Sales figures are showing that small car popularity has risen, with consumers looking to downsize when buying a new car.
Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) senior manager of mobility and automotive policy, Mark Borlace says over the last five years, large car sales have dropped by 48%, while small car sales have risen by 21% in South Australia.
“There is currently a trend within the motoring world to downsize when purchasing a new car.
“People are re-evaluating their needs and if they find a smaller car with a smaller engine that’s able to fulfil their needs, downsizing is the option they are leaning towards.
“Fuel efficiency is one of the main reasons why consumers are downsizing, and they achieve this best by purchasing a smaller car with a smaller engine capacity.
“With increasing petrol prices, consumers are looking for cars that aren’t going to cost them as much at the bowser to fill up,” says Borlace.
New vehicle sales have changed considerably over the five year period from December 2007 to December 2012.
“In December 2007, 1009 small cars were purchased in South Australia, rising by 48% to 1494 vehicle sales in December 2012.
“In December 2007, 677 large cars were purchased in South Australia, but dropped significantly in December 2012 to 372.
“Light and medium car sales have barely changed, while there has been a steady growth of Hybrid vehicle sales over the five year period,” says Borlace.
Gone are the days when downsizing a car also meant downgrading. Consumers have recognised that there are many benefits to having a smaller car.
“Cheaper registration, insurance and maintenance costs, improved safety ratings, less garage/driveway space and being easier to park, are all common reasons why people are downsizing.
“There are also a lot of mid-size and smaller SUVs now on the market, with reasonably small engines, that are a lot more affordable to run than larger cars, without losing too much space.
“The car industry sees this downsizing trend continuing, as more and more consumers move to SUVs and small cars when buying a new car,” says Borlace.
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