In August, New Car Sales grew 33.1 per cent on the same month last year, despite the country’s two largest states in lockdown, New South Wales, and Victoria as well as microprocessor shortages.
A total of 81,199 new vehicles were purchased during August 2021. Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory all recorded growth greater than 30 per cent compared to August 2020. Victorian sales have recovered with an increase of over 150 per cent, while ACT and NSW recorded declines, 28.3 per cent and 7 per cent.
Chief Executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), Tony Weber said,
“The bounce of 33 per cent on last year’s figure demonstrates the resolve of car manufacturers to engage with customers and drive-up new vehicle ownership.
“We know that the car industry is suffering the global impacts of COVID-19 on supply chains. An increase of 635 per cent on the sale of electric powered SUVs shows just how diligently manufacturers are working with suppliers to deliver vehicles to market.”
Although FCAI says a 33 per cent bounce demonstrates “resilience”, James Voortman – head of the Australian Automotive Dealers Association (AADA) said,
“A lot of the new-car sales figures reported in August were cars ordered months ago.”
“We’re concerned about the months ahead, particularly if lockdowns continue. The number of orders coming in has been way down, and stock shortages look set to continue into next year.”
Dealers are forecasting sales difficulties in the coming months due to stock shortages and a reduction in orders during the latest coronavirus lockdown.
Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) continue to rise as 3101 vehicles were sold in August 2021 (up 138 per cent versus the same month last year,) but only represents 0.42 per cent of new motor vehicles delivered as Tesla does not provide its figures. New motor vehicles sold from China also continue to surge, with the biggest-selling Chinese brand, MG (up 147 per cent) in August 2021. The gains of foreign car brands have overruled sales of more known brands, with Nissan dropping out of the top 10 for the first time since September 2017.
No surprise, Toyota was the market leader in August with 24.6 per cent of overall sales. Followed by Mazda (9.4 per cent), and then Kia, Ford and Hyundai recording around 6.2 per cent each of market share. The Toyota HiLux was the top selling model with 4,770 sold, then Ford Ranger in second (3,959) and Toyota Corolla third (3,563).
Top 10 Brands in August 2021
| Rank | Brand | Sales | Change |
| 1 | Toyota | 19,959 | Up 60.3% |
| 2 | Mazda | 7645 | Up 10.5% |
| 3 | Kia | 5065 | Up 12.0% |
| 4 | Ford | 5058 | Up 29.8% |
| 5 | Hyundai | 5016 | Up 10.9% |
| 6 | Mitsubishi | 4802 | Up 11.5% |
| 7 | Volkswagen | 3793 | Up 36.2% |
| 8 | Subaru | 3232 | Up 57.5% |
| 9 | Isuzu Ute | 3099 | Up 290.3% |
| 10 | MG | 3011 | Up 147.4% |
Top 10 Cars in August 2021
| Rank | Model | Sales | Change |
| 1 | Toyota HiLux | 4470 | Up 267.3% |
| 2 | Ford Ranger | 3959 | Up 34.9% |
| 3 | Toyota Corolla | 3563 | Up 143.4% |
| 4 | Toyota RAV4 | 3169 | Down 34.3% |
| 5 | Toyota Prado | 2731 | Up 452.8% |
| 6 | Mazda CX-5 | 2239 | Up 18.8% |
| 7 | Hyundai i30 | 2047 | Up 43.2% |
| 8 | Isuzu D-Max | 1941 | Up 885.3% |
| 9 | MG ZS | 1700 | Up 436.3% |
| 10 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 1638 | Up 85.1% |
