Australia’s new car market recorded a significant uptick in sales during June – historically the year’s biggest-volume month – due to end-of-financial-year incentives and clear signs of business recovery.

    VFACTS data compiled by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, submitted by the car brands and cross-checked, recorded 110,234 sales across the nation.

    That’s 6.4 per cent down on June 2019, but it is the easily strongest result since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis which saw March sales slide 17.9 per cent, April sales tumble 48.5 per cent, and May sales down 35.3 per cent.

    Year-to-date, sales are down 20.2 per cent at 442,415 sales. Given it’s the half-way mark, we can assume that 2020 won’t pass a million units.

    VFACTS: Australia's June 2020 new car sales bounce back

    “Some states have seen the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and this has increased floor traffic through dealerships,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.

    Sales in fact grew in the ACT (up 13.6 per cent), South Australia (up 3.6 per cent) and Western Australia (up 3.2 per cent) relative to June 2019. Unsurprisingly perhaps, Victoria was down 13.6 per cent (equal to 4622 units).

    Weber noted that business fleet sales actually increased by 6.3 per cent over June 2019, reflecting pent-up demand, citing the government’s instant asset tax write-off scheme as a key factor.

    “We [also] have seen a strong surge in marketing activity from both brands and dealerships, who are offering an array of attractive retail packages in a bid to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.

    Brands

    Toyota grew its sales by 7.9 per cent, and its market share from 18 per cent in June last year to 20.7 per cent this year.

    Other notable brands that grew sales over June 2019 included Ford (by 6.6 per cent), MG (up 32.9 per cent), LDV (up 31 per cent), and Haval (up 99.5 per cent), Volvo Car (up 40 per cent), Jeep (up 7.2 per cent as it seeks a turnaround based on better customer care), Ram Trucks (up a huge 130.5 per cent), and Mini (up 49.5 per cent).

    Luxury brands also did well. Mercedes-Benz Cars and Vans was up 25.5 per cent, and in fact posted an all-time record.

    Fellow German luxury marques BMW (up 32 per cent) and Audi (up a whopping 84.6 per cent after a shocking supply-restricted June 2019) continued the trend.

    Also up were Lexus (by 60.8 per cent) and Porsche (by 13.8 per cent).

    BrandJune 2020 salesChange +/- %
    Toyota22,867+7.9
    Mazda9420-12.8
    Hyundai7737-22.6
    Ford 7624+6.6
    Mitsubishi7419-16.6
    Volkswagen5737-1.0
    Kia 5727-20.5
    Mercedes-Benz 5433+25.5
    Nissan4260-22.7
    Subaru3775-18.2
    Honda3423-45.1
    BMW3307+32.0
    Isuzu Ute3656-11.4
    Audi2027+84.6
    Holden1912-60.3
    Suzuki1588-17.0
    Lexus1560+60.8
    MG1348+32.9
    Land Rover1127-7.5
    Volvo Car1113+40.0
    LDV1052+31.0
    Renault794-9.8
    Skoda697-19.4
    Jeep694+7.1
    RAM604+130.5
    Porsche519+13.8
    Mini450+49.5
    Haval371+99.5
    Peugeot285-25.6
    Jaguar256-6.2

    Above: Top 30 brands in June 2020

    Smaller-scale brands not listed above included Great Wall (243, up 33.5 per cent), SsangYong (213, no comparison to June 2019 as it’s a newly-returned brand), Fiat (166, down 8.4 per cent), Maserati (61, down 10.3 per cent), Alfa Romeo (58, down 22.7 per cent), Chrysler (34, down 30.6 per cent), Bentley (25, up by 2 units), Citroen (22, down 56.9 per cent), and Genesis (21).

    Models

    The Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes had monster months, topping the charts with 6537 sales (up 21.1 per cent) and 5329 sales (up 9.9 per cent) respectively.

    The Toyota Corolla was the number-one passenger car with 3008 sales (down 4.1 per cent), ahead of the Mitsubishi Triton ute (2721, up 1.0 per cent). The top SUV was the Toyota RAV4 (2632, up 7.5 per cent), edging out the Mazda CX-5 (2530, down 13.1 per cent).

    Next were the Toyota Prado (2374, up 16.1 per cent as ‘grey nomads’ gear up to travel again), Hyundai i30 (2368, down 29.2 per cent), Hyundai Tucson (2206, down 5.9 per cent), and Kia Cerato (2016).

    ModelJune 2020 sales
    Toyota HiLux6537
    Ford Ranger5329
    Toyota Corolla3008
    Mitsubishi Triton2721
    Toyota RAV42632
    Mazda CX-52530
    Toyota Prado 2374
    Hyundai i302368
    Hyundai Tucson 2206
    Kia Cerato2016
    Mazda BT-501768
    Mazda 31722
    Isuzu D-Max 1642
    Toyota LandCruiser Wagon1521
    Mitsubishi ASX1475
    Nissan Navara 1465
    Subaru Forester 1464
    Volkswagen Golf /Golf Alltrack1458
    Toyota LandCruiser PU/CC1388
    Nissan X-Trail1387
    Hyundai Kona1385
    Honda CR-V1381
    Mitsubishi Outlander1306
    Toyota Kluger 1243
    Volkswagen Amarok1229
    Toyota HiAce Van/Bus1228
    Kia Sportage 1213
    Toyota C-HR1199
    Mazda CX-31157
    Subaru XV1124

    Above: Top 30 cars in June 2020

    As you can see from the top 30 list above, the breakdown included five passenger vehicles, 16 SUVs or 4×4 wagon, and nine commercial vehicles.

    In terms of segment breakdowns, the most popular type of vehicles were 4×4 Utes (19.2 per cent market share), ahead of Medium SUVs (18.8), Small Cars (13.2), Large SUVs (12.5), and Small SUVs (17.6).

    Top three sellers per segment

    Segment123
    Micro Kia Picanto – 346Mitsubishi Mirage – 102Fiat 500 – 65
    Light MG 3 – 643Suzuki Swift – 537Kia Rio – 491
    Light LuxMini – 215Audi A1 – 65Citroen C3 – 6
    SmallToyota Corolla – 3008Hyundai i30 – 2368Kia Cerato – 2016
    Small LuxMercedes A-Class – 901BMW 1 Series – 397Audi A3 – 358
    MediumToyota Camry – 1123Mazda 6 – 177Skoda Octavia – 152
    Medium LuxBMW 3 Series – 561Mercedes C-Class – 492Mercedes CLA – 315
    Large Kia Stinger – 247Holden Commodore – 43Skoda Superb – 25
    Large LuxBMW 5 Series – 130Mercedes E-Class- 127Audi A6 – 27
    Upper Chrysler 300 – 34BMW 7 Series – 22Mercedes S-Class – 17
    MPVsKia Carnival – 465Honda Odyssey – 125LDV G10 – 74
    Sports Ford Mustang – 419Mercedes C-Class 2-dr – 196BMW 4 Series – 74

    Above: Top passenger segment sellers, scrolls horizontally on mobile
    Segment123
    LightMazda CX-3 – 1157Hyundai Venue – 344Volkswagen T-Cross – 449
    SmallMitsubishi ASX – 1475Hyundai Kona – 1385Toyota C-HR – 1199
    Small LuxVolvo XC40 – 490Audi Q3 – 479BMW X1 – 392
    MediumToyota RAV4 – 2632Mazda CX-5 – 2530Hyundai Tucson – 2206
    Medium LuxMercedes GLC/Coupe – 1029Lexus NX – 698BMW X3/X4 – 604
    LargeToyota Prado – 2374Toyota Kluger – 1243Isuzu MU-X – 1014
    Large LuxMercedes GLE/Coupe 453BMW X5/X6 – 435Lexus RX – 337
    Upper Toyota LandCruiser – 1521Nissan Patrol – 211
    Upper Lux Land Rover Discovery – 164Mercedes GLS – 153BMW X7 – 143

    Above: Top SUV segment sellers, scrolls horizontally on mobile
    Segment123
    Small VansVolkswagen Caddy – 265Renault Kangoo – 83Peugeot Partner – 26
    Mid VansToyota HiAce – 1014Hyundai iLoad – 542Ford Transit Custom – 403
    Large Vans Mercedes Sprinter – 354Volkswagen Crafter – 238Ford Transit Heavy – 210
    4×2 UtesToyota HiLux – 1726Isuzu D-Max – 505Mazda BT-50 – 453
    4×4 UtesFord Ranger – 5092Toyota HiLux – 4811Mitsubishi Triton – 2292

    Above: Top LCV segment sellers, scrolls horizontally on mobile

    Miscellaneous stuff

    Sales of utes and vans grew 8.6 per cent, and their volume of 28,645 units meant 26 per cent overall market share. SUVs had 47.1 per cent share and passenger vehicles a paltry 22.7 per cent.

    Business sales climbed 6.3 per cent over June 2019 to 48,517, private sales fell 7.9 per cent to 52,641, rentals plummeted 75.7 per cent to 1918, and government department sales dipped 16 per cent to 2536.

    Mild-hybrid sales totalled 4243 units, almost double June 2019’s tally. Electric and plug-in hybrid sales excluding market-leader Tesla (which refuses to disclose data) totalled 384 units, up 47.1 per cent.

    The top sources of imports included Japan (32,469), Thailand (28,070), Korea (13,657), Germany (8680), the USA (4824), and China (3029).

    Mike Costello
    Mike Costello is a Senior Contributor at CarExpert.
    Buy and Lease
    Uncover exclusive deals and discounts with a VIP referral to Australia's best dealers
    Uncover exclusive deals and discounts with a VIP referral to Australia's best dealers