Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Triton lead Ford Ranger as supply chain issues continue to weigh on new car sales in Australia in February
The RAV4 has been hit by supply issues but bounced back last month to take second place behind the HiLux.
The Australian new car market remained solid in February despite a dire shortage of semiconductors and ongoing supply chain issues that continue to weigh on sales.
The overall market was actually up 1.5% last month compared to February 2021, when 1363 more vehicles were sold.
Well-documented issues with delivering cars to customers have shown that some brands have been hit harder than others, but it seems none of them are immune.
The sporadic availability of various models and options has led to some interesting changes to last month's sales charts.
It was no surprise that Toyota easily took first place with 20,886 homes, up 13.7% from last February, thanks to a record-breaking month for the top-selling HiLux, which found 4803 (-0.1%) homes.
Following HiLux in second place was the RAV4 SUV with a solid 4454 (+62%), while the Prado SUV also excelled last month, coming in fifth place with 2778 units, a solid 97.4% jump. The Corolla missed the top 10 in just two sales.
Mazda came in second with 8782 vehicles (+5.5%) and the CX-30 posted its best month in a long time with 1819 sales (up 106.5%), coming in eighth overall.
Mitsubishi continued its excellent form with a podium finish thanks to a tally of 7813 (+26%) and a great month for Triton ute (3811, +116.4%). The new generation Outlander was the model that kept Corolla out of the mainstream charts, finishing in 10th place.th since 1673 (+42%).
The Toyota RAV4 was the second best-selling model last month behind the HiLux.
Kia came in fourth place last month with 5881 sales, up just 10 units from last February. Kia didn't have a model in the top 10, but its catches were enough to overtake sister brand and rival Hyundai for the second consecutive month.
Hyundai's figure of 5649 vehicles was down 9.6% last month, but its lineup of small hatchbacks and i30 sedans came in ninth place despite falling sales (1756, -20.5%).
Of the top five, Ford was well behind Hyundai in sixth place with 4610, but lost only 2.2% of sales compared to last year. Ranger ute finished fourth in the overall standings, but this is not an indicator of poor performance. In fact, the 3455 Ranger's performance was 19.1% better than last February. He has just been beaten by the huge numbers of two Toyotas and a Triton.
MG continued its growth, finishing in seventh place (3767), while the ZS small SUV took sixth place (1953, +50%). Although MG's performance was still very strong, there are indications that sales of MG and SAIC's other LDV brand may stabilize.
MG sales rose 24.9% last month, less than the triple-digit growth we've seen in the past. Likewise, LDV recorded a 22.1% gain, not the spikes it used to be.
The Mazda CX-30 has had one of its strongest months in a long time.
Subaru had a strong month, rising 19.4% to 3151 and landing in eighth place after strong sales of the facelifted Forester (+24.7%) and strong sales growth for the XV (+75.1%).
Nissan dropped to ninth place, but the 2820 showed a 26.3% drop. Qashqai new generation will not appear soon.
Isuzu caught 10th with 2785 sales, an increase of 11% following the strong performance of D-Maxute in seventh place (1930, +9.3%).
Volkswagen continued its losing streak due to semiconductor shortages and low supply, recording 1766 - a 41.3% drop - ensuring it would be beaten by its German counterpart BMW (1980, +2.0%).
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Cars had a slow month (1245, -55.8%) for the same reasons as VW. Oversupply and vehicle bottlenecks due to congested ports and quarantine checks at the border, as well as delivery delays.
Hyundai i30 sales fell 20.5% in February.
French brands continued their sales growth last month, with Renault recording an impressive 248.6% sales growth to 1018 units. Each of his models, except Trafic, records double or triple digit increase percentages.
Peugeot slashed sales by 56.4% to 183 units, while Citroen rose a whopping 450% from just 33 units.
Half of the states and territories - the Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory - recorded negative results last month, while Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria saw gains.
Passenger cars fell by 18.3%, while SUVs (+5.4%) and light commercial vehicles (+12.3%) rose.
Sales of medium passenger cars have been declining for years, but last month they rose (+7.6%) amid strong interest in the Hyundai Sonata, Peugeot 508, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat.
All SUV segments grew, except for small (-3.9%) and top large (-25.3%), while 4x2 (+10.6%) and 4x4 (+15.7%) SUVs turned out to be in positive territory.
Purchases for businesses decreased last month (-6.9%), while rental sales also stalled (-3.3%).
The most popular brands in February 2022
| Ranging | Brand name | SALES | Dispersion% |
| 1 | Toyota | 20,886 | +13.7 |
| 2 | Mazda | 8782 | +5.5 |
| 3 | Mitsubishi | 7813 | +26.0 |
| 4 | Kia | 5881 | +0.2 |
| 5 | Hyundai | 5649 | -9.6 |
| 6 | Ford | 4610 | -2.2 |
| 7 | MG | 3767 | +24.9 |
| 8 | Subaru | 3151 | +19.4 |
| 9 | Nissan | 2820 | -26.3 |
| 10 | Isuzu Ute | 2785 | +11.0 |
The most popular models of February 2022
| Ranging | Model | SALES | Dispersion% |
| 1 | Toyota HiLux | 4803 | -0.1 |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 | 4454 | +62.0 |
| 3 | Mitsubishi Triton | 3811 | +116.4 |
| 4 | Ford Ranger | 3455 | +19.1 |
| 5 | Toyota Prado | 2778 | +97.4 |
| 6 | MG ZS | 1953 | +50.0 |
| 7 | Isuzu D-Max | 1930 | +9.3 |
| 8 | Mazda CX-30 | 1819 | +106.5 |
| 9 | Hyundai i30 | 1756 | -20.5 |
| 10 | Mitsubishi Autlender | 1673 | +42.0 |
