Toyota stayed well on top of the leader board during May despite a slight drop in sales compared to the same time last year. Holden, Ford, Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Honda took out the minor placings
Photo courtesy of Newscom.com
Resurgent sales of Large cars and Sports Utility Vehicles have kept the Australian motor vehicle market on its record path.
Official sales figures for May released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show that 88,597 vehicles were sold – an increase of 5140 or 6.2 per cent over May last year.
The figures show that, for the year to date, the motor vehicle market is now up 32,567 vehicles or 8.4 per cent over the same period of 2006.
May sales of family-sized Large cars increased by 1020 vehicles or 9.3 per cent over the same month last year while Upper large sales grew by 284 or 52.0 per cent.
“It’s encouraging to see a consolidation in the Large and Upper Large segments which reflects both the introduction of exciting new product and the response of brands to the competitive challenges of the market,” said FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar.
Large cars sales are now up 5.4 per cent so far this year, while the Medium passenger car segment – which includes the Australian-made Toyota Camry – was up 6.6 per cent in May and 5.0 per cent year-to-date.
The SUV Market was up 2096 vehicles or 14.1 per cent in May, driven in particular by new model activity in the SUV Compact segment, which was up 1643 or 26.3 per cent.
“The resurgence in sales of SUVs and Large cars demonstrates that family-sized vehicles continue to meet the preferences of a significant number of Australian consumers because they suit their lifestyles and transport requirements,” said Andrew McKellar.
“There remains a substantial and legitimate market for these kinds of vehicles – and there always will be.”
Sales of Small and Light cars levelled off in May, falling 1.0 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively.
Toyota was the top-selling motor vehicle brand in May with 19,371 ahead of Holden (12,902) and Ford (9571).
Year-to-date Toyota leads with 21.9 per cent share of the market ahead of Holden (14.8 per cent) and Ford (10.5 per cent).
Mazda (7.7 per cent), Nissan (6.3), Mitsubishi (6.1) and Honda (6.0) have all gained market share over the same period of last year.