VFACTS for December 2023 and the full calendar year were released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. It was a record-breaking year for new car deliveries, with 1,216,780 vehicles delivered, beating the previous sales record set in 2017. It represents a 12.5 per cent increase on 2022.
The record VFACTS figure is testament to manufacturers and Dealer’s ability to deliver vehicles to customers from strong order banks, along with demand remaining high for most of the year. With high interest rates and cost of living pressures it is anticipated the record year won’t be repeated in 2024.
Toyota continued to dominate, despite a slight drop in their numbers compared with 2022. They held a 17.7 per cent market share and were the top selling manufacturer for the 21st year in a row with 215,240 cars sold. The top five was rounded out by Mazda (100,008), Ford (87,800), Kia (76,120) and Hyundai (75,183).
Brands that didn’t fare as well include Honda, with the brand posting their lowest sales figures on record for the second year in a row, Mercedes-Benz, whose sales figures decreased by 9.3 per cent, and Suzuki saw a 20.9 per cent decrease for 2023.
SUVs and light commercial vehicles remained extremely popular, accounting for 15 of the top 20 models sold in 2023. They represented just over 78 per cent of vehicles sold for the calendar year.
Battery electric vehicles continued to increase in popularity with 87,217 vehicles sold for the year, representing 7.2 per cent of sales. 16.2 per cent of vehicles sold in 2023 were low emissions vehicles including hybrids, BEVs and PHEVs.
