VFACTS November 2024: Private sales slump, RAV4 maintains lead
The Toyota RAV4 is holding onto top spot with huge sales growth, in a market that is down year on year as private buyers hold off.
Last year was a record year for new car sales in Australia, but 2024 appears to be ending on a weaker note.
New vehicle sales in November were down 9.3 per cent on the same month in 2023, with 101,707 vehicle sales recorded. It follows year-over-year declines of 6.4 per cent in October, 9.7 per cent in September, and 8.3 per cent in August.
With Tesla and Polestar no longer reporting their sales to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), we’ve augmented November’s VFACTS results with data for those brands supplied to the Electric Vehicle Council.
“From an historical perspective, the 2024 year to date result is strong,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.
“However, the market is starting to show a number of clear trends. The first half of 2024 recorded market growth of 8.7 per cent compared with 2023. Since July, we have seen the market decline by 8.2 per cent compared with 2023.”
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Note that these figures Mr Weber cites don’t include Tesla and Polestar figures.
“The private buyer segment continues to struggle with a decline of 16.6 per cent on November 2023. This follows falls of 14.2 per cent in October, 17.2 per cent in September and 15.9 per cent in August.
“This is a disturbing trend which illustrates how cost of living pressures are impacting households.”
Electric vehicle (EV) sales were down 23.8 per cent on the same month last year, while hybrid vehicle sales were up 47 per cent and plug-in hybrids were up 80.1 per cent.
A downturn for EV market leader Tesla is largely to blame for this, with its sales down 35.5 per cent compared with last November.
EV sales over the first 11 months of this year have grown by 3.1 per cent in a market that has increased by 1.7 per cent, and Mr Weber notes that hybrid and plug-in hybrid growth has outpaced that of EVs.
“The Australian experience with EVs is similar to many major markets overseas such as Europe, New Zealand and the USA,” he said.
“Carmakers are responding to regulatory settings that mandate an increase in the number of zero emission vehicles by introducing new products.
“However, consumers remain cautious about making the shift to pure EVs and instead are purchasing hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicles.”
Year-to-date, hybrid sales are up by 79.3 per cent, while PHEV sales are up by 100.4 per cent.
Brands
Toyota easily held onto the top spot last month, though its sales are down 2.1 per cent compared with last November.
The recent arrival of the new Prado, however, should help the Australia’s dominant auto brand in the new year, with initial sales proving strong.
Ford sales were up 6.8 per cent as the Ranger continues to dominate, helping to cement the Blue Oval in the number-two spot.
Third-place Mazda was down 12.9 per cent year over year to 7588 sales, while Kia had a strong month with 6410 sales, up 11.1 per cent. It’s unlikely that sister brand Hyundai will be able to beat it in full-year results.
Mitsubishi sales were essentially flat (6205, down 1.0 per cent), and the Japanese brand also stood above Hyundai on the charts (5606 sales, down 16.6 per cent).
MG held onto seventh spot even as sales took a dip amid a major overhaul of its lineup (5072 sales, down 9.5 per cent).
It continues to fend off rival Chinese brand GWM (3566 sales, down 3.1 per cent), with the top 10 being rounded out by Isuzu Ute (3386, down 30.2 per cent) and Nissan (3350 sales, down 21.5 per cent).
Almost every brand was down on its November 2023 sales, with the exceptions being Ford, Kia, Suzuki, Chery, BYD, Porsche, Chevrolet, Mini, as well as a handful of exotic brands.
The biggest winner this month was Chery, which was up 113.6 per cent on November 2023. It was buoyed by the arrival of its new entry-level Tiggo 4 Pro, which overtook the pricier Omoda 5 in November with 745 units delivered – more than rivals like the Suzuki Vitara (324) and Kia Seltos (473).
Brand November 2024 sales Change YoY Toyota 20,562 -2.1% Ford 8720 +6.8% Mazda 7588 -12.9% Kia 6410 +11.1% Mitsubishi 6205 -1.0% Hyundai 5606 -16.6% MG 5072 -9.5% GWM 3566 -3.1% Isuzu Ute 3386 -30.2% Nissan 3350 -21.5% Volkswagen 3214 -19.7% Subaru 3002 -21.5% Tesla 2540 -35.5% Suzuki 2253 +59.1% BMW 2215 -17.0% Mercedes-Benz 1979 -24% Chery 1762 +113.6% BYD 1552 +23.5% Audi 1418 -29.9% Lexus 1235 -2.8% LDV 1220 -33.6% Land Rover 663 -12.2% Volvo 622 -12.8% Porsche 550 +37.8% Honda 547 -56.5% Renault 474 -12.7% Chevrolet 400 +6.1% Skoda 378 -50.7% SsangYong 358 -24.3% Mini 348 +10.8% Ram 315 -15.3% Cupra 211 -58.9% Jeep 182 -44.7% Genesis 135 -28.9% Fiat 127 -16.4% Peugeot 90 -60.9% Polestar 76 -59.6% Jaguar 47 -30.9% Alfa Romeo 28 -71.1% Maserati 26 -52.7% Ferrari 22 +22.2% Aston Martin 12 -42.9% Bentley 12 -20.0% McLaren 11 +266.7% Lamborghini 10 -60.0% Lotus 9 -59.1% Rolls-Royce 7 +40.0% Citroen 7 -36.4%
Models
Toyota topped the charts with the evergreen RAV4, which is in a tight race with the Ford Ranger for the title of Australia’s best-selling vehicle in 2024. Its sales were up 125.6 per cent on November 2023.
The arrival of the new Prado was a welcome sight for Toyota dealers, given stock of the old model had essentially dried up earlier this year.
It overtook the rival Ford Everest in November, though full-year 2024 sales will likely see the Blue Oval score a win in the large SUV segment.
The Prado not only outsold the Everest in November, it also overtook the Toyota HiLux, which is set to once again lose to the Ranger in full-year sales.
The MG ZS remains the best-selling small SUV, with the Chinese brand running out stock of the outgoing model as new-generation vehicles arrive here first with hybrid power, followed by petrol variants in early 2025.
The Mitsubishi Outlander may be a distant second in the mainstream medium SUV segment to the Toyota RAV4, but it has widened the gap this year between it and the Mazda CX-5.
The Kia Sportage also pushed past the Mazda in November, though the latter remains ahead in year-to-date tallies.
Model November 2024 sales Toyota RAV4 5526 Ford Ranger 4981 Toyota Prado 3590 Toyota HiLux 3572 MG ZS 2794 Ford Everest 2737 Mitsubishi Outlander 2472 Isuzu D-Max 2180 Toyota LandCruiser 1899 Kia Sportage 1766 Mazda CX-5 1727 Tesla Model Y 1653 Mazda CX-3 1624 Toyota Corolla 1599 Hyundai Tucson 1542 Mitsubishi Triton 1505 Nissan X-Trail 1495 Hyundai Kona 1279 GWM Haval Jolion 1274 Mazda BT-50 1263
Segments
- Micro cars: Kia Picanto (349), Fiat 500 (35)
- Light cars under $30,000: MG 3 (714), Suzuki Swift (623), Mazda 2 (525)
- Light cars over $30,000: Volkswagen Polo (236), Mini Cooper (106), Mini Aceman (53)
- Small cars under $40,000: Toyota Corolla (1599), Hyundai i30 (1080), Kia Cerato (1035)
- Small cars over $40,000: MG 4 (821), Volkswagen Golf (392), BMW 1 Series (215)
- Medium cars under $60,000: Toyota Camry (400), BYD Seal (360), Mazda 6 (115)
- Medium cars over $60,000: Tesla Model 3 (887), BMW 3 Series (159), BMW i4 (132)
- Large cars under $70,000: Skoda Superb (6), Citroen C5 X (2)
- Large cars over $70,000: BMW 5 Series (64), Audi A6 (21), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (18)
- Upper large cars: BMW 7 Series (9), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (5), Porsche Panamera (5)
- People movers under $70,000: Kia Carnival (909), Hyundai Staria (159), LDV MIFA (34)
- People movers over $70,000: Lexus LM (49), Volkswagen Multivan (34), Mercedes-Benz V-Class (25)
- Sports cars under $80,000: Ford Mustang (167), Subaru BRZ (67), Mazda MX-5 (53)
- Sports cars over $80,000: BMW 2 Series Coupe (98), Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (72), BMW 4 Series two-door range (68)
- Sports cars over $200,000: Porsche 911 (37), Ferrari two-door range (16), Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (12)
- Light SUVs: Mazda CX-3 (1624), Suzuki Jimny (1111), Kia Stonic (715)
- Small SUVs under $45,000: MG ZS (2794), Hyundai Kona (1279), GWM Haval Jolion (1274)
- Small SUVs over $45,000: Audi Q3 (736), BMW X1 (373), Mercedes-Benz GLA (311)
- Medium SUVs under $60,000: Toyota RAV4 (5526), Mitsubishi Outlander (2472), Kia Sportage (1766)
- Medium SUVs over $60,000: Tesla Model Y (1653), Lexus NX (517), Porsche Macan (320)
- Large SUVs under $80,000: Toyota Prado (3590), Ford Everest (2737), Isuzu MU-X (1206)
- Large SUVs over $80,000: Land Rover Defender (274), BMW X5 (266), Range Rover Sport (206)
- Upper large SUVs under $120,000: Toyota LandCruiser (1082), Nissan Patrol (858), Kia EV9 (44)
- Upper large SUVs over $120,000: Lexus GX (173), BMW X7 (104), Lexus LX (75)
- Small vans: Volkswagen Caddy (44), Peugeot Partner (42), Renault Kangoo (33)
- Medium vans: Toyota HiAce (1122), Ford Transit Custom (409), Hyundai Staria Load (250)
- 4×2 utes: Toyota HiLux (703), Isuzu D-Max (398), Ford Ranger (280)
- 4×4 utes: Ford Ranger (4701), Toyota HiLux (2869), Isuzu D-Max (1782)
- Large pickups: Ram 1500 (272), Ford F-150 (203), Chevrolet Silverado (172)
Sales by category
Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.
Category November 2024 sales Market share SUV 62,306 61.2% Light commercial 20,544 20.2% Passenger 14,543 14.3% Heavy commercial 4314 4.2% Total 101,707 –
Top segments by market share
Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.
Segment November 2024 sales Change YoY Medium SUVs 23,878 -3.9% Small SUVs 16,118 -4.1% 4×4 utes 14,964 -29.1% Large SUVs 14,584 -0.7% Small cars 6880 -24.0%
Sales by region
Excludes Tesla and Polestar sales.
State/territory November 2024 sales Change YoY New South Wales 31,229 -10.1% Victoria 27,569 -6.9% Queensland 21,772 -10.2% Western Australia 10,590 -9.3% South Australia 6719 -7.7% Tasmania 1658 -18.0% Australian Capital Territory 1436 -11.8% Northern Territory 734 -20.3%
Sales by buyer type
Excludes Tesla, Polestar and heavy commercial sales.
Buyer type November 2024 sales Change YoY Private 47,247 -16.6% Business 37,821 -5.2% Rental 6631 -15.9% Government 3078 -2.3%
Sales by fuel or propulsion type
Includes Tesla and Polestar sales, excludes heavy commercial.
Fuel type November 2024 sales Change YoY Petrol 43,229 -14.4% Diesel 30,818 -17.6% Hybrid 14,171 +47.0% Electric 6585 -23.8% Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 2590 +80.1%
Sales by country of origin
Includes Tesla and Polestar sales.
Country of origin November 2024 sales Change YoY Japan 32,717 +1.0% Thailand 20,785 -21.3% China 16,808 -6.8% South Korea 12,011 -9.2% Germany 4740 -12.8%
MORE: VFACTS October 2024: Toyota RAV4 still on top as HiLux closes gap to Ranger
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MORE: VFACTS August 2024: Record RAV4 sales drive hybrid surge as EVs stumble
MORE: VFACTS July 2024: Hybrids star, EVs stall in another record month
MORE: VFACTS June 2024: Soft finish for record half-year
MORE: VFACTS May 2024: Hybrid and EV sales drive another record month
MORE: VFACTS April 2024: Record month, hybrids and plug-in hybrids surge
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