SYDNEY: Sales of new vehicles in Australia rose 3.6 per cent in May compared with the same month a year ago, keeping year-to-date volumes ahead of the same period in 2015 and putting the market on track for another record year. The Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ VFACTS report on Friday showed total sales were 96,672 in May, compared with 93,327 for the same month last year.
Both months had the same number of selling days. Sales were up 10.4 per cent from April. The running total for 2016 rose to 469,571, 3.8 per cent ahead of the same period last year. Total sales for all of 2015 was a record 1.16 million units.
Sales of sports utility vehicles (SUV) rose 11.4 per cent on last year, while demand for light commercial vehicles climbed 10.6 per cent. Sales of heavy vehicles rose by 5.9 per cent. Passenger vehicle sales dipped 5.8 per cent. Toyota Motor Corp retained first place on the sales ladder with a market share of 17.8 per cent in May. Mazda Motor Corp took second spot with 9.9 per cent, followed by the Hyundai Motor Co at 9.3 per cent.
