Australia’s auto sales in March 2021 stood at 100,005 units, up by 22.4pc from 81,690 units sold in March 2020, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). New vehicle sales continued to show growth as the Australian economy gradually emerges from the economic impacts of COVID-19.
FCAI said that high auto sales were reported across states and territories, other than the Australian Capital Territory, which was down by 43.8pc during March. Sales in the Northern Territory grew by 43.4pc, Queensland up by 32.7pc, Tasmania up by 30pc and Western Australia up by 30.5pc.
Of the total sales, SUV sales stood at 41,544 units in March, up by 32pc from March 2020, while LCV sales grew by 28pc to 17,485 units from a year ago.
Eight of the top 10 selling vehicles in March were SUVs or LCVs, driven by rising demand from private buyers. In March, passenger vehicle sales stood at 18,590 units, down by 1.9pc from a year ago, while heavy commercial vehicles rose by 42.8pc to 2,047 units.
Top selling cars and brands in March
Toyota was the leading brand in March selling 21,319 units or 21.3pc of total sales, followed by Mazda with 10,785 units (10.8pc), Hyundai with 6,852 units (6.9pc), Mitsubishi with 6,430 units (6.4pc), and Ford with 5,977 units (6pc).
Cumulative sales for 2021
In the first three months of 2021, the country’s auto sales grew by 12.9pc to 263,648 units from 233,361 units sold in the prior-year period.
Australian auto sales could have been stronger if some auto manufacturers had not been impacted by delivery constraints in the global supply chains, commented FCAI.