In the latest industry news that has come as absolutely no surprise to us, Aussies love their 4X4s. The sunburnt country has seen 87,299 new vehicles sold during October 2022, and 80.1% have been SUVs and Light Commercial Vehicles.
What also comes as no surprise to us, is the fact that the Ford Ranger was the highest-selling model. Our takeaway from that is simple; if you build a vehicle with consideration for what the end consumer wants, you’ll sell plenty.
Interestingly, these sales figures represent a 16.9% increase on October 2021. The general consensus from the FCAI is that this represents a return to normality after years of supply chain issues, rather than substantial growth in 2022.
Tony Weber, the FCAI Chief Executive believes that this strong monthly result is an indication that car companies are making progress in overcoming logistical challenges. This will come as music to the ears of the Australian public who are suffering record delays and wait times in their attempts to secure new 4X4s
“Globally, car manufacturers have been heavily impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic. This October figure is a positive sign that supply chains are recovering and consistency is returning to the marketplace, but we still have some way to go before it returns to normal,” Mr Weber said.
“What also comes as no surprise to us, is the fact that the Ford Ranger was the highest selling model”
Interestingly, sales of electrified vehicles are slowly trending up, with EVs responsible for 10.8% of October sales, and 10.6% of sales year to date. Mr Weber also dropped this little nugget of insight during the press release. “It is important to note the continuing, strong preference for SUV and Light Commercial vehicles in Australia. Consumer preference for these vehicles needs to be considered when charting any policy designed to increase the uptake of zero emission vehicles. This is particularly critical given the low availability and high price points of zero and low emission models in these segments,” Mr Weber said.
While we’re definitely tragics for a good old internal combustion engine, we’re also fans of progress and innovation. It’s refreshing and encouraging to hear these sorts of comments out of people in these positions. Hopefully, the end result is a considered and appropriate government response to make zero emission vehicles more accessible to the masses.
We already know that Ford has tossed their hat in the light commercial EV ring with the F150 Lightning. Will we see this technology become available in the Ranger platform? Only time will tell. There’s also a rumour on the streets that Volvo may be planning on bringing a Chinese-built electric ute to the Australian market. We absolutely welcome the idea, and we sincerely hope that other manufacturers respond in kind.
