Petrol and diesel car sales are falling off a cliff in Australia, as the Covid-19 pandemic worsens an already bad situation, deepening a two-year downturn that is now causing some car dealers to shut.
New figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) VFacts paint a clouded outlook for dealerships, although many are opting to keep open to ensure service and support for customer vehicles, in particular those in the health and emergency services industry.
The FCAI said overall car and SUV sales fell 17.9 per cent when compared to March 2019, and passenger vehicles were hit particularly hard, falling 25 per cent from the same month a year earlier.
Electric and hybrid vehicle sales, however, were one of the few bright lights in the data, with sales of electric, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid passenger and SUVs up across the board, with the exception of commercial SUV sales.
The VFacts data – which does not include Tesla – shows private electric and PHEV passenger sales have almost doubled with 91.3% more sales compared to March 2019, and hybrid private passenger vehicle sales are up nearly 75%.
In the non-private sector, electric/PHEV and hybrid passenger sales registered a 75% increase, an encouraging figure against the significant decrease in non-private electric/PHEV SUV sales which saw a 53.9% drop in sales year-to-date .
To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…
RenewEconomy and its sister sites One Step Off The Grid and The Driven will continue to publish throughout the Covid-19 crisis, posting good news about technology and project development, and holding government, regulators and business to account. But as the conference market evaporates, and some advertisers pull in their budgets, readers can help by making a voluntary donation here to help ensure we can continue to offer the service free of charge and to as wide an audience as possible. Thankyou for your support.
Germany should not count on future long-distance green hydrogen imports in its drive to make…
New research finds a “clear case of price gouging” by Australia’s two biggest energy retailers,…
Opposition energy spokesman Ted O'Brien reportedly wants to drop environmental considerations - or what he…
New analysis shows that Coalition nuclear plan would result in more coal, more gas, higher…
Regulator proposes new laws to require gas companies to offer clear and accurate comparisons with…
There was a whole country who swallowed a lie - about coal, gas, and nuclear.…