It was a record-breaking year for Optimise Aggregation. Owner Bill Tsouvalas said: “In just a few years, Optimise Aggregation has shaken up the industry to become one of the largest finance aggregators in Australia. 

“I’d like to extend congratulations to our entire group along with the award nominees and winners. We not only have some of the leading brokers in the country choosing Optimise Aggregation, but also incredible entrepreneurs. 

“One of the things that drove us to set up Optimise Aggregation was to give businesses the ability to improve efficiencies with our AFOS platform and focus instead on what they can do best by serving their customers.” 

The conference was a chance to bring the entire group together under one roof. Top performers from each region were recognised in four award categories. Here are this year’s winners:

Lenders’ Choice Broker of the Year 

Voted for by lenders, this award recognises brokers for their professionalism, collaboration and dedication to client success. 

Best Individual Brokerage of the Year 

Recognises an individual brokerage that has delivered outstanding results and service throughout the year.

Best Multiple Brokerage of the Year

Celebrates larger brokerages that have multiple team members and have shown strong performance, collaboration and client outcomes.

Emerging Broker of the Year

Highlights a rising broker making a significant impact in the industry.

Optimise Aggregation’s Head of Growth, Ahmad Elsmustapha, said: 

“Congratulations to all of our award winners and nominees. Our technology and systems have proven it doesn’t matter whether you’re an experienced broker or just starting out. If you’ve got experience in the finance industry then Optimise Aggregation is who you should be speaking to.”

Steven Emms, owner of Speaking Finance, which won both Best Multiple Brokerage of the Year (VIC/TAS) and Lenders’ Choice Broker of the Year (VIC/TAS), said: 

“It’s been an outstanding year for our business. Our team worked exceptionally hard to deliver strong results for our customers across personal and commercial asset finance. With the support of Optimise Aggregation’s lending partners and the AFOS platform, we’ve been able to take our business to the next level.”

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Only last year, a new May record was established with a 105,694 total, but amid continued demand from the Australian public (despite rising cost of living pressures), May 2024’s result bettered that haul by 5.1%.

The result backs up the four successive months of record sales we’ve seen to start the year, with April (97,202), March (109,647), February (105,023) and January (89,782) all surpassing their respective month’s previous benchmark.

Hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are continuing to grow in popularity as they become more accessible for Australian car buyers, with 15.8% of all sales falling under this category on top of the 8.1% made up by pure battery electric vehicles.

In terms of vehicle segment numbers, passenger cars saw the biggest increase compared to the same period last year, with 21,252 registrations coming in at a 17.3% rise on 2023’s result.

Light commercial vehicles (+6.3%), SUVs (+1.2%) and heavy commercial vehicles (+1.1%) all saw more marginal increases.

South Australia was the state or territory that saw the biggest increase in sales compared to May 2023 with an 11.3% bump, while the ACT’s sales also rose by 10.6%.

All other states saw a modest increase in sales, but the Northern Territory’s 999 registrations were 8.8% lower than last year’s numbers.

Market sales: May 2024

Vehicle sales by state or territory: May 2024

Vehicle brands: May

More than one in five vehicles sold across Australia last month were Toyota-branded, with the Japanese giant recording 23,389 registrations to leave the rest of the competition in its wake.

This result was 27.5% more than what it managed across the same period last year, strengthening its tight grip as the dominant force in the Australian automotive market.

Ford held its place as the best of the rest with 8,806 new car sales, leaving them 40.9% better off than they were in May 2023 and ahead of a slightly faltering Mazda which could only muster 8,002 (-5.6%).

Rounding out the top five were sister brands Kia (7,504, +7.2%) and Hyundai (6,495, -8.2%), with the latter doing just enough to edge out Mitsubishi (6,409, +39.8%) which occupied fifth spot in April.

The top six established a big gap on the rest of the top brands, with Isuzu Ute’s seventh-place finish coming in at a tick over 2,000 fewer registrations than Mitsubishi (4,401, +26.1%).

MG (4,159) wasn’t far behind but saw a drop of 13.9% in its sales. Tesla’s drop-off was even larger, with the 3,567 units enough to earn it a place in the top ten but at 20.3% lower than the same period last year, while GWM sat between them (3,820, +17.9%).

In terms of year-to-date (YTD) sales, Toyota’s massive total and strong start to the year has seen it pass 100,000 total sales just five months into 2024, placing it 40.8% further ahead of where it was at the same stage last year.

Ford (40,129, +31.9%) has opened up a larger gap on Mazda (39,064, -4.1%), with the two experiencing contrasting fortunes as we approach the halfway point of the year.

The makeup of the list remained the same from March, including Kia (33,075, +4.6%) and Mitsubishi (31,911, +24.4%) retaining their spots in the top five, with the only change being Isuzu Ute (21,458, +28.1%) leapfrogging Nissan (20,623, +42.0%) into seventh overall.

Best-selling vehicle brands: May 2024

Best-selling vehicle brands: 2024

Vehicle models: May

After the Toyota RAV4 briefly claimed the title of best-selling car model in Australia in April, relative normalcy resumed in May with the Ford Ranger (5,912, +43.8%) and Toyota HiLux (5,702, -1.2%) returning to the top of the list in May.

However, while the Ranger’s 5,912 sits at a 43.8% improvement on May 2023, the HiLux’s 5,702 represents a marginal decrease of 1.2%, showing just how far the American manufacturer has come in the Australian ute wars.

The RAV4 isn’t to be forgotten, though, with its 5,517 units marked as sold (at an increase of 110.1%) keeping it in the upper echelon of popular models and well ahead of the rest of the pack.

Leading this pack is the Isuzu Ute D-Max on 2,612 new vehicle registrations (+10.2%), which ran a tight race with the Mitsubishi Outlander (2,500, +33.0%), Toyota Camry (2,468, +185.6%) and Toyota Corolla (2,439, +76.0%).

The Ford Everest was another major improver for the month, with its 2,110 sales a huge improvement of 159.9% to edge out the Mazda CX-5 (2,108, +14.2%) by just two units and the Tesla Model 3 (1,958, +50.8%) by just over 150.

Notably, there was no room for the MG ZS in the top ten, marking the second time in three months that the Chinese manufacturer’s flagship model has been unable to crack the best-sellers’ list.

Meanwhile, in YTD sales, the Ranger (27,242) has held its comfortable lead over the HiLux (22,885) and RAV4 (21,498) atop the charts to establish itself as a firm favourite to go back-to-back after claiming last year’s crown.

Like the YTD brand sales, there were no new entrants into the top ten last month, with the only change being the ZS’ move up to seventh ahead of Tesla’s Model Y, which also failed to reach the top ten for the month.

Best-selling vehicle models: May 2024

Best-selling vehicle models: 2024

The post VFACTS: Best May on Record as Ranger Returns to the Summit appeared first on Optimise Aggregation.

This figure easily toppled the previous record of 92,347 (which was achieved in 2021) and represented an increase of 18.3% compared to the same period last year.

It follows in the footsteps of January (89,782), February (105,023) and March (109,647) in getting the Australian automotive industry off to a great start in 2024.

The downturn in sales predicted by industry experts as supply catches up to demand has yet to materialise, but could still occur over the coming months.

Sales of electrified and partially electrified vehicles rose significantly, accounting for 18.3% of all new car registrations in April in contrast to the 7.5% from the same period in 2023. However, the proportion of EV sales fell from 8% to 6.4% this year.

Each vehicle segment saw comfortable growth on last year’s numbers. SUVs continue to be the dominant market force, with 54,135 units sold (+17.6%) meaning that more than one in every two new cars sold across the month was an SUV (55.7% market share).

Passenger cars saw a 14.0% bump compared to April 2023 (17,314, 17.8% market share), while light commercial vehicles rose by 25.5% (21,413, 22.0% market share) and heavy commercial vehicles by 12.6% (4,340, 4.5% market share).

Around the country, all states and territories enjoyed strong growth, with South Australia (6,789, +33.5%) and Tasmania (1,677, +31.9%) the two biggest risers and all the others increasing by between 12.5% and 20%.

Market sales: April 2024

Vehicle sales by state or territory: April 2024

Vehicle brands: April

Toyota’s bumper start to the year continued, racking up 20,771 new car registrations in April to capture 21.4% of the Australian market. This result was also 72.7% higher than what the Japanese giant managed over the corresponding period last year (12,029).

In (a distant) second place for the month was Ford, with the American carmaker enjoying 8,648 registrations (+71.3%). This pushed them clear of Mazda, who managed 7,301 but at an improvement rate of only 5.4%.

After falling behind in March, Kia moved back up to fourth in the monthly standings with 6,653 (+7.3%) to comfortably beat out Mitsubishi, who rounded out the top five (5,314, +19.7%).

Hyundai fell just short of this group, suffering a 9.5% drop in its sales (5,185) compared to last April to mark its third consecutive month outside the top five.

There were several additions to the top ten best-sellers compared to last month, with GWM (3,330, +50.3%) and Subaru (3,246, +29.3%) finishing ninth and tenth, respectively, at the expense of Nissan (2,905, -3.5%) and Tesla (2,077, -43.5%), both of whom saw notable drops in sales.

Isuzu Ute (4,256, +46.6%) and MG (3,781, +9.2%) completed the top ten list. In other news, BMW edged out Mercedes-Benz for the best-selling luxury car brand, recording 2,074 new registrations (+18.5%) compared to 2,057 (-17.2%).

In terms of year-to-date (YTD) sales, Toyota is unsurprisingly streets ahead of the competition, with its 77,009 cars sold in the first third of the year coming at a rate 45.4% greater than at the same point in 2023.

Ford moved into second place, leapfrogging Mazda by just over 250 units off the back of its strong April (31,323 to 31,062), while Kia and Mitsubishi remain neck and neck two spots further back (25,571 to 25,502).

Best-selling vehicle brands: April 2024

Best-selling vehicle brands: 2024

Vehicle models: April

April crowned a new best-selling car model, with the Toyota RAV4 surpassing the Ford Ranger and another Toyota model, the HiLux, with 5,857 new units registered.

This was an improvement of 166.5% compared to April of last year for the RAV4 and marked the third time ever that the mid-size SUV took out top honours, with August of 2020 being the most recent of those.

Not too far behind the RAV4 was the Ranger, which had to settle for second place for the first time since September 2023 with 5,569 models sold (+56.1%) to keep it well ahead of the HiLux (4,693, +33.1%) in third place for the second straight month.

The Ford Everest had a record-breaking month (2,400, +254.5%), putting up huge numbers to move up to fourth overall and outsell the Isuzu Ute D-Max (2,380, +31.6%) by just 20 units.

It was a Toyota-heavy top ten, with the Corolla (2,097, +165.1%) and Camry (1,873, +226.3%) both recording massive improvements to finish sixth and eighth, respectively.

Isuzu Ute also had a second appearance in the list, with the MU-X (1,876, +71.3%) rising to seventh overall ahead of the Camry, Mitsubishi Outlander (1,848, +1.0%) and MG ZS (1,707, +7.5%).

Despite defeat in the monthly sales, the Ranger extended its lead atop the YTD sales rankings, with its 21,330 units sold to date (+23.3%) sitting over 4,000 clear of the HiLux (17,183, +6.2%) and well over 5,000 clear of the RAV4 (15,981, +98.5%).

The Outlander (8,898, +20.5%) rounds out the top five, ahead of close challengers the Corolla (8,508, +106.7%), Tesla’s Model Y (8,001, +52.0%) and the ZS (7,998, +9.2%).

Best-selling vehicle models: April 2024

Best-selling vehicle models: 2024

The post VFACTS: RAV4 Tops Charts, Another Record Smashed in Awesome April appeared first on Optimise Aggregation.

Records have continued to tumble just three months into 2024, with 109,647 new cars sold throughout March and 304,452 during the first quarter (Q1), according to new VFACTS data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

These results represented an increase of 12.7% and 13.2%, respectively, on the corresponding periods from 2023, which come against the backdrop of increased order fulfilments following the easing of shipping delays and stock shortages.

All three months in Q1 broke their respective records, with January (89,782) and February (105,023) bringing in the new year with a bang.

Sales of electric and partially electrified cars also grew throughout the month, with just under a quarter of all vehicles sold (23.5%) being EVs, PHEVs or hybrid vehicles.

In terms of vehicle segments, SUVs continue to go from strength to strength, with the 64,631 registered as sold last month representing an increase of 20.7% compared to March 2023 and establishing a market share of 58.9%.

The growth was much more modest for light commercial (23,061, +4.8%) and passenger vehicles (17,611, +2.9%), while heavy commercial vehicle sales (4,344) dropped by 4.1% compared to last year.

 Victoria was the state that saw the most growth, with the 30,099 new cars registered as sold being 24.9% greater than the total recorded last year, while the Northern Territory (930, +19.8%) and New South Wales (33,808, +11.7%) also saw improvements in the double digits.

Market sales: March 2024

Category	March sales	% change vs 2023	Market share %
SUV	64,631	20.7	58.9
Light commercial	23,061	4.8	21.0
Passenger	17,611	2.9	16.1
Heavy commercial	4,344	-4.1	4.0

Vehicle sales by state or territory: March 2024

State/territory	March sales	% change vs 2023
New South Wales	33,808	11.7
Victoria	30,099	24.9
Queensland	23,550	5.9
Western Australia	11,074	9.3
South Australia	6,992	6.9
Tasmania	1,610	-0.6
Australian Capital Territory	1,584	0.5
Northern Territory	930	19.8

Vehicle brands: March

 

 

Toyota continues to steam ahead in vehicle sales, with the 18,961 recorded across March placing it over 10,000 units clear of the next best brand and 43.4% ahead of its result from 2023.

Ford moved into second on the monthly leaderboard with a strong 8,776 (+35.3%) pushing it clear of perennial second-placer Mazda, who finished on 8,246 for the month (0.0%).

It was also a big month for Mitsubishi, with the Japanese manufacturer moving into the top four on the back of 7,866 new vehicle registrations in March (+34.2%), which kept it ahead of another heavyweight in Kia (7,070, +10.4%), who rounded out the top five.

American EV manufacturer Tesla jumped above Hyundai, with its 6,017 registrations (+68.2%) edging out the South Korean automaker by just 32 units (5,985, +11.5%).

After a bumper February where it rose into the top four, Nissan slid to eighth (4,976, +46.2%), but its haul was still enough to account for Isuzu Ute (4,351, -4.0%) and MG (3,949, -1.4%), both of whom saw regressions on their March 2023 numbers.

Year-to-date (YTD) sales are, unsurprisingly, dominated by Toyota, which has taken only three months to crack 50,000 units sold for the year and is in a much stronger position this year than last (56,238, +37.4%).

Mazda has held onto second spot (23,761, -6.1%), but faces stiff competition from Ford (22,675, +18.5%), while Mitsubishi became the fourth company to pass 20,000 this year (20,188, +21.3%).

Best-selling vehicle brands: March 2024

Brand	March sales	% change vs 2023
Toyota	18,961	43.4
Ford	8,776	35.3
Mazda	8,246	0.0
Mitsubishi	7,866	34.2
Kia	7,070	10.4
Tesla	6,017	68.2
Hyundai	5,985	11.5
Nissan	4,976	46.2
Isuzu Ute	4,351	-4.0
MG	3,949	-1.4
Subaru	3,766	-2.2
GWM	3,619	8.4
Volkswagen	3,026	-12.9
BMW	2,532	-11.4
Suzuki	2,023	33.3

Best-selling vehicle brands: 2024

Brand	YTD sales	% change vs 2023
Toyota	56,238	37.4
Mazda	23,761	-6.1
Ford	22,675	18.5
Mitsubishi	20,188	21.3
Kia	18,918	2.8
Hyundai	17,850	7.0
Nissan	14,293	69.7
Isuzu Ute	12,801	23.6
Tesla	12,789	22.9
MG	12,429	0.4

Vehicle models: March

 

 

The Ford Ranger has begun to hit its straps, claiming its third successive monthly crown in style with 5,661 units marked as sold at a rate 25.6% higher than March 2023.

However, the big story of the month was the Toyota RAV4, which shot into second place overall with 5,070 units (which was 185.2% greater than its total over the same period last year) to disrupt the typical ute duopoly of the Ranger and the Toyota HiLux.

Tesla’s Model Y also climbed the ranks into third with a big month (4,379, +126.0%), leaving the HiLux in a very unfamiliar position outside the podium places (3,995, -12.8%) and losing important ground on its main rival in the YTD sales figures.

It wasn’t just the RAV4 and Model Y that saw significant spikes this month, though; both the Ford Everest (2,264, +129.9%) and Nissan X-TRAIL (2,161, +124.4%) more than doubled their sales figures from 12 months ago.

The Mitsubishi Outlander (2,764, +27.4%) did enough to land a place in the top five for the month, leapfrogging the Isuzu Ute D-Max (2,465, -11.6%), while the Toyota LandCruiser (2,159, +28.3%) and the Mazda CX-5 (2,134, +11.3%) rounded out the best-sellers’ list.

The Ranger now sits more than 3,000 units ahead of the HiLux in annual sales (15,761 to 12,490) as the two continue to duke it out at the top, but the RAV4 has moved into third position overall after its strong month (10,124).

A third Toyota model, the Corolla, occupies seventh spot overall, while there’s also room for two Tesla cars in the Model Y (6,835) and Model 3 (5,954).

Best-selling vehicle models: March 2024

Model	March sales	% change vs 2023
Ford Ranger	5,661	25.6
Toyota RAV4	5,070	185.2
Tesla Model Y	4,379	126.0
Toyota HiLux	3,995	-12.8
Mitsubishi Outlander	2,764	27.4
Isuzu Ute D-Max	2,465	-11.6
Ford Everest	2,264	129.9
Nissan X-TRAIL	2,161	124.4
Toyota LandCruiser	2,159	28.3
Mazda CX-5	2,134	11.3

Best-selling vehicle models: 2024

Model	YTD sales	% change vs 2023
Ford Ranger	15,761	14.8
Toyota HiLux	12,490	-1.3
Toyota RAV4	10,124	73.0
Isuzu Ute D-Max	7,947	21.1
Mitsubishi Outlander	7,050	17.3
Tesla Model Y	6,835	115.7
Toyota Corolla	6,411	92.8
MG ZS	6,291	9.7
Tesla Model 3	5,954	-17.7
Nissan X-TRAIL	5,598	117.7

The post VFACTS: RAV4 Rises, HiLux Falls as March Sales Record Broken appeared first on Optimise Aggregation.

The figure also stands at 20.9% higher than sales over the same period in 2023, albeit last February saw significant strain on the Australian market due to delays and quarantine issues.

It also became not only the second straight month to break an all-time record (January’s 89,782 also topped the charts) but the seventh month out of the last eight to reach this mark, which dates back to the start of the 2023/24 financial year in July.

Just under one in ten vehicles sold throughout the month were battery electric cars (9.6%), while that number increases to over one in five when accounting for hybrid cars and PHEVs (21.5%).

As expected with the big bump in sales, the three consumer vehicle segments all saw substantial growth compared to last year, with light commercial being the most significant at 26.7% ahead of SUVs (+20.6%) and passenger cars (+19.3%).

This was also the case across the states and territories, with all seeing growth upwards of 15%, led by Victoria (28,415, +29.8%), Tasmania (1,817, +28.5%) and Queensland (22,466, +21.9%).

It’s important to note, though, that forecasts from industry experts still predict a downturn in sales as the year wears on and supply finally catches up to demand, which is said to be on the decline.

Market sales: February 2024

Vehicle sales by state or territory: February 2024

Vehicle brands: February

With supply issues that plagued Toyota towards the start of last year now largely behind it, the Japanese superpower has gone full steam ahead on filling backorders to start the year, with the 19,374 new registrations recorded in February representing an increase of 35.2%.

This places them well ahead of the chasing pack, where Mazda continues to lag behind 2023’s numbers (7,350, -4.1%) and has Ford breathing down its neck in third place (7,275, +20.8%).

Surprisingly, Nissan returned to the best-sellers’ list in emphatic fashion, with its 6,617 vehicles catapulting it into fourth place in the monthly standings and 157.2% ahead of where it sat 12 months ago.

Mitsubishi rounded out the top five (6,411, +16.6%), meaning there was no room for either Kia (6,141, +2.4%) or Hyundai (5,703, +3.6%) at the top of the charts and forcing them to settle for sixth and seventh, respectively.

MG also slid to tenth (4,474, +2.5%) after strong months of growth from Tesla (5,665, +61.1%) and Isuzu Ute (4,692, +48.7%) saw them each leapfrog the Chinese manufacturer.

GWM (3,458, +47.0%) and Subaru (3,802, -6.2%) both slipped from the top ten, having occupied spots in January, while Volkswagen (3,169, +8.2%) continued to knock on the door.

In terms of year-to-date (YTD) sales, Toyota continues to stand head and shoulders above the rest (37,277, +34.6%), with Mazda (15,515, -9.1%), Ford (13,899, +9.9), Mitsubishi (12,322, +14.3%) and Hyundai (11,865, +4.9%) completing the top five after two months.

Best-selling vehicle brands: February 2024

Best-selling vehicle brands: 2024

Vehicle models: February

It was another convincing win for the Ford Ranger in the monthly sales records, with 5,353 units shifted across February at a rate 19.7% higher than the same period last year.

After beating out its main competitor, the Toyota HiLux, by just under 700 in January, the Ranger increased its lead to almost 1,000 last month after the HiLux recorded 4,403 new registrations (+11.8%).

It wasn’t just the HiLux featuring prominently in the model rankings, with the RAV4 finishing fifth (2,843, +34.4%) and Corolla in seventh off the back of strong monthly growth (2,439, +100.9%)

Tesla’s Model 3 had a big month, returning to the top three best-selling models with 3,593 registrations (+34.5%) and doing enough to unseat the Isuzu Ute D-Max (2,941, +52.3%), which has occupied a top three spot for much of the past few months.

The American EV carmaker also had the Model Y sitting in tenth (2,072, +145.2%), marking the first time it’s had two vehicles in the top ten.

The Nissan X-TRAIL led the Japanese manufacturer’s surge up the leaderboard in February, with its 2,508 registrations catapulting it into sixth overall for the month at a growth rate of 283.5% higher than at the same stage last year.

Fresh off its big annual victory last year, the Ford Ranger took out top honours among all vehicle models in January with 4,747 registrations, which was just two fewer than it managed over the same period last year.

The MG ZS (2,357, +15.1%) and Mitsubishi Outlander (2,209, +2.0%) completed the top ten.

After two months of sales, the top five best-selling models are dominated by Toyota, with the HiLux (8,495, +5.3%) sandwiched by the Ranger (10,100, +9.5%) and D-Max (5,482, +45.3%) while the RAV4 (5,054, +24.1%) and Corolla (4,384, +88.2%) round out the set.

Best-selling vehicle models: February 2024

Best-selling vehicle models: 2024

The post VFACTS: Records Tumble Once Again in February appeared first on Optimise Aggregation.

This beat out the previous January record of 88,551, which was set back in 2018, and represented an increase of 5.8% compared to the numbers seen in January 2023.

January’s result also sees the continuation of a stretch of seven out of the last nine months being record-breaking, with November (112,141) and October (106,809) being the two most recent prior to last month.

However, industry experts predict that deliveries are closer to catching up with demand, which has been declining amid inflation and cost of living increases since last year, meaning new car registrations could start to drop in the coming months.

Once again, there has been greater interest in low-emission cars, with battery electric vehicles accounting for 5.4% of all sales and electric, hybrid and PHEVs adding up to 17.4%.

The dominance of SUVs over passenger vehicles also continued into 2024, with the former racking up just shy of 50,000 units (+6.7% vs January 2023) sold to consolidate its market share of 55.5% compared to the 16,434 (-1.0%) passenger cars sold, which adds up to just 18.3% of all monthly sales.

Around the country, Western Australia saw the most substantial growth in car sales of all the states and territories, with its 9,911 new car sales representing an increase of 25.4% compared to the same period last year.

The Northern Territory was the only other area with growth in the double figures (742, +11.6%), while Tasmania (1,493, -1.1%) and the ACT (1,290, -7.5%) both saw sales drop last month.

Market sales: January 2024

Vehicle sales by state or territory: January 2024

Vehicle brands: January

It was a case of new year, same Toyota dominance in January, with the Japanese manufacturing giant recording 17,903 new car sales at an increase of 34.0% compared to the same period in 2023.

That total was almost 10,000 more than the second best-selling car brand, Mazda, which recorded 8,165 registrations for the month, which was 13.2% lower than last January.

Third-placed Ford managed to record exactly the same number of units this January compared to last (6,624, 0.0%), which pushed it clear of Hyundai in fourth (6,162, +6.1%) and Mitsubishi in fifth (5,911, 12.0%).

Kia fell out of the top five once again, its 5,707 sales (-5.0%) only good enough for sixth place but well ahead of the rest of the chasing pack, with MG the next best-seller with 4,006 (-0.2%).

Isuzu Ute (3,758, +40.7%) finished eighth, while GWM recorded a second successive top-ten appearance in the monthly standings off the back of 3,124 sales (24.8%).

Subaru claimed the final spot in the top ten, despite its 3,068 new car sales being 14.8% lower than January 2023’s numbers, ahead of Volkswagen and Nissan.

Perhaps most notable was Tesla’s absence from the list, having fallen away completely after only managing 1,107 vehicle deliveries (-66.6%) in the face of supply challenges.

Best-selling vehicle brands: January 2024

Vehicle models: January

Fresh off its big annual victory last year, the Ford Ranger took out top honours among all vehicle models in January with 4,747 registrations, which was just two fewer than it managed over the same period last year.

Its long-time rival, the Toyota HiLux, also recorded slightly fewer sales than last year, with its 4,092 sitting at a decrease of 0.9% despite being over 1,500 units ahead of the next best-selling model.

Toyota managed four models in the top ten for the month, with the RAV4 (2,211, +12.9%) finishing fourth, Corolla (1,889, +69.3%) sixth and Prado (1,746, +47.7%) eighth.

Third place belonged to the Isuzu Ute D-Max, with a strong run of deliveries towards the end of 2023 continuing into 2024 with 2,541 in January, 37.9% higher than last year.

The Mitsubishi Outlander rounded out the top five with 2,077 new car sales (+24.1%), while the MG ZS, which finished fifth in annual sales last year, ended the month as the seventh highest-selling model after falling just one unit short of the Corolla (1,888, +2.5%).

Rounding out the top ten were the Hyundai i30 (1,727, +10.4%) and the Mazda CX-5 (1,720, -21.4%).

Best-selling vehicle models: January 2024

The post VFACTS: January Sales Record Broken, But Sales Tipped to Slide appeared first on Optimise Aggregation.

This total surpassed the previous record of 1,189,116, which was set in 2017, and comes against a backdrop of supply finally beginning to meet demand following the adverse impacts of the pandemic.

It’s important to note, though, that new challenges such as rising inflation and cost-of-living pressures are likely to lead to a drop in the demand seen over 2021 and 2022, which was when many of 2023’s orders were placed.

Toyota reigned supreme for the 21^st successive year, shifting units in the order of hundreds of thousands to claim its crown once again.

However, the biggest story was the Ford Ranger, which became the first model to beat out the Toyota HiLux as the best-selling car in Australia in seven years.

It was a big year for battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles, which accounted for 16.2% of all cars sold (196,868), with battery electric sales (80,217, 7.2% of all sales) more than double the number seen in 2022 (33,410, 3.1%).

The popularity of SUVs continued to grow, with an overall market share of just under 56% for the year (679,462, +18.2%) representing a notable increase compared to last year’s 53.1%.

Both light commercial (274,185, +6.9%) and passenger vehicles (211,361, +4.1%) saw increases on last year’s numbers but experienced a drop in market share, from 23.7% to 22.5% and 18.8% to 17.4%, respectively.

All states and territories saw ample growth on their annual totals from 2022, with all bar one seeing an increase upwards of 10% and four of these being above 13.5%.

In terms of monthly figures, December saw 98,544 new cars registered as sold, which is 12.1% higher than last year but short of breaking a record (as was achieved six times in a seven-month stretch in 2023 which included November, October and September).

Market sales: December 2023

Total market sales: 2023

Vehicle sales by state or territory: December 2023

Total vehicle sales by state or territory: 2023

Vehicle brands: December

2023 marked the 21^st consecutive year of Toyota dominance in Australia, with the 215,240 new cars sold across the year placing it well out in front of the chasing pack once again, albeit still 6.8% lower than its 2022 haul.

It ended on a firm high note in December, with its 19,281 registrations representing an increase of 18.5% compared to the same period the year prior.

Despite a lacklustre end to the year in which its sales fell by 20.4% (6,765) and slipped to third in the monthly charts, Mazda did just enough to scrape over the 100,000 barrier by eight units, which is a modest increase of 4.5% compared to 2022’s total.

Ford ended the year with a flurry, no doubt spurred on by the Ranger’s competition with the HiLux, to leap into second place in December with 9,826 new cars sold (+59.4%).

This helped firmly cement itself in the top three best-selling manufacturers for the year, ending with 87,800, which was 31.8% higher than what it was able to manage across 2022.

It was also a tight-fought battle between Hyundai and its subsidiary Kia, with the little sister of the South Korean brand eventually winning out by just shy of 1,000 units (76,120 to 75,183) to round out the top five for the year.

Kia also claimed fourth place in the monthly standings with 5,583 units sold (-0.8%), while Hyundai slipped to sixth (4,887, +10.2%).

 Mitsubishi (63,511, -17.5%) finished sixth overall and fifth in the monthly standings (5,134, +4.2%), comfortably ahead of MG (58,346, +17.7%) who dropped to ninth in the December rankings (3,834, -26.2%).

However, the most fascinating battle in the year-to-date (YTD) sales came between Tesla, Subaru and Isuzu Ute. Despite a disappointing month for the American electric vehicle manufacturer in which it plummeted out of the top ten (2,192, -3.3%), it did enough to hold off Subaru by just two cars (46,116 to 46,114) and Isuzu Ute by less than 800 (45,341).

Despite experiencing significant growth on their numbers from last year, Volkswagen just missed out on the top ten (43,821, +41.6%), as did Nissan (39,376, +48.6%) and GWM (36,397, +45.3%).

Finally, there was a rare appearance in the top ten by GWM, which rose to eighth off the back of 3,862 new car registrations (+17.2%)

Best-selling vehicle brands: December 2023

Best-selling vehicle brands: 2023

Vehicle models: December

For the first time in seven years, the Toyota HiLux wasn’t the best-selling model in Australia, with a monster December by the Ford Ranger seeing it defeat all comers and claim top spot for 2023 with 63,356 units shifted (+33.4%).

Entering the final month of the year, the HiLux held a slender advantage over the Ranger at the top of the charts (55,968 to 55,589), but the Ranger’s enormous 7,767 new car registrations (+66.6%) crushed those of its Toyota rival (5,143, +2.4%) to leapfrog it and streak ahead by over 2,000 vehicles.

Notably, it’s the first annual win by a Ford model in almost 30 years, with the Falcon EF the last car to rise to the top of the rankings back in 1995, beating out the Holden Commodore VR/VS in the process back in 1995.

The Isuzu Ute D-Max also ended the year strongly, claiming third spot overall both in the monthly charts (2,833, +81.5%) and overall (31,202, +28.2%), which is particularly impressive given it sat in sixth as recently as September.

The RAV4 was one of two further Toyota models in the top ten, claiming fourth place with 29,627 (-15.0%), while the Prado entered the top ten YTD sellers for the first time in December to sneak in with 20,710 (-1.9%) just ahead of the Hyundai i30.

This comes off the back of a month dominated by Toyota model sales, with the HiLux, Prado (2,475, +155.2%), RAV4 (2,192, -0.1%) and Corolla (1,888, +2.4%) all finishing in the top six.

Having both featured in the top three in YTD sales for decent portions of the year, the MG ZS ultimately dropped to fifth (29,258, +30.2%) after a disappointing December in which it fell to ninth (1,522, -50.2%), while the Tesla Model Y ended the year in sixth overall (28,769, +230.0%).

The Mitsubishi Outlander claimed seventh spot (24,283, +24.2%), followed by the Mazda CX-5 (23,083, -14.7%) and Hyundai Tucson (21,224, +18.8%).

There were a couple of new players who entered the fray in the last month of the year, with the Kia Sportage (1,546, +6.5%) and Ford Everest (1,496, +61.6%) both doing enough to end 2023 with a top ten monthly finish.

Best-selling vehicle models: December 2023

Best-selling vehicle models: 2023

The post VFACTS: 2023 Sets New Car Sales Record, Ranger Tops Charts appeared first on Optimise Aggregation.

This figure represents an increase of 17.9% compared to the same period in 2022, mirroring the growth seen across October (22.3%), September (18.3%) and August (15.4%). Each of these, alongside July and May, also broke their monthly records.

All of this productivity from sellers (although numbers have been boosted by the fulfilment of previously delayed orders and easing of stock shortages) has meant that the all-time Australian annual sales record is only just under 71,000 units away.

With one month left, there have been 1,118,236 new cars sold across this year to date (YTD), which is an increase of 12.6% compared to numbers at the same stage last year. In comparison, the current record sits at 1,189,116 units, which was set back in 2017.

In terms of market segments, EVs made up 7.7% of the total cars sold across the month, led by the Tesla Model Y, and has seen its YTD sales rise significantly to 80,446, over 52,000 units and 184.0% more than at the same stage last year.

Monthly SUV sales surpassed 60,000 for the fourth time this year, with last month’s numbers sitting at 19.0% more than in 2022 and seeing it maintain its healthy market share of 55.6%.

Meanwhile, light commercial vehicle sales rose by almost 25% compared to last year, with 26,772 vehicles registered as sold, and passenger and heavy commercial vehicle numbers also rose by 10.7% and 0.2%, respectively.

Once again, all states and territories around Australia experienced significant growth, with South Australia being the biggest mover at 28.3%, followed by Western Australia (+20.8%) and Queensland (17.7%).

Market sales: November 2023

Vehicle sales by state or territory: November 2023

Vehicle brands: November

It was another (unsurprising) display of dominance from Toyota, whose 21,002 new cars registered as sold represented a fourth consecutive month where its 2023 result exceeded the equivalent period in 2022, this time by 4.5%.

Among the chasing pack, Mazda led the way with 8,707 new vehicle registrations (+15.3%) ahead of third-placed Ford (8,165, +14.0%). Hyundai and Mitsubishi also held their places in the top five, with growth of 21.7% and 12.8%, respectively.

South Korean manufacturer Kia was unable to regain its spot after falling out of the top five in October, although its 5,767 (-5.8%) was enough to move into sixth position above MG (5,603, +1.9%), which slid to seventh.

Meanwhile, Isuzu Ute (4,853) and Nissan (4,268) saw their positive form continue last month, with significant growth of 73.4% and 148.9%, respectively, enough to sew up spots in the top ten for them.

Volkswagen pinched the final spot in the best-sellers’ list with 4,004 cars sold (+31.5%), leaving not enough room for Tesla (3,939, +79.4%) for the second successive month.

We’re now at the pointy end of the year where YTD sales really matter, and with a lead of more than 100,000, Toyota has top spot in the bag once again, albeit with sales down on last year by 8.8%.

Mazda has had second place wrapped up for some time now but remains a real chance to become the second manufacturer to crack 100,000 sales for the calendar year off the back of its 93,243 units so far (+6.9%).

Similarly, Ford is sitting comfortably and should easily round out the year in the top three, as its sales of 77,974 come at a highly impressive increase of 29.0% on 2022.

The most interesting battle to come in the final month is between Kia and Hyundai, with the latter (70,296, +2.0%) closing the gap on its younger sister company (70,537, -3.0%) over the past few months to sit at less than 250 leading into December.

Mitsubishi (58,377, -19.0%) and MG (54,512, +22.8%) are unlikely to move from their current positions, but Tesla (43,924, +153.5%), Subaru (42,491, +32.9%) and Isuzu Ute (41,354, +26.0%) are all close to one another between eighth and tenth.

Best-selling vehicle brands: November 2023

Best-selling vehicle brands: YTD 2023

Vehicle models: November

For the second straight month, the Ford Ranger has been the most popular new vehicle model among buyers in Australia, narrowly outselling the Toyota HiLux to ensure top spot remains well and truly up for grabs in the final month of the year.

The US manufacturer’s premier ute model sold 6,301 units across last month, which was an improvement of 24.2% compared to the same period in 2022, while the HiLux’s 5,901 new car registrations represented an increase of 8.5%.

This leaves things delicately poised in terms of YTD sales, with the HiLux currently holding onto top spot on 55,968 (-6.9%), a mere 379 cars ahead of the Ranger’s total of 55,589 (+29.8%).

The Isuzu Ute D-Max held its place in the top three after recording its highest-ever monthly finish in October, with its 3,692 registrations coming at a massive increase of 133.7% in contrast to the figures it recorded last year.

Tesla’s Model Y returned to the top ten last month after a lean spell, rebounding into fourth with 3,151 units (+74.6%) shifted across November.

It wasn’t just the HiLux that was feeling the love last month, though, with three other Toyota models featuring in the top ten: the Prado in fifth (3,090, +195.7%), RAV4 in sixth (2,449, +7.3%) and Corolla in tenth (1,976, -47.1%).

Between them, the Mitsubishi Outlander moved up to seventh (2,381, +27.0%) above the Mazda CX-5 (2,256, +15.8%) and the MG ZS (2,047, -32.9%), the latter of which suffered a drop-off after finishing fifth the month prior.

As mentioned, the fight for top honours will go right down to the wire this month, but that isn’t the only battle to keep an eye on. As it stands, positions three to six are all separated by less than 1,000 units, leaving the door ajar for any to claim a coveted top three or top five position.

The D-Max made massive strides this month to hold pole position, moving up to third overall with 28,369 cars sold (+24.6%) and leapfrogging the ZS (27,736, +42.9%) and RAV4 (27,435, -16.0%).

Waiting in the wings is the Model Y, which trimmed the gap on the top five to just 17 units and currently sits on 27,418 (+232.1%).

It’s also close between the Outlander and CX-5 in seventh and eighth (22,381 and 21,660, respectively) and two Hyundai models in the Tucson and i30 in ninth and tenth (19,834 and 19,579, respectively).

Best-selling vehicle models: November 2023

Best-selling vehicle models: YTD 2023

The post VFACTS: Massive November Keeps Car Sales on Road to Australian Record appeared first on Optimise Aggregation.