KINGSTON, Australia — Australia’s vehicle market powered ahead in July despite continued issues with supply and Covid-19 restrictions.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries said sales rose by 16.1 percent last month compared to the same month in 2020, with 84,161 cars and trucks retailed across the country. 72,505 vehicles were sold in the corresponding July of 2020.
That took sales for the seven months so far this year to 651,629, a jump of 26.5 percent, and came amid Covid-19 lockdowns in several states, most notably in the southeastern Australian states, New South Wales and Victoria.
Tony Weber, chief executive of the Australian automotive peak body, said despite the ongoing issues from the pandemic, the country’s vehicle market remained strong.
“The growth of 16.1 percent shows the underlying strength, confidence, and resilience in the market in spite of the challenges being presented due to lockdowns and ongoing delivery issues caused by microprocessor shortages and shipping delays,” Weber said.
“We are also seeing the trend of restocking in the rental segment, with the growth of 231 percent reflecting the increasing demand for local tourism and travel.”
Toyota led the market again in July with 17,643 vehicles ahead of Mazda at 8919, Ford at 5569, Mitsubishi 5302, and Kia on 5202. Toyota’s lead over Mazda is 8,724 vehicles, nearly double the latter’s sales.
Toyota was also the market leader in June with 21,076 sales ahead of Mazda’s 12,225, followed by Ford (8456) again.
The Toyota HiLux was the best-selling vehicle at 4610, beating the Ford Ranger on 4064, the Toyota Corolla on 2535, and the Isuzu Ute D-Max on 2427, as per reports by the Federal Chambers of Automotive Industries.
“The Passenger Vehicle Market is down by 537 vehicle sales (-3.0 percent) over the same month last year; the Sports Utility Market is up by 5,467 vehicle sales (15.0 percent); the Light Commercial Market is up by 6,096 vehicle sales (40.9 percent), and the Heavy Commercial Vehicle Market is up by 630 vehicle sales (21.7 percent) versus July 2020,” states the report.
The July market included stronger demand for electric and plug-in hybrids.
Sales of electric cars grew by 191 percent in Victoria and by 260 percent in New South Wales, while hybrid demand jumped by 161 percent and 85 percent.
The increases came after those two states introduced a road user charge for electric vehicles offset by consumer grants and continuing infrastructure investment.
But they also came on the back of small numbers, with just 515 electric vehicles and 325 plug-ins sold across the country last month.
Among alternative-powered vehicles, standard hybrids continue to dominate, with more than 5000 retail in July.
The Light Commercial Vehicle Market is up by 40 percent, having recorded 6096 more sales than the corresponding period in 2020.
Edited by Saptak Datta and Krishna Kakani
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