New-car sales hit the brakes in the last three months of 2021 – and it was the weakest December since the Global Financial Crisis. But dealers say there is still strong demand leading into the new year.
New-car sales returned to the 1 million mark last year – but slumped to the lowest December deliveries since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.
It was the 13th time in the past 15 years Australians purchased more than 1 million new cars in a calendar year, but the annual tally for 2021 fell short of expectations after sales hit the brakes in the last three months.
Data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries showed 1,049,831 new vehicles were reported as sold in 2021 – an increase of 14.5 per cent compared to the prior year, which was impacted by the first wave of the global coronavirus pandemic.
However, new-car deliveries in December were down 18 per cent compared to the same month the prior year, the worst December result since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.
It was also the third month in a row of sales decline in the Australian new-car market after 11 months in positive territory.
Excluding the 2020 sales result which was impacted heavily by lockdowns due to the coronavirus, the new-car tally for 2021 was the weakest annual tally since 2014.
According to experts on the showroom floor, demand for new cars remains strong due to ongoing international travel restrictions and an increase in the number of people choosing to holiday at home.
Industry analysts say buyers are also treating themselves to a new car after a period of uncertainty and extended lockdowns.
Despite the weak numbers in December, industry experts say there is a “healthy forward-order bank” – which will be reflected in sales results in the coming months.
After an earlier-than-expected market recovery, the global automotive industry is continuing to struggle to manufacture enough vehicles amid interruptions to production due to the semiconductor crisis, with most brands dealing with severe stock shortages.
The waiting list for many popular cars ranges from three months to 10 months – and estimated arrival times are changing daily or weekly, based on regular updates from assembly lines.
Most new cars on sale today are equipped with between 300 and 3000 tiny computer chips, but the devices take 26 weeks to manufacture in an environment that must be cleaner than a surgical operating theatre – and the automotive industry is competing with other technology companies for access to semiconductor production globally.
The car industry had been hoping for a return to “free supply” of new cars – and reduced waiting times – by the middle of 2022. But the latest reports out of the US and Europe estimate new-car delivery delays could continue for much of the year.
Last year was Toyota’s 25th time at the top of the Australian new-car sales charts since 1991 – and the 19th year in a row.
Market leader Toyota outsold its nearest rival Mazda by more than two-to-one for the third year in a row (223,642 versus 101,119).
Toyota’s achievement in Australia comes as the Japanese car maker reached a major milestone in the US, ending the 90-year winning streak of automotive giant General Motors.
The Toyota HiLux ute held off a late charge by its arch-rival, the Ford Ranger, to retain top-seller status for a record sixth year in a row.
It is the first time in Australian automotive history a ute has led the new-car market for such a lengthy period.
Industry analysts say it’s a sign of our changing taste in motor vehicles, as more Australians choose to holiday at home – or want a family car they can use for work and play.
The Ford Ranger was Australia’s top-selling four-wheel-drive, but was beaten in the outright sales race when 4×2 models are added; it is industry practice to rank sales according to vehicle nameplates.
The Ford Ranger managed to close the annual sales gap to the closest margin in the history of the two title rivals.
The Toyota HiLux was 2865 sales ahead of the Ford Ranger in the year-to-date sales tally to the end of November 2021.
By the close of business in December 2021, the gap between the top-selling Toyota HiLux and second-place Ford Ranger was 2522 vehicles (52,801 versus 50,279). Four years ago, there was a gap of 9500 sales between the top two sellers.
Both Toyota and Ford will be popping champagne corks because 2021 represented record sales for the HiLux and Ranger, despite the challenges of stock shortages.
Had the Ford Ranger managed to overtake the Toyota HiLux in 2021, it would have been the first time in 26 years a Ford vehicle topped the Australian new-car sales charts for a calendar year.
Instead, the Ford Ranger notched up its fifth year in a row as Australia’s second most popular vehicle outright.
Last year also marked the first time utes and vans outsold conventional passenger cars for the first time in Australian automotive history.
Sales of SUVs have overtaken passenger cars since 2017.
But 2021 was the first time SUVs accounted for more than half of all new motor vehicle sales (50.6 per cent), after falling just short of that mark in 2020 (49.5 per cent).
The split across new-vehicle sales in 2021 were SUVs (531,700, 50.6 per cent of the total market), utes and vans (253,254, 24.1 per cent of the total market), and passenger cars (221,556, 21.1 per cent of the total market). Heavy trucks accounted for 43,321 sales, or 4.1 per cent of the total market.
Analysts say the boom in ute sales has been led by a rebound in the construction industry – and demand among holidaymakers – while van sales are up due to an increase in online shopping and parcel deliveries during the coronavirus pandemic.
The top-selling passenger car was the Toyota Corolla – which led the Australian new-car market for three years before being overtaken by the Toyota HiLux in 2016.The most popular SUV was the Toyota RAV4, which outsold the Corolla for the past two years in a row – another sign of our changing taste in cars.
The Australian Automotive Dealers Association (AADA) – which represents more than 3000 showrooms nationally – said the sales numbers for 2021 would have been higher in the absence of production slowdowns.
“Consumer demand for new and used cars remains strong, but the global shortage of semiconductors means that Australia – like all other markets across the world – is being made to wait longer for new cars to arrive in showrooms,” said James Voortman, the head of the AADA.
“For the past 18 months we have been asking customers to be patient and to order their cars as soon as possible to avoid even longer wait times. This advice remains the same today and I suspect the supply challenges will remain well into 2022.”
The AADA says, as with many other Australian businesses, car showrooms are “struggling with staff shortages and disgruntled customers.”
“The shortage of new cars is beyond the control of dealers, and we share the frustration of our customers,” said Mr Voortman.
Mazda maintained its position as the second biggest-selling brand in Australia for the seventh year in a row – since 2015 – despite struggling with stock shortages and dropping down the rankings in some months.
Hyundai ranked third for the sixth year in a row – since 2016 – while Ford finished in fourth place for the second year in a row, after posting its best sales result since 2017.
After a close battle between sister brands Hyundai and Kia – in which Kia outsold Hyundai in four individual months for the first time ever – Kia finished the year in fifth place just 4908 sales behind (72,872 versus 67,964), the closest gap between the two brands in Australia.
A decade ago, Kia sold about one-third the number of Hyundai cars in Australia (30,000 versus 90,000).
Japanese brand Honda had a disappointing fall from grace, finishing 15th with a 39.5 per cent slump in sales – in a market that grew by 14.5 per cent – after switching to a fixed-price business model from July 2021.
Chinese car brands continued to roar up the charts – and established a new record for Chinese-sourced motor vehicles in Australia.
China now ranks as Australia’s fourth biggest source of motor vehicles behind Japan, Thailand, and South Korea for the first time in a calendar year – ahead of the US and Germany.
The country of origin split across new-vehicle sales in Australia in 2021: Japan (350,934, or 33.4 per cent of the total market), Thailand (230,520, or 22 per cent of the total market), South Korea (145,025, or 13.8 per cent of the total market), China (76,262, or 7.3 per cent of the total market), Germany (43,143, or 4.1 per cent of the total market) and the USA (34,958, or 3.3 per cent of the total market).
Chinese brand MG made it into the Top 10 for the first time in a calendar year, ranking ninth (behind Volkswagen and ahead of Subaru) – and ahead of fellow Chinese brands Great Wall Motors Haval (14th) and LDV (18th).
Big V8-powered US pick-ups from Ram and Chevrolet outsold electric cars for the 2021 calendar year, according to data provided by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
Combined, Ram and Chevrolet reported 6143 vehicles as sold, compared to 5149 electric cars on the official scoreboard.
However, the electric-car sales figures do not include Tesla, which does not provide such data in Australia.
Among the mainstream luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz ranked highest – in 12th place – but posted a sales decline in a market up by 14.5 per cent (28,348, down 3.8 per cent), while BMW ranked 13th (24,891, up 5.8 per cent), Audi finished the year 17th outright (16,003, up 0.9 per cent) and Toyota’s luxury marque Lexus rounded out the Top 20 (9290, up 5.0 per cent).Most super-luxury and sports-car brands enjoyed a strong recovery in 2021, buoyed either by new SUVs or new electric car options: Bentley (219 deliveries reported for the year, up 32.7 per cent), Rolls-Royce (48, up 14.3 per cent), Maserati (560, up 19.9 per cent), Porsche (4428, up 4.4 per cent), Lamborghini (131, up 18.0 per cent) and McLaren (88, up 39.7 per cent).
Ferrari was the exception to the growth in the supercar segment, posting a sales decline of 5.4 per cent (to 194 vehicles reported as sold), in market that grew by 14.5 per cent.
Data below supplied by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, compiled by Drive news journalists William Davis and Alex Misoyannis.
TOP 10 CARS full-year 2021
| Rank | Model | Volume 2021 (full-year) | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota HiLux | 52,801 | up 16.9 per cent |
| 2 | Ford Ranger | 50,279 | up 22.7 per cent |
| 3 | Toyota RAV4 | 35,751 | down 7.2 per cent |
| 4 | Toyota Corolla | 28,768 | up 11.2 per cent |
| 5 | Hyundai i30 | 25,575 | up 23.3 per cent |
| 6 | Isuzu D-Max | 25,117 | up 66.7 per cent |
| 7 | Mazda CX-5 | 24,968 | up 13.6 per cent |
| 8 | Toyota Prado | 21,299 | up 18.1 per cent |
| 9 | Mitsubishi Triton | 19,232 | up 6.0 per cent |
| 10 | MG ZS | 18,423 | up 235.3 per cent |
TOP 10 CARS IN December 2021
| Rank | Model | Volume December 2021 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Ford Ranger | 4168 | down 2.3 per cent |
| 2 | Toyota HiLux | 3821 | down 31.4 per cent |
| 3 | Toyota RAV4 | 2998 | down 15.4 per cent |
| 4 | Hyundai i30 | 2241 | up 12.3 per cent |
| 5 | Toyota Prado | 2204 | down 11.8 per cent |
| 6 | Mazda CX-5 | 2148 | up 4.3 per cent |
| 7 | Isuzu D-Max | 2012 | down 16.5 per cent |
| 8 | MG ZS | 1980 | up 96.0 per cent |
| 9 | Mitsubishi Triton | 1751 | up 11.2 per cent |
| 10 | Nissan Navara | 1551 | up 35.4 per cent |
TOP 10 CAR BRANDS IN December 2021
| Rank | Brand | Volume December 2021 | Change year-on-year |
| 1 | Toyota | 16,237 | down 30.8 per cent |
| 2 | Mazda | 7078 | down 17.3 per cent |
| 3 | Hyundai | 5734 | down 14.9 per cent |
| 4 | Mitsubishi | 5657 | down 11.3 per cent |
| 5 | Ford | 5434 | down 13.8 per cent |
| 6 | Kia | 4880 | up 3.8 per cent |
| 7 | MG | 3268 | up 69.9 per cent |
| 8 | Subaru | 2804 | down 17.6 per cent |
| 9 | Isuzu | 2798 | down 14.5 per cent |
| 10 | Nissan | 2705 | down 35.8 per cent |
Passenger cars: Top Three in each segment in December 2021
| Micro | Kia Picanto (481) | Mitsubishi Mirage (466) | Fiat 500 (85) |
| Light < $25k | MG 3 (863) | Volkswagen Polo (504) | Kia Rio (345) |
| Light > $25k | Mini (123) | Audi A1 (17) | Citroen C3 (9) |
| Small < $40k | Hyundai i30 (2241) | Toyota Corolla (1271) | Kia Cerato (916) |
| Small > $40k | BMW 1 Series (134) | Mercedes–Benz A-Class (131) | BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe (108) |
| Medium < $60k | Toyota Camry (948) | Hyundai Sonata (101) | Volkswagen Passat (97) |
| Medium > $60k | BMW 3 Series (308) | Mercedes–Benz CLA (120) | Lexus ES (98) |
| Large < $70k | Skoda Superb (53) | Kia Stinger (36) | |
| Large > $70k | Mercedes–Benz E-Class (61) | Porsche Taycan (50) | BMW 5 Series (39) |
| Upper Large < $100k | Chrysler 300 (8) | | |
| Upper Large > $100k | Mercedes-Benz S-Class (45) | BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe (4) | BMW 7 Series (3), Mercedes-AMG GT (3) |
| People Movers | Kia Carnival (522) | Hyundai Staria (157) | LDV G10 (127) |
| Sports < $80k | Ford Mustang (70) | Mazda MX-5 (47) | Nissan 370Z (18) |
| Sports > $80k | Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe/convertible (89) | BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible (72) | Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe/convertible (20) |
| Sports > $200k | Porsche 911 (45) | Ferrari coupe/convertible (22) | Aston Martin coupe/convertible (9) |
SUVs: Top Three in each segment in December 2021
| Light SUV | Mazda CX-3 (709) | Kia Stonic (607) | Toyota Yaris Cross (504) |
| Small SUV < $40k | MG ZS (1980) | Mitsubishi ASX (1052) | Mazda CX-30 (953) |
| Small SUV > $40k | Audi Q3 (392) | Lexus UX (181) | BMW X1 (156) |
| Medium SUV < $60k | Toyota RAV4 (2998) | Mazda CX-5 (2148) | Mitsubishi Outlander (1342) |
| Medium SUV > $60k | BMW X3 (383) | Mercedes-Benz GLC (353) | Volvo XC60 (295) |
| SUV Large < $70k | Toyota Prado (2204) | Subaru Outback (281) | Isuzu MU-X (785) |
| SUV Large > $70k | Mercedes–Benz GLE (353) | BMW X5 (267) | Lexus RX (167) |
| SUV Upper Large < $100k | Toyota LandCruiser Wagon (821) | Nissan Patrol Wagon (18) | |
| SUV Upper Large > $100k | Mercedes-Benz GLS (111) | BMW X7 (76) | Audi Q8 (16), Land Rover Discovery (16) |
Utes and vans: Top Three in each segment in December 2021
| Vans < 2.5t | Renault Kangoo (44) | Volkswagen Caddy (33) | Peugeot Partner (10) |
| Vans 2.5t-3.5t | Toyota HiAce Van (916) | LDV G10/G10+ (451) | Mitsubishi Express (230) |
| 4×2 Utes | Toyota HiLux 4X2 (1221) | Isuzu Ute D-Max 4X2 (535) | Ford Ranger 4X2 (417) |
| 4×4 Utes | Ford Ranger 4X4 (3747) | Toyota Hilux 4X4 (2600) | Isuzu Ute D-Max 4X4 (1475) |
The market
The tally of 78,402 new cars reported as sold across Australia during December, represents a 18.0 per cent decrease compared to the same month last year.
Brands
Toyota remained market leader throughout December 2021 with 16,237 vehicles reported as sold, comfortably ahead of its nearest rivals Mazda (7078) and Hyundai (5734).
Models
Dual cab utes once again dominated sales nationwide, representing the top two best selling models (and five of the top ten).
The
Ford Ranger was the best selling vehicle outright, with 4168 examples reported as sold.
Info Heading
Lorem ipsum dolor, sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Omnis itaque cumque totam optio repellat aut dicta exercitationem doloremque! Dolor placeat fugiat.
The post VFACTS December 2021: Toyota’s 25th year as Number One, new-car sales stall amid ongoing shortages appeared first on Drive.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar