VFACTS September 2023: Yet another record-breaker, EVs continue to grow

New car sales records have been broken for the third month running, with the Australian car market posting its best-ever September result.

According to official new-car sales results from the Federal Chamber of Automobile Industries (FCAI), 110,702 vehicles were registered in September – up 18% from 2022, when 93,555 cars were sold.

The previous highest September result was in 2016 when 102,696 new vehicles were registered.

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Top-selling brand Toyota broke yet another record with 20,912 vehicles, beating September 2021 when the brand recorded 20,216 vehicle sales.

The Toyota HiLux took first place with 5776 sales – just under 350 units more than its arch-rival Ford Ranger (5429) in the modern-day ute battle.

Year-to-date, 44,301 examples of the Toyota HiLux have been sold in Australia, compared to 43,073 Ford Rangers.

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New South Wales registered the most vehicles with 35,968 sales, ahead of Victoria and Queensland with 29,426 and 23,415 sales, respectively.

Western Australia (10,577), South Australia (6676), Tasmania (1972), the ACT (1806), and the Northern Territory (862) followed.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries said four of the past five months have been the highest recorded, with almost 900,000 vehicles sold year-to-date.

“The record result shows that Australian car buyers value a broad choice of vehicles in a range of price brackets that suit the family or business budget,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.

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“Consumers have a choice of vehicles across 20 light vehicle segments – from small passenger cars through to larger utes – confirming Australia’s position as one of the most open and competitive new vehicle markets in the world.

“Our advice is that the supply of vehicles into Australia, including electric vehicles, continues to improve so those consumers who want to buy a new vehicle should visit a dealer or manufacturer.”

JUMP AHEAD

• Top 10 models
• Top 10 brands
• Sales by segment
• Sales by fuel type
• Sales by country of origin
• Sales in charts

🥇 Australia’s top 10 cars for September 2023

Ups and downs ⬆️ + ⬇️

In first place, the Toyota HiLux recorded 5776 sales – down 11% from last year but with a stronger 4x4 share – with the Ford Ranger following with 5429 units, up 34% from September 2022.

The all-electric Tesla Model Y mid-size SUV took third with 3811 sales while the Isuzu D-Max followed in fourth place (2885).

The Toyota RAV4 placed fifth (2798), followed by China’s MG ZS (2528), and the Toyota Corolla (2217).

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Like August, the Toyota Corolla was the only passenger vehicle in the top 10 last month, but its 14,376 registrations year-to-date place it behind the Hyundai i30 (16,492) and Tesla Model 3 (14,540).

The Kia Sportage (2031) placed ninth, while in 10th place, the Ford Everest (1984) narrowly outsold the soon-to-be-replaced Toyota LandCruiser Prado (1976).

Frequently placed vehicles missing from the top 10 in September include the Mazda CX-5 (1888) and Hyundai i30 (1648), while other vehicles in the top 20 include Nissan’s superb new X-Trail (1784), the Subaru Forester (1414), and the Toyota LandCruiser wagon (1404).

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In tables: Top 10 models for September 2023

In tables: Top 10 model year-to-date 2023

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🥇 Australia’s top 10 car brands for September 2023

Ups and downs 🔼 + 🔽

Toyota recorded 20,912 sales (▲ from 14,852 in September 2022). Year-to-date, the Japanese brand’s sales are down 12% at 154,659, representing 19% of the market. 

Mazda finished second with 8031 sales (▲from 7259), while Ford trailed closely behind with 8015 sales (▲ from 6635) due to strong Ranger and Everest demand. 

Kia, in fourth, recorded 7303 sales in September (▲ from 7290), while Hyundai placed fifth with 6217 sales (▼ from 6501). 

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Year-to-date, Kia is ahead of its Hyundai parent, with 59,123 sales compared to 56,958.

Mitsubishi followed in sixth with 5761 sales (▼ from 6784), China’s MG placed seventh with 5400 sales (▲ from 3261) and electric car brand Tesla, in eighth, recorded 5177 sales (▼ from 5969)

A strong month and diverse portfolio saw Nissan rise to ninth with 4784 sales (▲ from 1885, or 154%) as its sales continue to recover, while Subaru placed tenth with 4302 sales (▲ from 3167). 

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In tables: Top 10 brands for September 2023

In tables: Top 10 brands year-to-date 2023

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And the rest…

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Size & Shape: Market segment results for September

SUVs, utes and vans again represented 79% of the total new-car market in September.

In total, 64,052 SUVs were sold from light to upper large, taking 58% of the total, followed by utes and vans with 23,793 sales in June, or 22%.

Mid-size SUVs dominate with 25,792 sales, followed by 4x4 utes and small SUVs with 18,193 and 16,549 sales, respectively.

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Combined ute sales were 21,783 including 4x2s and large American pick-ups.

Passenger car sales continued to decline, with 18,611 sales in September – with a 17% share, down from 19% in September 2022.

Small cars represented 7% of the total market, while the medium segment fell to 3%.

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In tables: New car sales by segment and size for September 2023

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September 2023: New car sales by fuel type

Petrol remained the default choice for Australian new-car buyers, with an 11% bump over last September to 52,619 sales (▲ from 47,618)

Diesel was second best – up 14% with 33,614 sales – while 10,138 traditional hybrids were reported as sold, up 22%.

Electric vehicle sales continue to rise with 8821 sales, up 22% compared to last September and 202% year-to-date.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for 1264 sales – up 141% – and no hydrogen vehicles were registered in September, with 10 units registered YTD.

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In tables: New car sales by fuel type for September 2023

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Country of Origin: Where Australia’s new cars came from in September 2023

Japan remains Australia's number one source of new cars followed by Thailand, while Chinese cars continue to outsell Korea in third place.

Australian new-car buyers bought 33,827 Japanese-built cars in September, up from 23,880 at the same time in 2022.

Thailand – where most utes and ladder-frame SUVs are produced – followed with 22,852 cars (▲ from 20,363).

China placed third ahead of Korea (17,429 compared to 14,372).

Germany trailed in fifth with 5531 registrations last month, followed by undefined countries (3181) and the United States (3027).

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In charts 📊

September 2023 – Top 20 models

September 2023 – Top 10 brands

September 2023 - Overall segment sales

September 2023 - Category sales

September 2023 - sales map

September 2023 - buyer type

September 2023 - Model sales race

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