The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has released the new vehicle sales figures for the month of January 2020, utilising the updated VFACTS (i.e. more honest) reporting system for the first time.
New vehicle sales for the month totalled 71,731, and were comprised of 20,494 passenger vehicles, 35,393 Sports Utility Vehicles and 14,035 Light Commercial Vehicles.
Tony Weber, chief executive for the FCAI, commented on the sales result, “Given the broad range of environmental, financial, international and political issues facing Australia during January, it is no surprise to see the new vehicle market has reported a conservative start to the year,” Mr Weber said.
Toyota was the market leader in January with 14,809 sales and 20.6 per cent market share. Mazda claimed second place with 6,695 sales (9.3 per cent share), followed by Hyundai with 5,443 sales (7.6 per cent share), Mitsubishi with 5,108 sales (7.1 per cent share) and Kia with 4,705 sales (6.6 per cent share).
The Toyota Hilux, with 2,968 sales, again claimed the title of Australia’s best-selling vehicle, closely followed by the Ford Ranger with 2,624 sales. Australia’s third favourite vehicle during January was the Toyota Corolla with 2,370 sales, followed by the Toyota RAV4 with 2,290 sales and the Mitsubishi Triton with 2,075 sales.
Mr Weber commented on the updated VFACTS reporting system, “VFACTS is the most accurate source of data for the automotive industry. The updated VFACTS system is working well and automotive brands have welcomed its release.
“The benefits of the new system include improved data accuracy and more timely reporting lines,” Mr Weber said.
