FEW HORSE RACE

Standouts buoy falling tallies

ON FACE value, the month of February was a fruitful period that saw total registrations of new performance cars maintaining positive momentum. January’s tally of 624 new registrations swelled by 20% to 752 achieved throughout February. Despite a shrinking mid-range $80k<$200k segment (down 6%), both entry sub-$80k and high-end $200k+ segments posted strong results.

The sub-$80k segment saw month-on-month registrations increase by 37%, from 316 achieved in January to 432 through February. The most premium segment bested the volume sellers in growth too, represented by a 49% increase in month-on-month registrations from 57 in January to 85 through February.

Growth in the top end of town is provided by a bump in Bentley deliveries, with 13 new cars registered – a 225% increase over the four delivered in the month prior. It’s also a return to form for Porsche’s perennial 911, which posted uncharacteristically low tallies in the first month of the calendar year, bouncing back in February to deliver 37 new vehicles (up 94% from the 19 delivered in January).

The affordable sub-$80k segment saw lots of action throughout February, with a few key players making up much of its 116-unit growth. Ford’s Mustang, ‘Australia’s favourite sports car’ is earning its title, having put 202 new vehicles on the road in February. That’s 7.2 new Mustangs per day! A total of 307 Mustangs have been registered since January 1, 2022, comfortably owning the realm. Subaru’s BRZ follows with 177 registered this year so far.

BMW’s new 2 Series also provided a strong performance, with monthly registrations up 37%, from 59 to 81. Mini’s ageing Cooper/Cabrio chipped in with 33 new registrations in February. While it pales in pure volume, that’s a 200% increase from the 11 put on the road in January. -AA