Australia's motor industry posted its fourth month of record sales for 2017 with July as its third successive month of record gains, according to results the official statistical service, VFACTS.
The July result of 92,754 sales kept the industry on track for another record year with the overall market now at 692,306 units year to date, a rise of just 0.4% over the 2016 record year.
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The previous best July was in 2015 when 92,308 sales were recorded.
Sales of SUVs remained strong last month, up 5.6% year-to-date, and light commercials showed a similar healthy gain of 4.8% year-to-date.
Comparing last month's result with July 2016, an increase of 1.6% was recorded for the motor industry overall. Significant gains were noted in small and medium SUVs, up 15.3% and 18.6% respectively, with other growth areas including people movers (MPVs, up 12.7% compared with July 2016), small passenger cars (up 1.1%) and 4X4 light commercials (up 2.2%).
Japan remained the largest source of vehicle imports for July with 27,524 vehicles, followed by Thailand (21,915), South Korea (13,656), Germany (6,542), US (4,026), and England (3,163).
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By GlobalDataThe chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Tony Weber, said the record July outcome was notable in that it came directly after the industry's record monthly result in June.
"This July figure demonstrates the industry's ability to deliver products which are not only good value but cater specifically for the changing needs of Australian customers," Weber said.
"The steady rise in small and medium SUV sales are indicative of our market's changing dynamic and manufacturers are moving quickly to meet those new needs and expectations."
Toyota had five vehicles in the nation's top 10 best sellers to post a market leading July share of 19.3%. In second place was Mazda with 10.3%, followed by Hyundai (8.1%), Holden (7.0), and Ford (6.8).
The Toyota Hilux was the nation's top-selling vehicle in July with 3,742 sales (up 19.3% on its July 2016 outcome), followed by the Corolla with 3,208 sales, the Ford Ranger (3,076 sales), Mazda 3 (2,466) and Camry (2,385).
