Australia’s 2012 New-Vehicle Sales Pass 1 Million in November

Australian new-vehicle sales raced past 1 million for the year as November sales jumped 10.9% year-on-year to 98,347 units.

Data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show it is the first time total new-vehicle sales in Australia exceeded 1 million by the end of November. The 11-month total was up 10.9% to 1,016,605 units.

The FCAI says if December repeats previous years’ trends, with about 80,000 deliveries in the month, total sales for 2012 may reach a record 1.1 million. The industry's previous high was 1.05 million in 2007, followed by 1 million-plus totals in 2008 and the past two years.

The resurgence in passenger-vehicle sales, as well as continued growth in SUVs and light-commercial deliveries, contributed to the strong November result.

Passenger-vehicle sales climbed 10.6% to 51,652 units for an 11-month total up 2.5% to 526,237. SUV deliveries grew 8.1% to 25,145, pushing the year-to-date total ahead 26.4% to 280,277.

Some 17,506 light-commercial vehicles were sold in November, a 15.0% increase compared with year-ago, for an 11-month total up 10.2% to 181,821 units.

The record-setting pace came despite a drop in government purchases of new cars, down 35.1% in November and off 20.7% for the year. However, the market share of new-cars year-to-date (51.8%) compared with SUVs (27.6%) remained unchanged from October.

Sales of locally manufactured vehicles rose 11.2% from year-ago in November, but the 11-month total slipped 1.7% to 127,821 units.

In its first full month of sales, the new-generation Toyota Corolla led the industry in November with 4,190 units. The Mazda3 was second with 3,703, ahead of the Toyota HiLux with 3,059, Holden Commodore with 2,659 and Toyota Camry with 2,349.

Toyota was the best-performing brand in the month with 19,312 deliveries, followed by GM Holden with 10,354 and Mazda with 8,732.

Toyota’s 11-month sales climbed 18.6% to 197,007 units, giving it an unassailable lead of more than 91,000 over its nearest rival and putting it in line for its 10^th straight year of market leadership and the 17th time overall.

Toyota Sales and Marketing Executive Director Matthew Callachor says the latest results confirm the industry will achieve a record full-year total.

“If sales over the next four weeks merely match those in December last year at 82,459 new vehicles, then the 2012 total will be tantalizingly close to 1.1 million,” he says in a statement.

“Significant demand has been generated through strong competition, enticing offers, a healthy supply of vehicles and low interest rates that are continuing to fall.”

Mazda broke its annual sales record with a month to spare, selling a record 8,732 units in November, for an 11-month total up 16.5% to 94,332 compared with a total 88,333 deliveries in 2011.

The Mazda3 again led the way with 3,703 sales in the month to top the small-car segment and remain the country's favorite car with an annual tally of 39,479. Only 1,951 deliveries are needed in December to give the model its best-ever annual result in Australia.

Nissan continued its record-setting performance with its best-ever results for November, up 20% to 7,012 units, while its fleet sales in the month jumped 30% year-on-year. Nissan Financial Services Australia saw its third-best month on record, almost doubling the financial value of November 2011, the company says in a statement.