Car brands bounce back in Australia in 2023

It’s been a rough couple of years for many Australian car brands, which have struggled to source and deliver vehicles in the face of parts shortages, the COVID-19 outbreak and hardship. due to quarantine.

But in 2023, we’ve seen some activity resume at a faster pace than the overall market, growing 8.2% year-on-year (YoY) in the first half of the year. At the start of the year, this is the best first half (H1) result since 2018.

One of the notable stories this year so far has been Volkswagen Group operations, which have returned to better shape thanks to seemingly improving supply.

Sales in the first half of the year for the Volkswagen brand were 20,970 units, up 60.6% year-on-year, the company has posted its best numbers since 2019 – in other words, it is on post-COVID recovery.

This is largely thanks to the firm’s core SUV models in the Tiguan family (up 203.3 percent year-on-year) and the T-Roc (up 263.5 percent).

The German giant then returned to the list of top 10 brands in general and with the new Amarok just hitting dealerships, a similarly powerful second half certainly awaits…

It’s a similar story for sister brands Audi (sales of 9336 units year-on-year, up 48%) which posted their best first half results since 2018, as well as Skoda (sales). 3967 units compared to the beginning of the year, an increase of 20.7%, the second best result recorded).

Audi’s growth came from deliveries of the A3 (up 122%), Q3 (up 40%) and Q5 (up 29.2%). Skoda’s return is largely due to the updated Karoq SUV (up 122.8%).

Subaru, which ranks ninth in the market this year, posted a 32.4% increase year-on-year to 22,502 units, with the Forester (up 45.6%) and Outback (up 22.9%) contributing. the largest share of additional sales.

It’s Subaru’s best H1 performance since 2018.

Ford is also on a good track this year, growing 33.7% to 38,182 sales, its best first half result since 2017. It’s no surprise that the new Ranger 4×4 (up 29.2%) already boosted these sales despite long wait times, along with Transit Custom (up 170.2 percent).

Another traditional company with large numbers that have recovered to some extent is Nissan, which is up 13.3% this year to 17,278 units. However, while this is an improvement, it is down from the same period in 2021 (sales 23,982 units).

Nissan dealers didn’t get enough new SUVs last year, with the new-generation X-Trail, Qashqai and Pathfinder making a big impact and offsetting the alarming 41.2% drop on the Navara .

Lexus is on track to hit an all-time record after selling 6910 vehicles in the H1, an increase of 75.5%. Its biggest improver by volume is NX (up 60 percent), but the gains are almost uniform across its range.

Land Rover has also recovered from a bad 2022, up 42.8% to 3714 units for the H1, with the Defender (1620 units sales, up 111.8%) its clear MVP.

Another emerging European brand is Mini, which posted a 30.5% increase in volume compared to the first half of the year, marking its best growth since 2018. Countryman (up 70.2%) is motivation.

Finally, Peugeot, distributed in Australia by the same company as Subaru, is up 17.3% this year to 1186 units, which is similarly its best result since 2018 – driven by a balanced way by profits from 308 new small cars and Partner vans.

Big innovators in 2023

• audi – 9336 sales, up 48%, best result since 2018
• Ford – 38,182 sales, 33.7% increase, best result since 2017
• Landrover – 3714 sales, 42.8% increase, best result since 2021
• Lexus – Sales 6910, up 75.5%, best result so far
• small – 2136 sales, up 30.5%, best result since 2018
• NISSAN – 17,278 sales, 13.3% increase in best results since 2021
• peugeot – 1186 sales, up 17.3%, best result since 2018
• Skoda – Sales of 3967, up 20.7%, best result since 2021
• subaru – 22,502 sales, up 32.4%. best result since 2018
• volkswagen – 20,970 sales, 60.6% increase, best result since 2019