One in six new vehicles sold now electric or hybrid
New vehicle sales in August climbed by 15.4 per cent compared with a year ago to set a record for the month as buyers shrugged off cost-of-living pressures and supply logjams eased.
The shifting preferences of buyers towards lower emission technologies was again reinforced with the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries saying one in six new vehicles delivered in August was either an electric vehicle or a hybrid option. Hybrids use a combination of battery power and a traditional engine powered by petrol or diesel.
The FCAI, which collects the sales figures from vehicle dealerships around Australia, said 109,966 new vehicles of all types were delivered in August, an all-time high for the month. For the eight months to August 30, sales were up 9.9 per cent compared with the same time a year earlier.
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said fully battery EVs represented 6.4 per cent of total vehicle sales, with hybrid models making up 10.5 per cent.
The Tesla Model Y was the No.8 selling vehicle in Australia in August out of all players including EVs, petrol or diesel-powered.
Toyota was the market leader in August with 20.3 per cent of vehicle sales, with its Toyota HiLux ute the No.1 seller across the market with 5762 vehicles delivered. Mazda was the No.2 player on market measures with 7.7 per cent, followed by Ford with 7.2 per cent.
The Ford Ranger ute was the No.2 selling vehicle in August, with 5760 sold, just two behind its major rival the Toyota HiLux. The Toyota Rav4 SUV was the No.3 model with 3317 sales.
The biggest selling fully battery electric vehicle in August in Australia was the Tesla Model Y with 2314 sales, putting it in eighth spot overall. The MG ZS, with 3193 sales, was the No.5 player but only some
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