Full-year 2008 new vehicle sales fell just 3.6% ‘down under’ though the forecast for 2009 is off 13%.
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For the second consecutive year and second time, Australians bought more than 1m in a calendar year.
Official Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) VFACTS data showed 1,012,164 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in 2008 – down 3.6% or 37,818 vehicles compared to 2007.
“This is a good result and shows that the car industry finished the year on a strong note,” FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.
“The 2008 outcome is the second highest sales figure on record,” he noted.
Though down 11.3%, December sales of 76,510 nonetheless pushed the annual tally over the 1m mark.
“Sales in December held up well with buyers taking advantage of the many competitive opportunities available in the marketplace,” McKellar said.
However, the FCAI has forecast that only 880,000 new vehicles will be sold during 2009.
“We must be realistic about the outlook for the year ahead and acknowledge the impact that the global financial crisis is having on the broader economy,” he said.
“Nonetheless there are positives that will underpin demand in 2009, including lower fuel prices, reduced interest rates and the impact of additional fiscal measures implemented by the federal government.”
Light commercial vehicles were a major contributor to the overall market result with the segment increasing 4.2% during 2008.
The passenger car segment ended the year down 6.3%; SUV sales were down 1.9% and heavy commercials were down 3.5%.
Toyota was Australia’s best-selling brand in 2008 with 238,983 vehicles (23.6% market share) followed by General Motors’ Holden with 130,338 (12.9%) and Ford with 104,715 vehicle sales (10.3%).
Holden’s Commodore was the top-selling vehicle model in 2008 for the 13th consecutive year.
