Oz Sales Fall in September, But Q4 Rebound Expected

Australian new-vehicle deliveries fell 2.1% in September to 92,662 units, but with the uncertainty of the general election replaced by the first majority government in three years, the industry is expecting sales growth to resume at a higher pace for the rest of the year.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data shows that while private sales rose 6% in September, government purchases fell 15.5% and business deliveries were down 10%.

FCAI CEO Tony Weber says he is confident sales will pick up in the last months of the year with the election period over and reinstatement of the statutory formula for working out the fringe-benefit tax (FBT) on company-leased vehicles for staff.

“The announcement by the Coalition (government) to return to pre-July FBT arrangements has been welcomed by the industry,” Weber says in a statement. “We anticipate the market effect of this announcement will see positive growth throughout the rest of the year.”

The market remains on track for a record year with 9-month deliveries up 3.3% to 849,944 units.

Toyota had the two top-selling cars for the month – the Corolla (3,443 units) and Hilux (3,341) – as it led the September market with 17,492 units sold.

GM Holden followed with 9,614 deliveries, ahead of Hyundai (8,803), Mazda (7,615) and Ford (7,505).

The SUV segment bucked the September trend, rising 3.8% year-on-year to 26,199 units to record an 8.9% year-to-date gain to 249,821. The growth was boosted by a 19.6% year-to-date jump in small SUVs to 55,046 units.

New-car deliveries fell 3.9% for the month to 47,149 units, while light-commercial-vehicle deliveries dropped 6.0% to 16,484.

Through the first nine months, LCV sales were up 5.2% to 153,785 units, while cars declined 0.3% to 422,740.

In a market of more than 350 models, the Australian-made Holden Commodore (2,869 units for fourth place), Toyota Camry (2,223 for seventh place) and Holden Cruze (1,851 for ninth) all landed in the top 10 in September.

Tony Cramb, executive director-sales and marketing for Toyota Australia, says vital orders, particularly from fleet customers, are starting to recover following rejection of proposed changes to the FBT.

“The position is clear and the early signs are promising, although it is natural that it will take time for customers to regain their full confidence before resuming normal purchasing patterns,” he says in a statement.

Mazda delivered 7,615 units in September to remain on course for a full-year sales record.

Mitsubishi again showed there can be life after death as a local manufacturer, setting an import September record with 5,993 deliveries. The result put year-to-date sales up 22.9% to 54,603.