VFACTS: Strongest May on Record

AUSTRALIA recorded its best-ever May sales results with 105,694 new vehicles delivered – an increase of 11,311 units (12.0%) compared to the same period last year.

There were 26.8 days of sales in May 2023 compared to 25.8 in May 2022, which the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry (FCAI) said means vehicle sales grew to 285.6 per day .

Last month’s results were a 2.7% increase from the previous May sales record set in 2017 and showed year-to-date deliveries of 456,833 units, up 4.3% from the previous month. with the same month last year.

Every state and territory saw an increase in sales through May, with significant increases in Western Australia (25.1%) and Queensland (17.4%) compared to May. year 2022.

Growth was recorded across all buyer types – private, corporate, government and rental – compared to May 2022.

Interestingly, and despite previous downtrends, the passenger vehicle market grew throughout May with 868 more vehicles sold compared to the same month in 2022, representing an increase of 5.0%.

SUV sales continued to grow, increasing by 7552 units (14.7%), while light commercial vehicles increased by 2296 units (10.7%) and heavy commercial vehicles increased by 595 units (14.7%). .4%) compared to May 2022.

Toyota again led the market in May, followed by Mazda and Hyundai. Toyota (with sales of 18,340 units) leads Mazda with 9865 units and 9.4 points of market share, and brings the HiLux light commercial vehicle back to the top of the sales scale.

Hilux sold 5772 units in May, outpacing the Ford Ranger by 1662 units. Tesla Model Y ranked third with 3178 units delivered ahead of Toyota RAV4 (2616 units) and MG ZS ranked fifth (2502 units).

Strong new-energy vehicle sales from inside and outside the top 5 – the all-electric Tesla Model Y, the Toyota RAV4 offering hybrid electric power and the MG ZS offering the battery-powered variant – contributed to an increase of 15 .6% of electric vehicle sales in May, with battery electric vehicle sales accounting for an unprecedented 7.7% of the overall market.

FCAI CEO Tony Weber said that while May’s results were encouraging, he remained cautious that broader economic conditions could affect the year’s final results.

“This result is a signal that we are starting to see some improvement in supply,” said Weber.

“However, not all issues are resolved and our members continue to work with their customers to improve delivery times.

“A large proportion of vehicles delivered this month should have been ordered in 2022. Since then, we have seen a shift in economic conditions with a focus on rising cost pressures. for households and businesses.

“However, reports from our members show that demand remains stable,” he said.

Top 10 best-selling cars by brand (May 2023):

Top 10 best-selling cars by model (May 2023):

State by state (May 2023):

*All sales data provided by FCAI.