October marked the first month in 2021 to not record growth on 2020, with all months prior performing strongly against their previous year's counterpart.
A large part of the strong run, however, was due to rental companies and state governments beefing up their fleets, rather than private motorists returning to the market.
In total 80,639 new cars were sold in November according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' (FCAI) 'VFACTS' report.
FCAI chief Tony Weber put the decline down to supply shortages.
"This includes constraints around microprocessor supplies as well as the ongoing impact of the pandemic restricting factories," Mr Weber said.
"Car makers are competing with many other sectors, such as white goods manufacturers, for microprocessors across the globe.
"Some new vehicles sold in the Australian market can require up to 3,000 of these parts, so this shortage is definitely being felt by the industry."
All states recorded declines in car sales compared to November 2020.
Still, the industry is on-track to surpass one million new vehicles sold in 2021.
"Challenges aside, we are less than 29,000 vehicles away from one million new cars being put into the hands of Australian motorists in 2021," Mr Weber said.
Top 10 car models November 2021
- Ford Ranger - 4,429 units sold
- Toyota Hilux - 4,228
- Hyundai i30 - 2,254
- Toyota Corolla - 2,104
- Toyota RAV4 - 1,820
- Nissan Navara - 1,792
- Mitsubishi Outlander - 1,633
- Mitsubishi ASX - 1,625
- MG ZS - 1,576
- Hyundai Tucson - 1,541
Three out of the top five cars recorded declines in sales compared to November 2020, however the Ford Ranger continues to build in popularity with sales up 4%.
Sales of the i30 were also up 10.1%.
Electric vehicles continue bumper run
In November 2021 there were 390 electric vehicles sold - a 219.1% increase compared to November 2020.
Popular models include the MG ZS, which recorded 1,576 sales in November, but VFACTS does not distinguish between electric and fuel ZS models in this data.
It remains one of the cheapest fully electric vehicles on the road, and one of the few electric SUVs under $50,000.
The Hyundai Kona is another popular model, recording 1,013 sales - a 10.3% on November 2020 - but again, fuel types are not distinguished in the data.
Advertisement
In the market for a new car? The table below features car loans with some of the lowest interest rates on the market.
Photo by Rena Zol on Unsplash
Brooke Cooper
Harry O'Sullivan
