Japanese Automakers Drive Record Oz Sales in April

Hyundai makes Australian automotive history as it tops monthly car sales for the first time in an April that saw industrywide sales jump 7.2% year-on-year to a record 87,571 units.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries says the result was 2.9% above the previous best April, set three years ago.

Car sales for the month rose 4.7% to 46,671 units, with SUVs up 7.1% at 31,783 and light- commercial-vehicle deliveries ahead 14.1% at 16,579.

The FCAI says there were big gains in the medium- and upper-large SUV, sports and people-mover segments in April. Small cars (up 6.9%) and midsize cars (up 6.8%) both were busy, at the expense of large cars (down 6.2%) and upper large (down 23.2%).

Hyundai sold a market-leading 6,324 cars as its April result soared 19.9% to 8,643. Hyundai’s i30 Series II was Australia’s top-selling car for the second month with 4,143 deliveries, ahead of the Toyota Hilux (3,384), Ford Ranger (2,973), Toyota Corolla (2,959), and Mazda3 (2,512).

Toyota remained the overall market leader for the month with 16,567 sales for an 18.9% market share, followed by Hyundai, Mazda (8,461), Ford (6,842) and GM Holden (6,710).

The April result left year-to-date sales up 3.8% at 372,899 units.

Four months into 2016, car sales were down 5.3% at 155,095 units, but this was more than offset by SUV deliveries up 12.2% at 140,152 and LCVs up 11.2% at 68,303.

Industry Irate Over Import Initiative

FCAI CEO Tony Weber says sales continue growing as the tax- and job-generating segment of the economy is facing significant uncertainty under proposed government legislation.

Canberra has announced parallel-import legislation that would allow vehicles to be shipped into Australia without the protection of a warranty.

“By the government’s own modeling, at least 30,000 sales could be lost out of our market, consumer protection diminished and jobs exported overseas when this new legislation is introduced,” Weber says in a statement.

The April sales figures show the industry is price-competitive, offers value to buyers, delivers jobs and investment and is in no need of change, he says.

“We are just a handful of months into 2016 and already the market is on target for another record. And yet the government wants to put this investment, these jobs, this tax revenue, at risk. It makes no sense.”

Toyota’s 16,567 April sales were up 8.3% year-on-year with Tony Cramb, executive director-sales and marketing, saying the result beat second-place Hyundai’s 8,643 deliveries by 91.7%.

Mazda sold 8,461 units, breaking its year-old April record of 8,068. The result followed three consecutive record-breaking months of more than 10,000 deliveries and was the eighth successive month the automaker set a monthly record.

The Mazda CX-3, Mazda BT-50 and Mazda MX-5 all set April sales records, while the CX-5 had its second-best April result. The CX-5, Australia’s most popular SUV, tallied 1,675 deliveries last month to raise its 4-month total to 7,833 for a 17.9% segment share.

Mazda’s year-to-date sales were up 7.0% at 38,910 units.