Mega May sales topple average April

May’s 100,000-plus new vehicle sales have trampled on the ‘average April’ sales of just circa-82,000.

Australia’s 1500 franchised dealers helped manufacturers sell 2.1% more vehicles in the first five months of 2018 over the same year-to-date period in 2017 – currently at 475,222 versus 465,381 last year, according to VFACTS data provided by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

SUVs had a hand in pumping up May 2018 sales up 8.4%.

Small SUVs were 36.1% better with 12,053 sales over May 2017, likewise medium SUVs jumped 5.1% with 18,000 sales, plus 4×4 and cab-chassis utes up 15,004 sales.
May 2018 sales figures of 100,754 are just 2147 sales off the May 2017 record of 102,901.

Toyota with 19,571 sales, including the Hilux with 4385, remain top of their respective brand and model heaps; with Mazda retaining second-highest selling marque and Hyundai third, carrying over from April, with 9403 and 8807 May sales respectively.

Fourth-placed Mitsubishi (up 6.9%), fifth-placed Ford (up 5.7%) and sixth-placed Holden (up 5.1%) refused to budge from their respective placings in April, although with much-improved sales figures.

It was a four-way arm wrestle between Kia in seventh, Volkswagen in eighth, Nissan in ninth and Honda taking tenth.

Behind the Hilux, Ford’s Ranger keeps its second-highest selling model above usual company in the Corolla (third), Hyundai i30 (fourth), Mazda 3 (fifth), Toyota LandCruiser (sixth), Mazda CX-5 (seventh), Toyota Rav4 (eighth), Mitsubishi ASX holding ninth and stablemate Triton snatching a top ten finish from Toyota’s Prado in April.

New South Wales rocketed away from last month’s 26,986 sales slump, cracking 32,523, but still 5.9% down on the same month last year. Victoria was in similar form, down 3.3% on last year with 28,104 May 2018 sales, but still 4334 better than April.

Queensland was a massive 4522 sales better-off than last month’s 16,621 sales by scratching out 21,143 sales, and a 2.3% increase over May 2017, while WA managed a 1365-sale improvement thanks to 8484 sales versus last month’s 7119 (4% better than May 2017).
South Australia was 961 sales up on April, courtesy of 6087 sales versus 5126, but drooped slightly by 0.8% against May 2017’s 6133 sales.
Tassie dealers did very well over May 2017, achieving 1657 sales compared with 1540 last year – that’s a 7.6% improvement for the Apple Isle. The ACT deserves similar praise for the 4.4% increase over May 2017, with 1568 May 2018 sales versus 1502.
The Northern Territory was down 6.9% with 1188 compared with 1276 last year.

FCAI chief executive Tony Weber says it’s a positive May result after a tricky April.

“There is clearly consumer confidence in the market, as evidenced by seven months of record sales in the past 12 months,” he explains.

“In the past 12 calendar months there has been almost 1.2 million new vehicles delivered to customers, which is a remarkable achievement.
“The market is continuing to hold up well year to date, with the past two months of falls offset by the gains recorded in the first quarter,” Weber adds.