VFACTS: October 2023 new car sales results for Australia

Monthly sales figures are out again, in the form of VFACTS new vehicle registration data for the month of October. And, on first impressions, there is a clear upward trend.

New-car buyers snapped up 106,809 vehicles during October in Australia, and that’s up 22.3 per cent on October last year. Although these are new registrations (not technically sales), we’ll call them sales for brevity. Sales are also up 12 per cent year-to-date (YTD), but down slightly on the previous month. In September there were 110,702 units registered.

2023 Nissan Qashqai - Driving Enthusiast

Zooming in we can see what were the most popular new vehicle brands, and, you guessed it, Toyota is at the top. The Japanese auto giant sent out 20,298 vehicles to customers in October. That’s up 11.2 per cent on October last year. However, its YTD figure is down 10.1 per cent.

Moving down the top 10 list we notice Isuzu is back in there and has punted out Subaru from the previous month, while Nissan reports the highest growth in the top 10.

Hyundai has also overtaken its rival sibling Kia, and in fact Kia has dropped down below Mitsubishi and MG for the month. It seems sales/deliveries of the Kia Sportage, Seltos and Sorento dropped a decent chunk compared with September.

See below for the top 10 best-selling car brands for October 2023, including the percentage change from the same month last year in brackets:

Toyota: 20,298 (+11.2% on October 2022)
Mazda: 9316 (+61.3%)
Ford: 8605 (+10.0%)
Hyundai: 6620 (+25.2%)
Mitsubishi: 6395 (+6.9%)
MG: 6102 (+21.3%)
Kia: 5647 (-11.5%)
Volkswagen: 4361 (+36.3%)
Isuzu: 4160 (+45.2%)
Nissan: 3756 (+201.2%)

Across into the specific car models, and starting with the most popular vehicle models in Australia during the month of October, the Ford Ranger has come home with the crown. It reported an impressive 6215 units during the month, which is up 10.4 per cent on last October.

Down the list, the Toyota Prado re-enters the top 10, as does the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota LandCruiser. Conversely, the Tesla Model Y, Toyota Corolla, and Kia Sportage departed. This is one of those rare occasions where the Corolla isn’t featured in the top 10 – perhaps a sign of shifting trends?

See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicles during October 2023, including the percentage change compared with the same month last year:

Ford Ranger: 6215 (+10.4%)
Toyota HiLux: 5766 (+18.1%)
Isuzu D-Max: 3198 (+63.9%)
Toyota RAV4: 2598 (-19.4%)
Toyota LandCruiser: 2561 (+44.9%)
MG ZS: 2537 (+10.6%)
Mazda CX-5: 2509 (+6.7%)
Toyota Prado: 2320 (+58.8%)
Mitsubishi Outlander: 2238 (+38.2%)
Ford Everest: 1803 (+41.9%)

Kicking off the vehicle segments with the small under $40,000 category, the Toyota Corolla is still in the lead despite missing out on the overall top 10. Sales are actually up 93 per cent compared with the same month last year. But the figure is down a bit on the 2217 units shifted in the previous month.

The rest of the models in the segment remained pretty stable from the previous month, with the new MG5 off to a decent start. Mazda3 sales are also up quite a bit from the previous year.

Segment sales hit 4828 units in October. That’s up 28.4 per cent on the same month last year, but it contributes to an 18.2 per cent downturn across YTD. See below for the full results for this class in October, with the percentage change compared with October 2022 in brackets:

Toyota Corolla: 1746 (+93.1%)
Hyundai i30: 1521 (+5.6%)
Mazda3: 653 (+99.7%)
Kia Cerato: 367 (-53.4%)
MG MG5: 355 (new vehicle)
Skoda Scala: 78 (+90.2%)
Subaru Impreza: 8 (-96.7%)
Hyundai Ioniq: 0 (-100%)

Moving up into the small above $40,000 segment and we see the MG4 is soaring along, easily outselling all of its rivals. The new electric car is proving to be quite an attractive proposition, and this trend is expected to continue especially with the new, 320kW XPower variant hitting the scene.

Elsewhere in the lineup, the VW Golf remains the most popular combustion model, with the more typical German marques led by the Audi A3.

Overall category sales hit 2637 units for the month, which is up 79 per cent on the same month last year. The year-to-date figure of 17,784 units is up 38.7 per cent. See below for the complete results for the month, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:

MG MG4: 751 (new vehicle)
Volkswagen Golf: 414 (+19.7%)
Audi A3: 342 (+86.9%)
Subaru WRX: 211 (-12.8%)
Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 173 (-15.2%)
BMW 1 Series: 156 (+2.0%)
Honda Civic: 154 (+83.3%)
Cupra Born: 128 (new vehicle)
BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe: 107 (-25.7%)
GWM Ora: 77 (new vehicle)
Nissan Leaf: 38 (+100%)
Cupra Leon: 34 (+17.2%)
MINI Clubman: 31 (0.0%)
Peugeot 308: 14 (new model)
Renault Megane: 6 (+100%)
Mercedes-Benz B-Class: 1 (-95.0%)
Ford Focus: 0 (-100.0%)
BMW i3: 0 (-100%)

2024 MG4 Excite - Driving Enthusiast

Into the medium below $60,000 class, the Toyota Camry is still going strong despite market trends shifting to SUVs. However, sales are down 7.1 per cent YTD for the popular sedan.

The new Hyundai Sonata is off to a good start, although some of those figures would be of demonstrators and press vehicles hitting the scene. It will be interesting to watch this one in the coming months.

Overall, this segment reported 1243 units in October, up 40.8 per cent compared with last October. The YTD tally is down 1.7 per cent. See below for the complete segment results, with the percentage change compared with October 2022 in brackets:

Toyota Camry: 925 (+53.9%)
Mazda6: 114 (+9.6%)
Skoda Octavia: 108 (+100%)
Volkswagen Passat: 42 (-25.0%)
Hyundai Sonata: 38 (-37.7%)
Honda Accord: 16 (-128.6%)

Up in the medium above $60,000 class, the Tesla Model 3 is still going strong. Meanwhile, in the rest of the lineup, the BMW 3 Series posted decent figures, cementing its status as the most popular driver’s car in this class in Australia.

So far this year the 3 Series is winning the race against its main rivals, with 2666 sales against 2408 Mercedes C-Class units and 1867 Polestar 2 sales. The Audi A4 remains as a reasonably popular contender, with 750 YTD sales.

Overall, this class reported 2261 units in October, and that’s up an impressive 85.6 per cent over last October. This was mainly driven by the EV onslaught from Tesla, as well as a 92.5 per cent increase in interest for the Lexus ES (1472 sales YTD).

See below for the full results in this class for October, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:

Tesla Model 3: 1178 (+999%)
BMW 3 Series: 324 (+68.8%)
Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 131 (-54.4%)
Lexus ES: 129 (+92.5%)
Polestar 2: 78 (-68.3%)
Audi A4: 76 (+123.5%)
Audi A5 Sportback: 68 (+142.9%)
Mercedes-Benz CLA: 63 (-42.7%)
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe: 54 (-25.0%)
Hyundai IONIQ 6: 51 (new vehicle)
Volkswagen Arteon: 29 (-64.2%)
BMW i4: 27 (+200.0%)
Peugeot 508: 17 (+54.5%)
Alfa Romeo Giulia: 12 (-47.8%) / Volvo V60 Cross Country: 12 (+300%)
Volvo S60: 8 (-42.9%)
Genesis G70: 4 (-50%)
Jaguar XE: 0 (-100.0%)
Lexus IS: 0 (0.0%)

2023 BMW M340i xDrive on a driving road in Australia

Moving up into the large below $70,000 segment, this dwindling class was led by the Skoda Superb in October. Kia Stinger sales are going to drop right off soon as production for other markets has already ceased as Kia shifts its attention to EVs.

The three-car lineup reported just 51 sales collectively, and that’s down 70.9 per cent on last October. The YTD tally is 2081 units, down 22.2 per cent. See below for the full results for October 2023, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:

Skoda Superb: 28 (-3.4%)
Kia Stinger: 22 (-80.4%)
Citroen C5 X: 1 (-97.1%)

Over in the luxury-focused large above $70,000 category, the Porsche Taycan continues to lead the field. Sales for it are up a whopping 627 per cent compared with last October, perhaps proving there is high demand for EVs in this arena.

This segment will soon undergo a pretty major refresh, with many new electric models set to replace the traditional favourites. BMW has already launched its i5 electric range, along with the Mercedes EQE and electric Genesis G80. Audi will soon introduce its all-new A6 e-tron as well.

Segment figures topped 258 units in October, which is up 88.3 per cent for the month, and contributes to a 29.3 per cent YTD increase. See below for the complete results, with the percentage change compared with October last year in brackets:

Porsche Taycan: 80 (+627.3%)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class: 41 (+41.4%)
BMW 5 Series: 40 (+8.1%)
Audi A6: 30 (+42.9%)
Audi e-tron GT: 29 (new vehicle)
Mercedes-Benz EQE: 17 (new vehicle)
Audi A7: 8 (-50.0%) / Genesis G80: 8 (-20.0%)
Maserati Ghibli: 5 (-37.5%)
Mercedes-Benz CLS: 0 (-100%)
Jaguar XF: 0 (0.0%)
Toyota Mirai: 0 (0.0%)

2023 Bentley Flying Spur Speed during Driving Enthusiast review, in grey

Into the upper large above $100,000 class and it was the Mercedes-Benz S-Class at the front. Like the class above, some of these models are transitioning to EV nameplates, such as the BMW i7 and Mercedes EQS.

This segment is reporting a 2.5 per cent increase in year-to-date figures, while total sales for the month, at 54 units, is up 68.8 per cent compared with the same month last year.

See below for the full results for this class, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:

Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 12 (+50.0%)
Porsche Panamera: 8 (+166.7%)
BMW i7: 6 (new vehicle) / BMW 7 Series: 6 (+100%) / Mercedes EQS: 6 (+20.0%) / Mercedes-AMG GT 4: 6 (0%)
Lexus LS: 4 (0.0%)
Audi A8: 3 (+50.0%)
BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe: 2 (-66.7%)
Bentley sedan: 1 (0.0%)
Rolls-Royce sedan: 0 (0.0%)
Maserati Quattroporte: 0 (0.0%)

Over in the sports cars now, and kicking off with the sports below $80,000 category, the entry class was filled with very close competitors. The BMW 2 Series two-door took the crown though, followed by the MX-5 and Toyota GR 86.

Total class figures hit 627 units, which is up 51.4 per cent on the same month last year. The YTD tally is at 5908 units, and that’s up 56 per cent. See below for the full results for the month, with the percentage change compared with October 2022 in brackets:

BMW 2 Series coupe/convertible: 156 (+212.0%)
Toyota GR86: 138 (+220.9%)
Mazda MX-5: 127 (+195.3%)
Subaru BRZ: 113 (-2.6%)
MINI Cabrio: 39 (+999%) / Nissan Z: 39 (+50.0%)
Ford Mustang: 15 (-88.9%)
Nissan 370Z: 0 (outgoing model)

Moving up into the sports above $80,000 segment, and we see the BMW 4 Series remains in the lead, followed by the two-door Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Porsche Cayman sales were up there in October, as were Lotus Emira sales, with the Toyota Supra scoring decent popularity as well perhaps with the introduction of the manual transmission helping there.

Overall, this class recorded 332 new registrations, up 50.9 per cent on last October. The YTD scorecard stands at 3046 units, up 21.5 per cent. See below for the full segment results, with the percentage change compared with October 2022 in brackets:

BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible: 76 (-43.7%)
Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe/convertible: 58 (+65.7%)
Porsche Cayman: 40 (+999%)
Lotus Emira: 29 (new vehicle)
Audi A5: 26 (+136.4%) / Chevrolet Corvette: 26 (+116.7%)
Toyota GR Supra: 21 (+999%)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe/convertible: 14 (+180.0%)
Lexus LC: 13 (+333.3%)
Porsche Boxster: 10 (+150.0%)
Audi TT: 9 (+80.0%)
BMW Z4: 6 (0.0%)
Jaguar F-Type: 4 (0.0%)
Alfa Romeo 4C: 0 (0%)
Alpine A110: 0 (0%)
Lexus RC: 0 (0%)
Lotus Elise: 0 (0%)
Lotus Exige: 0 (0%)
Caterham: 0 (0%)

At the peak of the driver’s cars, the sports above $200,000 segment was led by the Porsche 911 once again. Sales are slightly down on last year though, dropping 1.9 per cent for the month and 1.6 per cent YTD. However, it easily remains the king of its class.

Segment sales topped 108 units in October, down 20 per cent on last October, and the YTD total of 1120 units is up 10.2 per cent. See below for the full lineup results, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:

Porsche 911: 52 (-1.9%)
Lamborghini coupe/convertible: 16 (-23.8%)
Ferrari coupe/convertible: 12 (-61.3%)
McLaren coupe/convertible: 7 (-36.4%) / Mercedes-Benz SL: 7 (new vehicle)
Bentley coupe/convertible: 6 (+500%)
Aston Martin coupe/convertible: 4 (-20%)
BMW 8 Series: 3 (-75.0%)
Maserati coupe/convertible: 1 (0.0%)
Nissan GT-R: 0 (-100%)
Rolls-Royce coupe/convertible: 0 (-100%)
Audi R8: 0 (0%)

2023 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser

Into the ever-popular SUV categories, and it was the Toyota RAV4 that came home as the most popular SUV outright. The Tesla Model y was the most popular premium SUV.

Closing in on the specific classes, the SUV Medium below $60,000 segment was the most popular once again, with 17,904 units (up 18.6 per cent for the month), followed by the SUV Small below $45,000 class with 13,496 units (up 23.5 per cent). And then rounding out the top three is the SUV Large below $70,000 segment, with 12,167 sales (up 30.5 per cent for the month.

See below for the complete sales (new registrations) results for each SUV category in October 2023, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:

Best-selling SUVs – Light

Mazda CX-3: 1085 (+27.3%)
Toyota Yaris Cross: 726 (-28.8%)
Hyundai Venue: 554 (+6.9%)
Kia Stonic: 534 (-2.2%)
Volkswagen T-Cross: 491 (+80.5%)
Ford Puma: 204 (-25.5%)
Suzuki Ignis: 180 (+62.2%)
Suzuki Jimny: 175 (-69.1%)
Nissan Juke: 71 (+273.7%)
Renault Captur: 30 (54.5%)

Best-selling SUVs – Small below $45,000

MG ZS: 2537 (+10.6%)
Mazda CX-30: 1646 (+500.7%)
Hyundai Kona: 1378 (+67.8%)
Mitsubishi ASX: 996 (-42.6%)
Subaru Crosstrek: 938 (new vehicle, replaces XV)
Volkswagen T-Roc: 905 (+17.2%)
GWM Haval Jolion: 813 (+10.8%)
Toyota Corolla Cross: 724 (-29.4%)
Nissan Qashqai: 654 (+999%)
Kia Seltos: 643 (-15.8%)
Chery Omoda 5: 624 (new vehicle)
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross: 609 (+194.2%)
Suzuki Vitara: 228 (-21.9%)
Honda HR-V: 176 (-45.7%)
Toyota C-HR: 175 (-70.1%)
Skoda Kamiq: 132 (-1.5%)
Jeep Compass: 123 (-18.0%)
Suzuki S-Cross: 68 (+44.7%)
Renault Arkana: 60 (-42.9%)
Mazda MX-30: 38 (+52.0%)
Peugeot 2008: 25 (-13.8%)
Citroen C4: 3 (-50%)
Subaru XV: 0 (+200%)
GWM Haval H2: 0 (0.0%)

Best-selling SUVs – Small above $45,000

BMW X1: 527 (+240.0%)
Audi Q3: 468 (-25.1%)
Volvo XC40: 319 (-14.5%)
Mercedes-Benz GLA: 230 (+36.9%)
Lexus UX: 183 (+53.8%)
Mercedes-Benz EQA: 162 (+604.3%)
Audi Q2: 152 (+181.5%)
Kia Niro: 150 (-27.5%)
MINI Countryman: 113 (+36.1%)
Volvo C40: 60 (+106.9%)
Alfa Romeo Tonale: 45 (new vehicle)
BMW X2: 22 (-75.3%)
Jaguar E-Pace: 4 (-86.2%) / Genesis GV60: 4 (-87.5%)
Renault Megane E-Tech: 0 (new vehicle)

Best-selling SUVs – Medium below $60,000

Toyota RAV4: 2598 (-19.4%)
Mazda CX-5: 2509 (+6.7%)
Mitsubishi Outlander: 2238 (+38.2%)
Hyundai Tucson: 1762 (+6.5%)
Kia Sportage: 1529 (-18.5%)
Subaru Forester: 1351 (+367.5%)
Nissan X-Trail: 1210 (+306.0%)
MG HS: 1047 (+14.4%)
BYD Atto 3: 912 (new vehicle)
GWM Haval H6: 606 (-10.8%)
Volkswagen Tiguan: 509 (+85.8%)
Honda CR-V: 413 (-40.7%)
GWM Haval H6 GT: 269 (-24.6%)
Cupra Formentor: 245 (+59.1)
Honda ZR-V: 216 (new vehicle)
Ford Escape: 152 (-42.9%)
Skoda Karoq: 88 (-30.2%)
Chery Tiggo 7 Pro: 64 (new vehicle)
Renault Koleos: 63 (-70.4%) / Peugeot 3008: 63 (+14.5%)
SsangYong Korando: 33 (+32.0%)
Peugeot 5008: 22 (+266.7%)
Citroen C5 Aircross: 5 (+400.0%)
Jeep Cherokee: 0 (-100%)

Best-selling SUVs – Medium above $60,000

Tesla Model Y: 810 (-24.7%)
Lexus NX: 645 (+90.8%)
Mazda CX-60: 425 (new vehicle)
BMW X3: 320 (-28.4%)
Audi Q5: 308 (+118.4%)
Mercedes-Benz GLC: 275 (+38.2%)
Porsche Macan: 197 (-46.5%)
Volvo XC60: 141 (-36.5%)
Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe: 109 (+81.7%)
Genesis GV70: 107 (+87.7%)
Hyundai IONIQ 5: 99 (+175.0%)
Mercedes-Benz EQB: 91 (+378.9%)
BMW X4: 90 (+143.2%)
Mercedes-Benz GLB: 74 (-50.0%)
Range Rover Evoque: 69 (+9.5%)
Maserati Gracale: 47 (new vehicle)
Cupra Ateca: 33 (-49.2%)
Mercedes-Benz EQC: 32 (+146.2%)
Lexus RZ: 26 (new vehicle)
Alfa Romeo Stelvio: 16 (+14.3%)
Land Rover Discovery Sport: 5 (-90.0%)
Peugeot 408: 0 (new vehicle)
Hyundai Nexo: 0 (0%)

Best-selling SUVs – Large below $70,000

Toyota Prado: 2320 (+58.8%)
Ford Everest: 1803 (+41.9%)
Toyota Kluger: 1126 (+30.2%)
Subaru Outback: 981 (+19.9%)
Isuzu MU-X: 962 (+5.3%)
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport: 909 (+42.0%)
GWM Tank 300: 643 (new vehicle)
Mazda CX-8: 619 (+44.6%)
Kia Sorento: 508 (-21.4%)
Hyundai Santa Fe: 435 (+54.8%)
Hyundai Palisade: 384 (+50.0%)
Toyota Fortuner: 328 (-31.1%)
Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace: 313 (+16.8%)
LDV D90: 254 (+490.7%)
Mazda CX-9: 193 (-60.0%)
SsangYong Rexton: 123 (-23.6%)
Skoda Kodiaq: 100 (-47.4%)
Jeep Wrangler: 76 (-28.3%) / Nissan Pathfinder: 76 (new model)
Volkswagen Passat Alltrack: 14 (0.0%)
Mitsubishi Pajero: 0 (-100.0%)
GWM Haval H9: 0 (0)

Best-selling SUVs – Large above $70,000

Land Rover Defender: 299 (+0.7%)
Audi Q7: 281 (+215.7%)
BMW X5: 264 (+6.9%)
Range Rover Sport: 258 (+999%)
Lexus RX: 234 (+185.4%)
Kia EV6: 220 (+685.7%)
Volvo XC90: 127 (+58.8%)
Mazda CX-90: 123 (new model)
BMW X6: 98 (+206.3%)
Mercedes-Benz GLE: 94 (-60.7%)
Jeep Grand Cherokee: 73 (-36.0%)
Porsche Cayenne Coupe: 49 (-53.8%) / Porsche Cayenne: 49 (-66.0%)
Volkswagen Touareg: 59 (-66.3%) / Audi Q8: 59 (+90.3%)
Jaguar F-Pace: 52 (+225.0%)
Range Rover Velar: 43 (+152.9%)
Genesis GV80: 39 (+116.7%)
Mercedes-Benz GLE coupe: 28 (-65.0%)
Audi e-tron: 26 (+160.0%)
Maserati Levante: 4 (-87.9%)
Jaguar I-Pace: 2 (-60.0%)

Best-selling SUVs – Upper large below $120,000

Toyota LandCruiser: 1450 (+19.1%)
Nissan Patrol: 733 (+218.7%)
Land Rover Discovery: 80 (+263.6%)
Kia EV9: 19 (new vehicle)

Best-selling SUVs – Upper large above $120,000

BMW X7: 93 (+365.0%)
Range Rover: 67 (+168.0%)
Lexus LX: 60 (+999%)
Mercedes-Benz G-Class: 45 (+999%)
BMW XM: 38 (new vehicle)
Mercedes-Benz GLS: 27 (-56.5%)
Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: 14 (new vehicle)
Bentley Bentayga: 8 (+100%) / Lamborghini Urus: 8 (-33.3%)
Aston Martin DBX: 6 (0.0%)
Rolls-Royce Cullinan: 3 (0.0%)

2024 Ford Ranger Wildtrak X in the dirt

Over into the demanding ute and pickup classes, the Ranger was the favourite, as mentioned. However, the Toyota HiLux was the most popular 4×2 model.

See below for the top 10 best-selling utes in Australia for October 2023, according to VFACTS, including 4×2 and 4×4 and the large above $100,000 segments combined:

Ford Ranger: 6215
Toyota HiLux: 5766
Isuzu D-Max: 3198
Mitsubishi Triton: 1643
Mazda BT-50: 1289
Toyota LandCruiser 70: 1111
Volkswagen Amarok: 1024
Nissan Navara: 935
LDV T60/T60 EV: 742
GWM Ute: 560

Overall, October 2023 looked pretty good, with a total of 106,809 new vehicle registrations as mentioned, up from 110,702 in September this year. For the month, sales are up 22.3 per cent and YTD the industry is up 12.0 per cent. In fact, the YTD figure is at 1,006,095, which is the first time ever the industry has surpassed a million by October. FCAI chief executive, Tony Weber, said:

“The Australian market has demonstrated incredible strength and vitality throughout 2023, culminating in Australia reaching one million sales in October for the first time. After some challenging years through COVID, this milestone speaks to the range of vehicles available to consumers, affirming Australia’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic and competitive markets. It also reflects vastly improved supply chains.”