VFACTS: New Car Sales Insights December 2020

Datium Insights Monthly VFACTS Update

Read our monthly update on VFACTS new car sales results.



New Car Sales December 2020

  • December 2020 saw a total figure of 95,652 new car sales for Australia as reported by VFACTS
  • A total of 916,968 new car sales were achieved for 2020
  • This is the third consecutive year that new car sales have shrunk in Australia
  • Figures show new car sales increased by 14% in December 2020 versus December 2019 – marking only the second increase for 2020
  • With COVID-19 cases being limited, it appears new car sales are returning to pre-COVID norms
  • In total for 2020, the market saw 145,899 (-14%) less new car sales compared to 2019
  • Victoria was the hardest hit, down 77,915 units (-26%) compared to 2019

Australian 2020 New Car Sales

Australian 2020 New Car Sales YoY Change

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change by State - Units

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change by State - Percentage

New Car Sales Trends

The top 10 sellers for 2020 were:

  • Toyota RAV4 (38,537 units, +59%)
  • Ford Ranger 4X4 (37,889 units, +2%)
  • Toyota Hilux 4X4 (34,766 units, -4%)
  • Toyota Corolla (25,882 units, -15%)
  • Mazda CX-5 (21,979 units -14%)
  • Hyundai i30 (20,734 units, -27%)
  • Toyota Prado (18,034 units, -2%)
  • Kia Cerato (17,559 units, -19%)
  • Hyundai Tucson (15,789 units, -13%)
  • Mitsubishi Triton 4X4 (15,649 units, -31%)

2020 saw only a handful of segments sell higher than 2019, including:

  • People Movers > $60k (+39%)
  • SUV Upper Large > $100K (+32%)
  • Light Buses => 20 Seats (+16%)
  • Small > $40K (+11%)
  • SUV Small > $40K (+13%)

Conversely, some of the largest decreases were in:

  • Large < $70K (-65%)
  • Light < $25K (-40%)
  • People Movers < $60K (-43%)
  • Large > $70K (-22%)
  • Sports > $80K (-37%)
  • Small < $40K (-29%)

Some other highlights:

  • Small to Medium SUV’s dominated the list of vehicles that outperformed in 2020, with the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-30 and Kia Seltos leading the way
  • Small vehicles saw the largest declines with the Mazda 3, Hyundai Accent and Hyundai i30 falling considerably
  • The rental market shrunk considerably in 2020, with 39,018 less cars (-53%) selling in 2020 to rental businesses

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change by Segment

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change by Vehicle - Top 20 Increases

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change by Vehicle - Top 20 Decreases

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change by Buyer Groups

Sales by Import Country

  • Sales of imported vehicles from China skyrocketed in 2020 with an increase of 12,739 YoY
  • Sales of imported vehicles from the largest manufacturing countries were down in 2020 including Thailand (-57,664), Japan (-24,474), South Korea (-26,905) and Germany (-25,608)

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change by Import Country - Top 10 Increases

Australian 2020 New Car Sales Cumulative YoY Change by Import Country - Top 10 Decreases

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Tanim Ahmed

By Tanim Ahmed, Head of Product at Datium Insights

Tanim is a Macquarie University alumni with degrees in Finance and Economics. He has spent a decade in the Leasing and Finance industry, specializing in Residual Value risk.

Please contact Datium Insights for further analytical support and advisory services.

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