COVID-19 supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine, and all-round economic uncertainty are all combining to cut a swathe through Australia’s new car sales, if the latest round of VFACTS new car sales figures are any guide.
The market was down by 9.7 per cent in June compared to the same month last year, with the chronic stock shortage a major factor.
Toyota’s ever-popular HiLux was the top-selling car for the month, bucking the depressed state of the market with 7,582 sales.
That was an increase of 40 per cent on the previous June’s figures.
Also on the up was the second placed Hyundai Tucson with 2,840 sales, increasing by an impressive 89 per cent.
Elsewhere the news wasn’t so good for Hyundai, with sales of its i30 down 23 per cent to 1,801.
Following them down was the Ford Ranger. Its sales plunged by 53 per cent to 2,802 but it still managed to occupy third spot.
If there was one big winner in the top 10 it was the Kia Sportage. Its 2,044 sales bucked the trend with a whopping 137 per cent increase for the year.
Another impressive performer was China’s MG HS, with 1,795 sold, a gain of 79 per cent. It filled out the top 10 place getters.
Long waits
If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, then it pays to be patient.
Plant shutdowns, shipping delays, the war in Ukraine, and a chronic semiconductor shortage are all contributing to very long delays in the delivery of new vehicles and some seriously inflated prices for used ones. Order your new car now and you could be waiting until next year to see it.
In the “good old days” before Covid, the average waiting time for a new vehicle was 30 days. Today, you could be waiting up to 235 days for a Toyota, 182 days for a Kia, and about 119 days for a Ford Ranger.
Of the five top selling carmakers Mazda is the quickest, with average waiting times of “just” 90 days, though if you’re in the market for a Mazda 3 it could be as quick as 67 days.
If you’re really in a hurry for a brand-new car, then Renault might be the way to go, with an average wait time of just 19 days, or as little as 10 for the Renault Captur.
But those average wait times don’t tell the whole story, because there’s a huge difference between the states and territories, according to website pricemycar.com.au.
Doing our best
As always Fleetcare is striving to do our best by our customers by delivering their cars as quickly as possible, but even with our best endeavours we’re at the mercy of carmakers and dealers, who in turn are victims of world events.
If you’re in the market for a new vehicle then your best advice is to place your orders sooner, rather than later, and keep an open mind about alternative vehicles to suit your needs that could arrive a bit faster.