Market Insight: Utes and EVs hit sales highs

NOTHING reflects the disparity of the Australian new-vehicle market than the growth in sales of two of the industry’s bookend brands.

Isuzu Ute had its best month and best quarter on record for its MU-X SUV, while its D-Max ute had its third-best month. The brand is now the 10th best seller of all makes.

Look closer and the MU-X is Australia’s favourite large SUV (sub $70,000) with 3798 sales in the March quarter and a fat 12.9 per cent market share, outperforming Toyota’s Prado (3220 sales YTD) and Kia’s Sorento (3165 sales).

In March, the D-Max ute became the third-best selling vehicle (2789 sold in March) behind the Ford Ranger (4508 sales) and the best seller, the Toyota HiLux with 4583 sales.

Isuzu Ute Australia spokesman Mark Harman said about 50 per cent of D-Maxs were sold to buyers wanting to tow – mainly caravans and mainly to grey nomads. As such, tow hitches were standard on most high-trim variants, which are the most sought after by private buyers.

On the other side of the bookshelf, Tesla confirms EVs have arrived with its Model Y selling 3169 units in the quarter to become the nation’s fifth biggest selling car.

In March, the Y outsold its sole sibling, the Model 3 – which in February had 70.7 per cent of the medium passenger car sector, above $70,000 – by almost 300 units. The Model 3 now has a 65 per cent slice of that sector and remains the leader, outselling the second best-placed Camry by a factor of six.

The introduction of the Model Y and the surge of interest in the EV category, along with the recent arrivals of a fresh shipment of Teslas, kicked the EV sector up to 7.1 per cent of the total passenger (non-heavy truck) market in March.

So on one hand buyers want dual-cab utes and diesel SUVs and on the other, EVs. Despite their differences, both are flavour of the month.

Gains made in the new-vehicle market in the year-to-date March VFACTS data were small with the 2.5 per cent increase made despite some ongoing delivery problems attributed mainly to clogged shipping ports.

Though 2023 is ahead of the first three months of 2022, March was a bit of a fizzer that aside from the expected winners and losers, highlighted some abnormalities – Toyota’s 39.4 per cent downturn in the month compared with the same period in 2022.

No prizes for guessing that a weak flow of deliveries caused the slump with customers continuing to announce their grievances at the 12-month-plus delays for many models, especially the hybrids and mainstay models such as the Prado.

The main winners and losers are listed below but two brands – Isuzu Ute and Tesla – that sit on the extremities of the new-vehicle market each tell a story about how disruptive delays can be and how Australians are moving towards an EV future.

Toyota’s fall during March was attributed – again – to the production bottlenecks caused by component supply shortages, and the slow boat to Australia with its congested docks.

The company is also being pressured to supply its huge mining and resources clients with vehicles, which may have an effect of slowing deliveries to private buyers.

Toyota is down 29.5 per cent in the quarter compared with the same period in 2022.

Things aren’t especially rosy at Jaguar, either, with a 38.2 per cent fall YTD March and a March month when the figures were down 50.5 per cent on the same month in 2022. Again, its production and logistics holding the brand back.

Other notable losers for the quarter and month included Maserati (down 50.3 per cent YTD; 40.7 per cent for March) and Alfa Romeo (down 38.3 per cent YTD; down 32.8 per cent March).

On the upside, there’s Isuzu Ute and Tesla, but also GWM which had a burster of a month with a 268.0 per cent surge in deliveries and 183.9 per cent year-to-date.

Its most popular model is the Haval Joloin small SUV followed by the GWM Ute 4x4, the latter up 495 per cent for the quarter compared with the same period in 2022 thanks to a greatly improved model.

Polestar also was a winner, up 376.5 per cent compared to the corresponding quarter in 2022, and 84.3 per cent for the month. Its single car, the Polestar 2, has sold 548 units this year.