One of the major indicators of economic prosperity is the willingness of Australian consumers and businesses to purchase new vehicles. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries recently released data that describes new vehicles sales for the 2012 calendar year.

ACA Research has run analysis on passenger vehicle sales data with the view to understanding how the Australian automotive passenger market has changed over the course of the year. Key findings are highlighted below showing how consumer demand for new cars has changed.

The Passenger Market

In total, almost 577,000 new passenger vehicles were sold in 2012, up from 559,000 in 2011, representing a 3.7% increase. The two largest segments - the light and small passenger segments – posted modest growth. The continued decline in demand for large passenger cars is offset by strong growth in the medium passenger segment.

Manufacturer Share

The top 10 manufacturers account for 84% of passenger vehicles sold in 2012. The top 20 manufacturers account for 98% of volume, leaving 25 brands representing just 1.8% of volume. Of the mainstream brands, Toyota has the largest volume, sold more than 100,000 passenger vehicles in 2012. They are followed by Holden and Hyundai.

Of the luxury brands, Mercedes Benz sold almost 15,000 passenger vehicles in 2012, making it the 12th largest manufacturer by volume. They are followed by BMW in 14th and Audi in 15th. The brands with the largest increases in volume (by percentage) were Chrysler, Honda, Kia, Toyota and Citroen. The brands with the largest drops in volume (by percentage) were Proton, Volvo, Mitsubishi, Dodge and Alfa Romeo.