Like neighbouring New Zealand, Australia saw a new car sales record in 2015 with 1,155,408 new passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles sold. Volume rose 3% year on year in December to 99,616.
The 1,155,408 sales full year sales were 1.7% higher than the previous record year, 2013 and 3.8% higher than 2014 sales.
Go deeper with GlobalData
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the addition of new models with significant performance and comfort attributes, combined with the existing vehicle mix, continued to make Australia one of the most competitive new car markets in the world.
“The high level of choice in the new car market is delivering consumers access to high-quality vehicles at record affordability levels,” he said.
“In addition, the competitiveness of the market has seen new car buyers access an extensive range of finance options and genuine service offers that maintain the value and integrity of the vehicle.”
Weber said SUV sales in particular continued to boom in 2015 with the vehicle type now accounting for 35.4% of the market, up from 31.7% in 2014.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“Despite the significant rise in SUV sales over the past few years, passenger cars still hold some popularity,” Weber said. “The segment is still the largest selling segment, holding 44.6% of the total market in 2015.”
Light commercial vehicles held 17.2% of the market in 2015, roughly the same as in 2014 (17.8).
Toyota was the top selling brand with 17.8% of the market, followed by Mazda (9.9%), Holden (8.9%), Hyundai (8.8%) and Mitsubishi (6.2%).
Best-selling car in 2015 was the Toyota Corolla with 42,073 sales, followed by the Mazda 3 (38,644), Toyota Hilux (35,161), Hyundai i30 (32,306) and Ford Ranger (29,185).
