LEAPS AND FLOPS

February’s sales figures maintain a familiar theme

The Australian new car market continues to struggle. Sales are down about 8 per cent on last year despite an extra selling day in February. That’s the 23rd consecutive month of decline. Some makers are weathering the storm better than others.

HOT

TOYOTA

The Japanese giant had a dominant month, even by its lofty standards, with three of the top five selling cars in the country. The HiLux was again No.1. The surprise packet was the RAV4, which leapt up the charts to second place, knocking the Ford Ranger down a peg on the podium. Sales of the 2019 News Corp Car of the Year were up more than 100 per cent. The Corolla was the best selling passenger car in the country. The Camry and LandCruiser also featured in the top 10. Sales were up more than 8 per cent on last year. More than one in five new-car buyers chooses a Toyota.

LUXURY BRANDS

The prestige segment rebounded in February. The big three — Audi, BMW and MercedesBenz — posted better numbers, with Mercedes cracking the top 10 and BMW logging the biggest increase, of almost 10 per cent. The new 1 Series hatch and 3 Series sedan led the charge. Land Rover, Lexus and Volvo also recorded sales increases.

SUBARU

After a tough 2019 and a slow January, the Japanese maker bounced back with a 28 per cent sales jump over February last year when supply dramas dragged it down. The Forester and XV SUVs led the way. Both models benefited from the introduction of hybrid variants at the end of the month — which according to Subaru are sold out for several months.

NOT

UTES

The shine is starting to come off the darlings of the Australian new car market. Sales fell off a cliff in February — a drop of more than 22 per cent. The long standing fall in sales could be a result of the recent bushfire emergency and the crippling effects of drought. Every major ute producer experienced a drop in sales though affordable Chinese brands Great Wall and LDV had a spike in sales.

MAZDA

Australia’s second-favourite brand has had a rocky start to the year. Sales are down by more than a quarter in the first two months, mainly thanks to sluggish sales of its popular hatchbacks. So far this year, the Mazda3 has attracted roughly half the buyers it did for the same period last year, while the baby Mazda2 has had a horror start to the year — sales have slumped by almost 70 per cent. Increased sales of SUVs, including the new CX-30, helped offset the decline in car sales.

MITSUBISHI

Mitsubishi sales were down by more than a third in February as demand for the Triton ute dropped off markedly. The ute typically makes up more than a quarter of the brand’s sales but it wasn’t the only poor performer — the ASX and Eclipse SUVs each recorded falls of more than a third. The bright spot was the Triton-based Pajero Sport SUV, which had a 35 per cent jump over the same month last year.