Motoring New vehicle sales hit highs in June despite supply caps

l SALES

| Nick Dalton

BUYERS made a stampede to motor dealers in June with 124,926 new vehicles sold to mark the end of the 2022-23 financial year.

This result is an increase of 25 per cent compared with June 2022 and an 8.2 per cent increase compared with the sixmonth period of January to June 2022. It is the highest June result since 2018.

Federal Chamber of Automo- tive Industries chief executive officer Tony Weber said the continuing sales growth was encouraging, especially considering the ongoing issues relating to vehicle supply.

“The end of the financial year has traditionally been a strong month for vehicle sales,” he said. “Indications from our members are that demand for new vehicles remains solid, but the supply is not yet at a point to meet this demand.

“To put it simply, if we could have landed more vehicles, this would have been a record June result.

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“Also, we will monitor the broader economic conditions and their potential to impact on vehicle purchasing decisions by fleets, businesses and families during the second half of this year,” he said.

Sales of zero and low-emission vehicles were growing with 16.6 per cent being battery electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid models.

Battery electric vehicles accounted for 8.8 per cent of June sales and make up 7.4 per cent of new vehicle sales during the first half of 2023. The Tesla

Model Y recorded 5560 sales, making it the second-highestselling vehicle behind the Toyota HiLux (6142).

“The early adopters of the new powertrain technology continue to push up the sales of electric vehicles across the country,” Mr Weber said.

“The steady introduction of new battery electric models across all model segments at more competitive price points is critically important as we deal with the challenges of supplying electric vehicles that meet business and personal consumer needs at prices the mainstream buyers can afford.”

Sales across every state and territory increased apart from the Northern Territory which recorded 1085 sales, a reduction of 2.7 per cent compared with June 2022. Sales in Queensland were up by 27.5 per cent (28,029).

The passenger vehicle market was up by 1947 vehicle sales (10.6 per cent) over the same month last year.

The sports utility vehicle (SUV) market was up by 16,552 vehicle sales (31.5 per cent), the light commercial market increased by 4981 vehicle sales (20.9 per cent) and the heavy commercial vehicle market rose up by 1472 vehicle sales (28.5 per cent) versus June 2022.

Toyota led the market with a total of 20,948 vehicles sold.

Mazda recorded 9706 sales followed by Hyundai (8215), Ford (7753) and Kia (7551).

The Toyota HiLux was the highest-selling model with 6142 sales. Tesla Model Y recorded 5560 sales followed by Ford Ranger (5334), MG ZS (3756) and Toyota RAV 4 (2858).