National scene

For the month of October

• There was a total of 87,299 new vehicles delivered in October 2022, an increase of 7,639 vehicles or 16.9 per cent over October 2021
• All market segments recorded higher sales in October, except for passenger vehicles which declined by 16.5 per cent; SUV sales were up 37.1 per cent; Light commercials were up 10.9 per cent; Heavy commercial vehicles were up 1.4 per cent
• SUVs and light commercial vehicles accounted for 80.1 per cent of all new vehicle sold during October 2022
• Whilst supply chains are showing signs of improvement, there is still some way to go before market conditions return to normal.

Financial year to date

• Year to date, there have been 898,429 new vehicles sold. This represents 7,639 more vehicles sold, or a rise of 0.9 per cent over the same period last year.

State numbers

All states and territories recorded increased sales during October 2022, with the following results from highest to lowest:

• Tasmania up 25.1 per cent
• Victoria up 24.5 per cent
• Western Australia up 22.5 per cent
• ACT up 17.3 per cent
• Queensland up 16.7 per cent
• Northern Territory up 13.1 per cent
• South Australia up 12.4 per cent
• New South Wales up 10.2 per cent.

Commercial vehicles

• Heavy commercial vehicles continued their growth trend, albeit at a slower pace, with 4,068 sales in October, an increase of 57 vehicles or 1.4 per cent over October last year
• Year to date, 38,476 heavy commercial vehicles have been sold, up 7.4 per cent over the same period last year.

Sales by vehicle category and fuel type

Pure electric vehicles 

• 2,098 pure electric vehicles were sold in October 2022
• The biggest EV seller by far was the Tesla Model Y with 1,076 sales, accounting for over half (51.3 per cent) of all EVs sold during the month. This was followed by the Polestar 2 with 246 sales. Only 33 Tesla Model 3 sedans were sold in October.

Year to date sales

• 23,869 pure electric vehicles have been sold year to date, representing 2.7 per cent of all new vehicles sold
• Tesla vehicles account for almost two-thirds (63.4 per cent) of all pure EV sales year to date.

Plug-in-hybrids

• 464 plug-in-hybrid vehicles were sold in October, an increase of 185 vehicles or 66.3 per cent over October last year
• Year to date, 5,048 plug-in-hybrids have been sold, accounting for 0.6 per cent of the new vehicle market

Hybrids, petrol & diesel

• 6,860 hybrid vehicles were sold in October this year, an increase of 2,485 vehicles or 56.8 per cent over October last year
• 45,099 petrol vehicles were sold in October this year, an increase of 4,386 vehicles or 10.8 per cent over October last year
• 28,707 diesel vehicles were sold in October 2022, up 3,896 vehicles or 15.7 per cent over October last year.
   

Best sales performers in October 2022

SUVs and light commercial vehicles dominated sales during October, with some of the most notable sales performers for the month being:

• Ford Ranger 4x4 – 5,147 sales, up 34 per cent
• Toyota RAV4 – 3,222 sales, up 92.9 per cent
• Kia Sportage – 1,877 sales, up 404.6 per cent
• Mazda CX-5 – 2,352 sales, up 237.4 per cent
• Mitsubishi Triton 4x4 – 1,446 sales, up 281.5 per cent
• Kia Carnival People Mover – 757 sales, up 138.8 per cent
• Ford Everest – 1,271 sales, up 134.1 per cent
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 287 sales, up 304.2 per cent.

Best luxury/sports brands performers

October was a good month for many luxury/sports vehicle brands.

• Lamborghini sold 33 vehicles in October this year compared to only nine last year
• Ferrari sold 31 vehicles in October this year compared to 12 last year
• McLaren sold 11 vehicles in October this year compared to eight last year
• Porsche sold 692 vehicles in October this year compared to 241 last year.

Across all brands, Toyota led the market with a total of 18,259 vehicles sold. Ford was second with 7,823, followed by Kia (6,380), Mitsubishi (5,982) and Hyundai (5,289). 

The Ford Ranger was the highest-selling model with 5,628 sales reported. The Toyota Hi-Lux followed with 4,890. Toyota’s Rav4 was third with 3,222 followed by Mazda’s CX-5 (2,352) and MG’s ZS (2,293).

Economic Trends

While it is encouraging to see some improvement in the supply of new vehicles to Australia, rising geopolitical tensions overseas, inflationary pressures and the threat of recessions in Europe and the US will continue to impact automotive supply chains. For Australia, rising inflation and interest rates, and a tapering-off in the housing market, will present a challenging period ahead for consumers, with lower levels of consumer spending anticipated in the new year.