Another month goes and another sales triumph flies through the door. Well, August 2024 was actually the second-best August on record, but silver is still a prize.
According to the latest VFACTS report, which counts new vehicle registrations, local consumers took delivery of 98,328 vehicles in August. That’s down 10.6 per cent on August last year, but contributes to a 5.3 per cent increase across year-to-date (YTD). Could this finally be a sign of buyers slowing down?
The thing with VFACTS figures is that they are new registrations. So, in theory, many of these could have been ordered months ago or more, and only now being delivered. There is an expected slow-down of buying this year as consumers tighten their purses and wallets as we tackle the rising costs of living. Let’s see how the remainder of the year goes.
Starting with the most popular new vehicle brands, it’s no surprise here with Toyota remaining on top. Its YTD figure of 165,496 units is up 23.7 per cent. It looks like about half of the top 10 sellers reported a negative result on the same month last year, and Toyota was one of them.
See below for the top 10 best-selling car brands for August 2024, including the percentage change from the same month last year in brackets:
- Toyota: 21,490 (-3.7% on August 2023)
- Ford: 8890 (+12.6%)
- Mazda: 8263 (-2.3%)
- Kia: 6903 (+6.0%)
- Hyundai: 6211 (-4.6%)
- Mitsubishi: 5516 (+11.2%)
- Isuzu: 3924 (-16.7%)
- MG: 3561 (-33.7%)
- Nissan: 3376 (-20.2%)
- GWM: 3148 (+9.4%)
In terms of the best-selling vehicles in August? It was the Toyota RAV4 once again. It easily thrashed all competitors, by over 1000 sales actually. That’s an incredible effort. In fact it almost outsold the HiLux and LandCruiser combined.
For August it looks like the MG ZS has been booted out of the top 10 again, after re-entering last month, while the Kia Sportage joins the list. The Ford Ranger remains in front of its arch rival, the HiLux, and if it keeps going like this it was outsell the HiLux come December.
See below for the top 10 best-selling vehicles during August 2024, including the percentage change compared with the same month last year:
- Toyota RAV4: 6712 (+102.4% on August 2023)
- Ford Ranger: 5431 (-5.7%)
- Toyota HiLux: 4496 (-22.0%)
- Isuzu D-Max: 2548 (-22.3%)
- Toyota LandCruiser: 2504 (-8.7%)
- Ford Everest: 2273 (+51.3%)
- Kia Sportage: 2051 (+62.9%)
- Mitsubishi Outlander: 2188 (+7.8%)
- Mazda CX-5: 1927 (+7.8%)
- Toyota Corolla: 1855 (-33.9)
In the various car categories, and we start with the micro, light under $30,000, and light above $30k classes. The MG3 remains the best-seller overall, followed by the Suzuki Swift and Kia Picanto.
Sales for August 2024 were as follows, with the percentage change from August last year in brackets.
Micro
- Kia Picanto: 522 (-46.6% from August 2023)
- Fiat 500/Abarth: 43 (-37.7%)
Light under $30,000
- MG MG3: 923 (-19.9%)
- Suzuki Swift: 548 (-12.5%)
- Mazda2: 492 (+40.2%)
- Toyota Yaris: 179 (-19.4%)
Light under $30,000
- Volkswagen Polo: 159 (+101.3%)
- MINI hatch: 59 (-34.4%)
- Skoda Fabia: 32 (-33.3%)
- Audi A1: 6 (-87.0%)
Stepping up a peg, the small under $40,000 class was led by the Corolla once again. However, the Kia Cerato and the Hyundai i30 were not far behind in August. The Kia is experiencing the highest increase across YTD, at 208 per cent compared with 45.8 per cent for the Corolla, and down 44.2 per cent for the i30.
The segment saw 5962 sales overall, down 9.8 per cent for the month, but the YTD figure is up 26.7 per cent. See below for the full results for this class in August 2024, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:
- Toyota Corolla: 1855 (-33.9%)
- Kia Cerato: 1406 (+162.8%)
- Hyundai i30: 1098 (-37.8%)
- Mazda3: 973 (-6.5%)
- MG MG5: 329 (-2.7%)
- BYD Dolphin: 165 (new vehicle)
- Subaru Impreza: 123 (+215.4%)
- Skoda Scala: 13 (-84.3%)
- Hyundai Ioniq: 0 (0.0%)
Up into the small above $40,000 segment, with the premium stuff, and it’s the MG4 that crossed the line with the most bell-rings this time, ahead of the VW Golf. The Subaru WRX crept up into third spot, swapping places with the Audi A3 from July 2024 efforts.
Overall, this segment reached 1492 sales for the month, down 30.4 per cent on last August. But the YTD tally is up 11.6 per cent. See below for the complete results for August, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:
- MG MG4: 309 (+4.4%)
- Volkswagen Golf: 251 (-49.8%)
- Subaru WRX: 192 (-21.6%)
- Audi A3: 175 (-25.5%)
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 159 (-20.1%)
- GWM Ora: 106 (+17.8%)
- BMW 1 Series: 97 (-3.0%)
- Honda Civic: 69 (-41.5%)
- Nissan Leaf: 46 (-25.8%)
- Cupra Leon: 28 (-9.7%)
- Cupra Born: 24 (-79.3%)
- Peugeot 308: 22 (-21.6%)
- BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe: 14 (-83.3%)
- Renault Megane: 0 (-100%)
- MINI Clubman: 0 (-98.2%)
- Mercedes-Benz B-Class: 0 (-100%)
- Ford Focus: 0 (-100.0%)
Upsizing to the medium below $60,000 class, and there’s no surprises here. The Toyota Camry is a sales sensation, maintaining a strong lead on all competitors. Sales are up 118 per cent for the humble sedan year-to-date as well, which means no slowing down for this one.
BYD Seal sales seemed to have dropped slightly in recent months, now down to 371 units, from 570 in July and 706 units in June. Perhaps this is a reflection of EV trends?
The class total hit 1504 units, which is down 8.7 per cent for the month. Year-to-date, the numbers look good, up 129.5 per cent. See below for the full class results, with the percentage change compared with August 2023 in brackets:
- Toyota Camry: 933 (-30.2%)
- BYD Seal: 570 (new vehicle)
- Mazda6: 89 (-20.5%)
- Hyundai Sonata: 49(+716.7%)
- Skoda Octavia: 38 (-67.8%)
- Honda Accord: 13 (-31.6%)
- Volkswagen Passat: 11 (-80.4%)
Here we see the Mercedes C-Class has reclaimed the lead in the medium above $60,000 class. We haven’t seen the popular Stuttgart-born mid-sizer at the top for a while, especially since the Tesla Model 3 had a period of reporting sales.
Overall segment sales reached 725 units, which is 67.8 per cent down on last August. The YTD tally of 2254 units is also down, 23.3 per cent. See below for the full results in this class in August 2024, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:
- BMW 3 Series: 142 (-40.1%)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 175 (+31.6%)
- BMW i4: 119 (+750%)
- Lexus ES: 70 (-48.1%)
- Mercedes-Benz CLA: 64 (-19.0%)
- Audi A4: 38 (-61.6%)
- Hyundai IONIQ 6: 29 (-37.0%)
- BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe: 17 (-75.7%)
- Audi A5 Sportback: 19 (-72.1%)
- Volvo V60 Cross Country: 11 (-52.2%)
- Volvo S60: 9 (0.0%)
- Alfa Romeo Giulia: 14 (-36.4%)
- Peugeot 508: 7 (-80.6%)
- Jaguar XE: 5 (+400%)
- Volkswagen Arteon: 1 (-98.3%)
- Genesis G70: 5 (+66.7%)
- Polestar 2: 0 (No longer reported)
- Tesla Model 3: 0 (No longer reported)
Stepping up to the lonely large below $70,000 segment and it’s the Skoda Superb in front of the Citroen C5 X. However, as we know, Citroen Australia is exiting the local market in November, which means this segment will be down to just one car.
See below for the full results for August 2024, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:
- Skoda Superb: 11 (-56.0%)
- Citroen C5 X: 5 (0.0%)
- Kia Stinger: 0 (-100%)
Over in the premium large above $70,000 class, and it’s the Mercedes E-Class that remains in the lead from the previous month. It outsold the BMW 5 Series for the month, but the 5 Series is in front so far this year (YTD), with 414 sales (up 41.8 per cent) against 246 E-Class sales (-5.4 per cent).
Segment sales topped 179 units, which is up 6.5 per cent compared with last August, but the YTD total is down 20.8 per cent. See below for the complete results for this segment, with the percentage change compared with August last year in brackets:
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class: 51 (+64.5%)
- BMW 5 Series: 41 (+36.7%)
- Mercedes-Benz EQE: 30 (0.0%)
- Porsche Taycan: 24 (+9.1%)
- Audi A6: 21 (-12.5%)
- Audi A7: 4 (-33.3%)
- Audi e-tron GT: 3 (-76.9%)
- Genesis G80: 2 (-60.0%)
- Maserati Ghibli: 2 (-33.3%)
- Toyota Mirai: 1 (-50.0%)
- Jaguar XF: 0 (-100.0%)
- Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class: 0 (-100.0%)
Lastly for the sedans and wagons, the upper large above $100,000 segment was led by the Porsche Panamera in August. Meanwhile, many contenders in this class reported zero sales – perhaps the living cost crisis is finally reaching the upper end?
The class reported a total figure of just 13 sales, down 73.5 per cent on last August. Across YTD the tally of 182 is down 46.2 per cent. See below for the full results for this class in August 2024, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:
- Porsche Panamera: 5 (-28.6%)
- BMW 7 Series: 2 (-60.0%)
- Lotus Emeya: 2 (new model)
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 2 (-77.8%)
- Bentley sedan: 1 (0.0%)
- Lexus LS: 1 (-66.7%)
- Audi A8: 0 (-100.0%)
- BMW i7: 0 (-100%)
- BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe: 0 (-100%)
- Mercedes-Benz EQS: 0 (-100.0%)
- Mercedes-AMG GT 4D: 0 (-100.0%)
- Rolls-Royce Sedan: 0 (-100%)
- BMW 6 Series GT: 0 (0.0%)
- Maserati Quattroporte: 0 (0.0)
Fun stuff now, and the sports below $80,000 class shows some new registrations of the new Mustang. We’re keen to see how the new model performs on these charts, as the nameplate has been the best-seller for a number of years now but has been skimming along the bottom as buyers anticipate the new model.
Overall the segment saw 509 sales in August, down by 1.0 per cent compared with last August, and the YTD figure is down 44.7 per cent. See below for the full results for August, with the percentage change compared with August 2023 in brackets:
- Ford Mustang: 296 (+322.9%)
- Mazda MX-5: 81 (+113.2%)
- Subaru BRZ: 67 (-59.1%)
- Toyota GR86: 37 (-71.1%)
- Nissan Z: 26 (-70.1%)
- MINI Cabrio: 2 (-92.6%)
Into the sports above $80,000 segment and it looks like the BMW 2 Series is hanging onto a strong lead. The new Mercedes CLE is catching up, with the 4 Series not too far behind.
This class reported 370 sales overall, which is down 23.4 per cent for the month but YTD the segment is experiencing a 3.3 per cent upturn. See below for the full segment results, with the percentage change compared with August 2023 in brackets:
- BMW 2 Series coupe/convertible: 92 (-1.1%)
- Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class: 78 (new model)
- BMW 4 Series coupe/convertible: 51 (-44.6%)
- Porsche Cayman: 41 (+95.2%)
- Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: 28 (-26.3%)
- Porsche Boxster: 27 (+28.6%)
- Toyota GR Supra: 23 (-30.3%)
- Audi A5: 10 (-47.4%)
- BMW Z4: 8 (-33.3%)
- Jaguar F-Type: 6 (+100%)
- Lotus Emira: 5 (-76.2)
- Lexus LC: 1 (-91.7%)
- Audi TT: 0 (-100.0%)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe/convertible: 0 (-100%)
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe/convertible: 0 (-100%)
At the top end, the sports above $200,000 segment was dominated by the Porsche 911. Sales are up 33.9 per cent for the legendary sports car compared with last August, and up an impressive 68.8 per cent YTD. Pretty remarkable since 911 sales were high last year as well.
Overall, the class saw 141 sales in August, and that’s up 8.5 per cent. Year-to-date, the class has seen 1120 sales, up 31.8 per cent. See below for the full lineup results, with the percentage change compared with August last year in brackets:
- Porsche 911: 75 (+33.9%)
- Ferrari coupe/convertible: 15 (-25.0%)
- Lamborghini coupe/convertible: 14 (-33.3%)
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06: 11 (new model)
- McLaren coupe/convertible: 11 (+22.2%)
- Maserati coupe/convertible: 6 (+100.0%)
- Bentley coupe/convertible: 3 (0.0%)
- Mercedes-Benz SL-Class: 3 (-25.0%)
- Aston Martin coupe/convertible: 1 (-75.0%)
- Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray: 1 (new model)
- Mercedes-AMG GT coupe/convertible: 1 (new model)
- Rolls-Royce coupe/convertible: 0 (0.0%)
- BMW 8 Series: 0 (-100%)
As for the big-demand SUV segments, the Toyota RAV4 was obviously the best-seller overall while the best-selling luxury SUV in Australia in August was the Lexus NX with 520 sales followed by the Mazda CX-60 with 442 sales.
Splitting up the segments/sizes, the SUV Medium below $60,000 segment came home with the most, reporting 21,055 units (up 19.9 per cent for the month), and then the SUV Small below $45,000 class with 11,572 sales (down 22.9 per cent). Rounding out the top three was the SUV Large below $70,000 segment. It reported 8878 sales (down 21.4 per cent).
See below for the complete results for each SUV category for August 2024, with the percentage change compared with the same month last year in brackets:
Best-selling SUVs – Light
- Mazda CX-3: 1675 (+50.2%)
- Toyota Yaris Cross: 1006 (+83.9%)
- Suzuki Jimny: 923 (+141.6%)
- Hyundai Venue: 659 (+108.5%)
- Kia Stonic: 426 (+11.2%)
- Volkswagen T-Cross: 244 (-59.2%)
- Suzuki Ignis: 138 (-21.6%)
- Nissan Juke: 63 (-11.3%)
- Ford Puma: 26 (-77.0%)
- Renault Captur: 6 (-77.8%)
- Jeep Avenger: 0 (new model)
Best-selling SUVs – Small below $45,000
- Hyundai Kona: 1674 (+68.6%)
- MG ZS: 1576 (-50.6%)
- Mazda CX-30: 1148 (+1.4%)
- Mitsubishi ASX: 1025 (-2.7%)
- GWM Haval Jolion: 931 (-6.5%)
- Subaru Crosstrek: 766 (-34.9%)
- Toyota Corolla Cross: 633 (-26.2%)
- Volkswagen T-Roc: 632 (+25.4%)
- Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross: 582 (-14.2%)
- Kia Seltos: 548 (-49.5%)
- Nissan Qashqai: 537 (+4.9%)
- Chery Omoda 5: 465 (-38.8%)
- Toyota C-HR: 321 (-62.8%)
- Suzuki Vitara: 309 (+83.9%)
- Honda HR-V: 176 (-49.6%)
- Skoda Kamiq: 105 (-26.1%)
- Suzuki S-Cross: 57 (-17.4%)
- Jeep Compass: 30 (-73.0%)
- Renault Arkana: 26 (-90.0%)
- Peugeot 2008: 24 (-40%)
- Citroen C4: 5 (-44.4%)
- Mazda MX-30: 2 (-96.5%)
- Subaru XV: 0 (-100.0%)
Best-selling SUVs – Small above $45,000
- Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class: 402 (+148.1%)
- Volvo XC40: 319 (-46.1%)
- Audi Q3: 261 (+12.5%)
- Volvo EX30: 220 (new vehicle)
- BMW X1: 192 (-64.2%)
- Audi Q2: 162 (+48.6%)
- Lexus LBX: 151 (new vehicle)
- Kia Niro: 106 (-22.6%)
- BMW X2: 95 (+691.7%)
- MINI Countryman: 90 (-5.3%)
- Volvo C40: 67 (-45.1%)
- Mercedes-Benz EQA: 65 (-57.5%)
- Lexus UX: 53 (-79.0%)
- Alfa Romeo Tonale: 19 (-61.2%)
- Renault Megane E-Tech: 18 (new vehicle)
- Jaguar E-Pace: 16 (+220)
- Genesis GV60: 5 (-64.3%)
Best-selling SUVs – Medium below $60,000
- Toyota RAV4: 6712 (+102.4%)
- Mitsubishi Outlander: 2188 (+7.8%)
- Kia Sportage: 2051 (+62.9%)
- Mazda CX-5: 1927 (+8.0%)
- Hyundai Tucson: 1548 (-25.7%)
- Nissan X-Trail: 1201 (-21.7%)
- Subaru Forester: 1166 (-18.3%)
- BYD Sealion 6: 1058 (new vehicle)
- GWM Haval H6: 589 (-13.0%)
- BYD Atto 3: 427 (-46.8%)
- MG HS: 424 (+9.3%)
- Chery Tiggo 7 Pro: 397 (new vehicle)
- Honda CR-V: 360 (+29.0%)
- Volkswagen Tiguan: 354 (-48.5%)
- GWM Haval H6 GT: 253 (-27.9%)
- Honda ZR-V: 228 (-45.6%)
- Skoda Karoq: 53 (-39.1%)
- Renault Koleos: 35 (-68.2%)
- SsangYong Korando: 32 (-51.5%)
- Ford Escape: 25 (-87.7%)
- Peugeot 3008: 21 (-54.3%)
- Citroen C5 Aircross: 6 (+100%)
- Jeep Cherokee: 0 (-100%)
Best-selling SUVs – Medium above $60,000
- Lexus NX: 520 (-40.0%)
- Mazda CX-60: 442 (-22.7%)
- Mercedes-Benz GLC: 324 (-31.9%)
- BMW X3: 264 (-32.8%)
- Porsche Macan: 247 (+23.5%)
- Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe: 197 (-14.0%)
- Audi Q5: 160 (-47.5%)
- Volvo XC60: 139 (-20.1%)
- Mercedes-Benz GLB: 118 (+93.4%)
- BMW X4: 76 (+28.8%)
- Toyota bZ4x: 70 (new vehicle)
- Genesis GV70: 69 (-37.8%)
- Cupra Formentor: 57 (-61.0%)
- Mercedes-Benz EQB: 53 (-58.3%)
- Hyundai IONIQ 5: 41 (-61.0%)
- Range Rover Evoque: 40 (+344.4%)
- Land Rover Discovery Sport: 30 (+900%)
- Cupra Ateca: 23 (+155.6%)
- Maserati Gracale: 22 (-58.5%)
- Subaru Solterra: 22 (new vehicle)
- Alfa Romeo Stelvio: 9 (0.0%)
- Peugeot 5008: 7 (-46.2%)
- Mercedes-Benz EQC: 2 (-93.1%)
- Peugeot 408: 1 (-75.0%)
- Audi Q4: 0 (new vehicle)
- Kia EV5: 0 (new vehicle)
- Hyundai Nexo: 0 (0.0%)
- Tesla Model Y: 0 (no longer reported)
Best-selling SUVs – Large below $70,000
- Ford Everest: 2273 (+51.3%)
- Isuzu MU-X: 1376 (-3.8%)
- Toyota Kluger: 1103 (+31.0%)
- Kia Sorento: 714 (+24.2%)
- Subaru Outback: 668 (-59.6%)
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport: 484 (+332.1%)
- Hyundai Santa Fe: 472 (-27.0%)
- GWM Tank 300: 302 (+169.6)
- Chery Tiggo 8 Pro: 226 (new vehicle)
- Hyundai Palisade: 199 (-25.2%)
- Toyota Fortuner: 178 (-20.2%)
- Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace: 178 (-48.9%)
- GWM Tank 500: 175 (new vehicle)
- LDV D90: 169 (-55.3%)
- SsangYong Rexton: 112 (-20.6%)
- Skoda Kodiaq: 76 (-61.0%)
- Mazda CX-8: 71 (-83.1%)
- Jeep Wrangler: 62 (-32.6%)
- Nissan Pathfinder: 25 (-74.2%)
- Volkswagen Passat Alltrack: 8 (-33.3%)
- Mazda CX-9: 4 (-98.6%)
- Toyota Prado: 3 (-99.8%)
- Dodge Journey: 0 (0.0%)
- Mitsubishi Pajero: 0 (-100.0%)
Best-selling SUVs – Large above $70,000
- Land Rover Defender: 301 (-35.4%)
- BMW X5: 159 (-48.2%)
- Range Rover Sport: 159 (-45.9%)
- Lexus RX: 154 (-47.8%)
- Mercedes-Benz GLE: 145 (-5.2%)
- Kia EV6: 114 (-53.1%)
- Porsche Cayenne Coupe: 106 (+130.4%)
- Volkswagen Touareg: 102 (+67.2%)
- Mazda CX-90: 99 (-35.3%)
- Ford Mustang Mach-E: 92 (new model)
- Audi Q7: 69 (-45.2%)
- BMW iX: 66 (+40.4%)
- Jeep Grand Cherokee: 64 (-32.6%)
- Porsche Cayenne: 64 (+42.2%)
- Volvo XC90: 55 (-53.0%)
- Jaguar F-Pace: 54 (+45.9%)
- Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV: 45 (+309.1%)
- Range Rover Velar: 45 (-16.7%)
- BMW X6: 37 (-53.2%)
- Mercedes-Benz GLE coupe: 34 (-5.6%)
- Audi Q8: 32 (-27.3%)
- Genesis GV80: 27 (-52.6%)
- Lexus RZ: 16 (-61.0%)
- Audi e-tron: 15 (+25.0%)
- Genesis GV80 Coupe: 13 (new vehicle)
- Maserati Levante: 5 (0.0%)
- Jaguar I-Pace: 2 (0.0%)
Best-selling SUVs – Upper large below $120,000
- Toyota LandCruiser: 1442 (-12.1%)
- Nissan Patrol: 705 (-31.7%)
- Land Rover Discovery: 38 (-54.8%)
- Kia EV9: 26 (new vehicle)
Best-selling SUVs – Upper large above $120,000
- Lexus GX: 102 (new vehicle)
- Range Rover: 70 (-45.7%)
- Mercedes-Benz GLS: 65 (+58.5%)
- BMW X7: 55 (-21.4%)
- Mercedes-Benz G-Class: 31 (-32.6%)
- Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: 31 (+210%)
- Lexus LX: 29 (-64.2%)
- Lamborghini Urus: 9 (+28.6%)
- BMW XM: 6 (-40.0%)
- Lotus Eletre: 6 (new vehicle)
- Ferrari Purosangue: 5 (new vehicle)
- Bentley Bentayga: 4 (-55.6%)
- Rolls-Royce Cullinan: 1 (-80%)
- Aston Martin DBX: 0 (-100%)
Finally, we arrive at the utes and American pickup trucks. Here are the combined 4×2 and 4×4 figures.
See below for the top 15 best-selling utes in Australia for August 2024, according to VFACTS, including 4×2 and 4×4 and the large above $100,000 segments combined:
- Ford Ranger: 5431
- Toyota HiLux: 4496
- Isuzu D-Max: 2548
- Mazda BT-50: 1260
- Mitsubishi Triton: 1237
- Toyota LandCruiser 70: 1062
- Nissan Navara: 773
- Volkswagen Amarok: 595
- GWM Ute: 574
- LDV T60/T60 EV: 485
- Ford F-150: 311
- RAM 1500: 232
- GWM Alpha: 218
- Chevrolet Silverado: 211
- SsangYong Musso: 168
To recap, Australians took delivery of 98,328 vehicles in August, 2024, which is down 10.6 per cent on last August. However, the year-to-date tally is at 830,226, and that’s up 5.3 per cent. It is likely to be a record year this year.
