257 (up from 1092)
  4. Mazda3 – 434 (down from 1500)
  5. Volkswagen Golf – 346 (down from 348)
  6. Subaru Impreza – 328 (down from 355)
  7. Subaru WRX – 305 (up from 273)
  8. Honda Civic – 70 (up from 53)
  9. Hyundai Ioniq – 60 (down from 97)
  10. Skoda Scala – 51 (up from 25)

SMALL CARS OVER $40,000

Premium small cars were led by the Audi A3 in September. And it wasn’t a case of others falling around it. A3 sales spiked a bit from the previous month. The otherwise most popular model, the Mercedes A-Class, came in second spot, followed by the BMW 1 Series. The Nissan LEAF was kicked out of the top five for the month, replaced by the Mercedes B-Class.

Class figures topped 959 units for the month, which is up 18.2 per cent on the same month last year. Across YTD though, sales are down 16.9 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during September 2022:

  1. Audi A3 – 285 (up from 269)
  2. Mercedes-Benz A-Class – 262 (down from 295)
  3. BMW 1 Series – 195 (down from 198)
  4. BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe – 151 (down from 219)
  5. Mercedes-Benz B-Class – 30 (up from 17)

MEDIUM CARS UNDER $60,000

Here’s a segment that will probably be non-existent in the not-too-distant future, or at least replaced by electric-only models. It’s basically held together by the Toyota Camry. Although, rivals are fighting on. The Mazda6 hangs in there for second spot, and the Hyundai Sonata remains a tempting option being an N Line variant only.

The segment reported 925 sales overall for the month, and that’s down an alarming 54.4 per cent on last September. Across YTD the percentage drop is 20.9 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during September 2022:

  1. Toyota Camry – 663 (down from 1184)
  2. Mazda6 – 112 (down from 217)
  3. Volkswagen Passat – 97 (up from 67)
  4. Hyundai Sonata – 36 (up from 33)
  5. Honda Accord – 10 (down from 18)

MEDIUM CARS OVER $60,000

High-end mid-sizers were dominated by the Tesla Model 3 in September. This is the second month in a row the fully electric sedan has led the charge. BMW’s 3 Series posted some decent numbers as well, although nowhere near the Tesla. It easily outsold its arch rival though, the Mercedes C-Class, for the month.

Segment figures topped 2839 units, up a massive 266.8 per cent on the same month last year. This caused the YTD tally to hike up to 92.3 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during September 2022:

  1. Tesla Model 3 – 1610 (down from 2380)
  2. BMW 3 Series – 356 (up from 246)
  3. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 278 (down from 306)
  4. Mercedes-Benz CLA – 113 (down from 132)
  5. Polestar 2 – 85 (up from 38)

LARGE CARS UNDER $70,000

Just two models exist here and probably not for much longer. However, there were 142 buyers still interesting in a large and affordable sedan. Compared with last September the class reported a 2.9 per cent increase in sales, and YTD the figure is up 44.9 per cent. The only vehicles listed in this class in VFACTS for September 2022 recorded the following figures:

  1. Kia Stinger – 98 (up from 49 in August)
  2. Skoda Superb – 44 (up from 37)

LARGE CARS OVER $70,000

Up a rung and the most popular model was the BMW 5 Series. It’s seeing a healthy 42.9 per cent increase in sales over last September, although the YTD number is down 27.4 per cent. Mercedes-Benz E-Class sales were not far behind, but its monthly variance is negative 33.9 per cent.

Class figures reached 186 units for the month, which is up 23.2 per cent. The YTD tally is down 27.9 per cent. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment during September 2022 were as follows:

  1. BMW 5 Series – 50 (down from 64)
  2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 39 (up from 36)
  3. Audi A6 – 27 (down from 28) / Porsche Taycan – 27 (up from 25)
  4. Maserati Ghibli – 15 (up from 8)
  5. Genesis G80 – 12 (down from 15)

SPORTS CARS UNDER $80,000

Into the fun stuff and it’s the Ford Mustang that continues as the crowd favourite. It easily outsold all other sports cars, outright. Elsewhere, the new Toyota GR86 bolted straight from the gate following its very recent launch, taking down 92 sales. However, some of these are likely to be made up of demonstrators and media vehicles.

The segment reported 596 sales in total for the month. That’s up an impressive 67.9 per cent. We think this is likely due to the fact this class now has some very interesting and tempting options in it. There’s the new Subaru BRZ and now Toyota GR86 twin, as well as the new Nissan Z (37 sales), and even the recently-announced BMW 2 Series which comes in flagship M240i form with xDrive all-wheel drive.

Across YTD the segment reports an 18.2 per cent decline, with 3372 sales compared with 4121 units in the same period last year. The top five best-selling vehicles in this category during September 2022 were as follows:

  1. Ford Mustang – 237 (down from 261 in August 2022)
  2. Toyota GR 86 – 92 (up from 0)
  3. Subaru BRZ – 80 (down from 98)
  4. BMW 2 Series – 74 (up from 58)
  5. Mazda MX-5 – 59 (up from 58)

SPORT CARS OVER $80,000

Moving up a class and it’s the BMW 4 Series that won over the most buyers. It’s seeing a 9.5 per cent increase compared with last September. The Mercedes C-Class two-door only managed half as many units, although it still features the outgoing C 63 flagship. A new model is yet to arrive.

Overall segment figures reached 261 units for the month. That’s down 20.4 per cent on the same month last year, and the YTD tally stands at 2286 units, down 21.6 per cent. The top five best-selling models in this segment during September 2022 were as follows:

  1. BMW 4 Series – 115 (down from 124)
  2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe/Convertible – 49 (down from 53)
  3. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible – 26 (down from 34)
  4. Porsche Cayman – 15 (up from 9)
  5. BMW Z4 – 14 (equal)

SPORT CARS OVER $200,000

At the elite end of the market the king’s crown remains in the hands of the Porsche 911. Lamborghini sales are still going relatively strong, with Bentley two-door models seeing a decent rise from the month prior.

This class reported 66 sales in September, or 34 per cent less than September last year. The YTD variance is positive 2.3 per cent. See below for the top five best-selling vehicles in this class during September 2022:

  1. Porsche 911 – 26 (up from 25)
  2. Lamborghini Coupe/Convertible – 15 (down from 20)
  3. Bentley Coupe/Convertible – 11 (up from 8)
  4. Aston Martin Coupe/Convertible – 6 (up from 7)
  5. Maserati Coupe/Convertible – 5 (up from 2)

COMBINED 4×2 AND 4×4 UTES

As always, the common utes are storming along, with lots of new models and updates and a variety of options making them a very tempting proposition for families and trade workers, and those in the hunt for a bit of adventure.

Obviously the Toyota HiLux leads the way, followed by the Ford Ranger. Mazda BT-50 sales are starting to dwindle, or at least appearing so. See below for the sales results for 4×2 and 4×4 models combined (for models available in both driveline configurations) for September 2022:

  1. Toyota HiLux – 5170 (down from 6214 in August)
  2. Ford Ranger – 4890 (up from 4497)
  3. Mitsubishi Triton – 2319 (up from 2087)
  4. Isuzu D-Max – 1924 (down from 1928)
  5. Great Wall Motors Ute – 946 (up from 934)
  6. Nissan Navara – 819 (up from 517)
  7. Mazda BT-50 – 538 (down from 644)

In the 4×4-exclusive ute class, the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series caught the attention of the most buyers. However, the LDV T60 came very close in September.

For this month (and onward) we’ve included the full top 10 list since this segment is only likely to become more popular moving forward. See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicles in this segment during September 2022:

  1. Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series – 1006 (down from 1166)
  2. LDV T60 – 962 (up from 612)
  3. RAM 1500 – 557 (up from 499)
  4. Volkswagen Amarok – 318 (up from 300)
  5. SsangYong Musso – 222 (up from 180)
  6. Chevrolet Silverado – 220 (up from 195)
  7. Jeep Gladiator – 117 (up from 97)
  8. RAM 2500 – 44 (down from 49)
  9. Chevrolet Silverado HD – 37 (down from 46)
  10. RAM 3500 – 2 (down from 4)

BEST-SELLING SUVS IN ALL SEGMENTS

Leaving the most popular until last, it’s the SUVs. The best-selling SUV for the month was the Mazda CX-5, while the most popular premium SUV was the Tesla Model Y.

Splitting up the segments, the medium sub-$60k class reported the highest figures, with 14,935 units for the month (up 10.3 per cent YTD), followed by the small sub-$40k category with 9875 sales (down 6.9 per cent YTD), and then the large sub-$70k class with 9383 units (up 3.2 per cent YTD).

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

SUV Light (no price range):

SUV Small under $40,000:

  • Mitsubishi ASX – 1408 (up from 1100)
  • MG ZS – 994 (down from 1463)
  • Subaru XV – 952 (down from 960)
  • Mazda CX-30 – 942 (up from 1516)
  • Kia Seltos – 772 (down from 869)

SUV Small above $40,000:

SUV Medium under $60,000:

SUV Medium above $60,000:

  • Tesla Model Y – 4359 (up from 1017)
  • BMW X3 – 338 (down from 420)
  • Volvo XC60 – 268 (down from 299)
  • Audi Q5 – 266 (up from 227)
  • Mercedes-Benz GLC – 257 (down from 316)

SUV Large under $70,000:

SUV Large above $70,000:

  • BMW X5 – 269 (up from 242)
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE – 226 (down from 314)
  • Volvo XC90 – 168 (up from 84)
  • Volkswagon Touareg – 117 (up from 105)
  • Lexus RX – 90 (down from 124)

SUV Upper Large under $100,000:

SUV Upper Large above $100,000:

Total new vehicle sales in Australia in September 2022 were down on August 2022 figures. During September 2022, Australian consumers bought 93,555 vehicles according to VFACTS, as mentioned, compared with 95,256 in August. Overall sales for the month are up 12.3 per cent compared with September 2021, and down 0.6 per cent year-to-date.

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