New vehicle sales in Australia set records both for April and year to date results.

A total of 97,202 vehicles was sold in April, up 18.3%, and taking YTD sales to 401,654, up 50,515 on the same period of 2023.

FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said continued growth had seen the industry break 10 record monthly sales results in the past year.

“April’s result highlights strong consumer confidence in purchasing new vehicles, surpassing our expectations and is a testament to consumer choice and the industry’s resilience in a challenging economic landscape.”

Demand was buoyed by strong demand for SUVs and light commercial vehicles, consistent with trends observed in the first quarter of the year.

SUVs continued to dominate sales, taking 55.7% of the market in April. LCVs held steady, claiming 22% of sales while passenger vehicles accounted for 17.8%.

Hybrid and plug in hybrid vehicles saw a notable increase, capturing 18.3% of the market compared to 7.5% in the previous year.

However, battery electric vehicles saw a slight decrease in sales accounting for 6.4% of new sales, down from 8% a year ago.

“We are witnessing a shift in consumer preferences towards more sustainable and efficient vehicles,” Weber said.

Toyota was the market leader with sales of 20,771, followed by Ford (8,648), Mazda (7,301), Kia (6,653) and Mitsubishi (5,314).

The Toyota RAV4 was Australia’s top selling vehicle with sales of 5,857, followed by the Ford Ranger (5,569), Toyota HiLux (4,693), Ford Everest (2,400) and Isuzu Ute D-Max (2,380).