It’s fair to say that 2020 continues to be a year full of surprises with August 2020 being no exception for the new vehicle market in Australia. But there does appear to be some silver lining – a hybrid vehicle just topped Australia’s monthly sales charts for the first time in automotive history, at a time when Victoria continues to battle strict Stage 4 lockdown restrictions.
The Toyota RAV4 SUV took pole position as Australia’s top-selling vehicle for the second month in a row in August 2020, following a stellar sales performance in July as well. What is perhaps most impressive however, is that sales of the hybrid version alone of the RAV4 would have allowed the RAV4 to claim the top spot on the sales charts.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) reported that Toyota sold 4825 examples of the RAV4 of which there were 4405 hybrids and just 420 were petrol-only models.
Whilst the news might have been great for Toyota last month, COVID continues to cause havoc for other manufacturers, mainly thanks to the situation in Victoria. Total new-car sales in August 2020 were down nationally by 28.8 per cent compared with August 2019, with 60,986 vehicles reported as sold compared to 85,633 during the same month last year.
So far 2020 is shaping up to be a shocker on the sales charts with new-car sales down by 20.4 per cent compared to the first eight months of 2019. As Victoria finally appears to have a roadmap relating to the lifting of restrictions, expect to sales to pickup later the year, particularly in November when dealerships reopen for new car sales.
Top 10 car brands in August 2020
Toyota: 12,449, down 25.5 per cent
Mazda: 6921, down 5.1 per cent
Hyundai: 4525, down 38.2 per cent
Kia: 4521, down 3.0 per cent
Mitsubishi: 4308, down 31.0 per cent
Ford: 3898, down 20.7 per cent
Volkswagen: 2785, down 32.1 per cent
Nissan: 2380, down 47.6 per cent
Mercedes-Benz: 2064, down 13.3 per cent
Subaru: 2052, down 42.2 per cent
Top 10 selling cars in August 2020
Toyota RAV4: 4825, up 140.5 per cent
Ford Ranger: 2935, down 7.7 per cent
Mazda CX-5: 1884, up 4.8 per cent
Toyota Corolla: 1464, down 48.9 per cent
Hyundai i30: 1429, down 49.2 per cent
Mitsubishi Triton: 1406, down 19.9 per cent
Mazda CX-3: 1355, up 3.6 per cent
Kia Cerato: 1264, down 25.0 per cent
Toyota HiLux: 1217, down 66.9 per cent
Kia Seltos: 1046, NA
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