Australian Car Sales in May: Electric and Hybrid Cars Accounted for One in Four

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Source: Gasgoo

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According to foreign media reports, the Australian Federal Automobile Industry Chamber of Commerce released automobile sales data in May, the month of new car sales in Australia hit a record high. Sales of hybrid vehicles doubled year on year to reach 15.8 percent of the market, compared with a 0.4 percent increase in electric vehicle sales.

Almost one in every four new cars in Australia is currently a low-emission vehicle, so hybrid and electric vehicles are taking a greater share of the market. Meanwhile, Australians’ love affair with larger cars is still on the rise, with SUVs still dominating and ute sales continuing to grow.

This trend has more than doubled the popularity of hybrid cars in 2024, with more than 66,000 units sold, compared to less than 30,000 in the same period in 2023.

Electric vehicle sales also increased in Australia in May, with more than 8,900 units sold, accounting for 8.1 per cent of all new car sales, with more than 40,000 new electric vehicles on the road in Australia in the first five months of the year.

Tony Weber, the chamber’s chief executive, said the auto industry is working hard to meet the needs of drivers. “The continued growth in vehicle sales underscores consumer confidence and demonstrates the industry’s ability to meet the diverse needs of Australian consumers in the face of the current economic challenges,” he said.

However, large vehicles remain a popular choice for drivers regardless of fuel consumption, with SUVs accounting for more than half of vehicles sold and light commercial vehicles accounting for 22 percent of new vehicles. UTE also took three of the top five best-selling cars in May, with the Ford Ranger taking the top spot, followed by the Toyota Hilux and Isuzu’s D-Max light truck in fourth place.

Image source: Ford

Toyota was again the top-selling car manufacturer in Australia for the month, followed by Ford, Mazda, Kia and Hyundai. The data also showed a drop in sales for electric car leader Tesla, with the US company selling 3,567 vehicles in Australia in May, compared with 4,476 in the same month last year.

Its main electric car rival BYD, however, saw sales climb, with the Chinese company selling 1,914 electric vehicles in the month, up 32 percent from a year earlier.

The growing sales of electric and hybrid vehicles come ahead of the introduction in January of Australia’s first fuel efficiency standard, a legal standard that will set emissions limits on carmakers’ fleets of passenger cars, large and commercial vehicles in an attempt to reduce transport emissions by 2030.