TheMarket

MARCH KICKS SALES INTO HIGH GEAR

HIGHLIGHTS

Australian new-car sales have (just) topped six figures for the first time since the end of the 2019/2020 financial year sales. It’s the first time a non-EOFY month has managed this since 2018, and was led by a rise in SUV and light commercial (read: dual-cab) sales. Models like the Mazda CX-30, Nissan’s facelifted X-Trail and the also made-over Subaru Forester all saw sales jumps, but the usual top three remain – HiLux, Ranger and RAV4.

LOWLIGHTS

Of course, the continued increase in SUV and dual-cab sales is inversely mirrored with passenger cars, down 1.9 percent, with enthusiast and ‘style’ brands like Alfa Romeo and Citroen seeing lower sales this year compared to 2020. Even Volkswagen’s market share has dropped 6.8 percent compared to Q1 2020. The latter, however, has the launch of the Mk8 Golf to look forward to this year, which should turn its fortunes.