New passenger vehicle sales plunge more than 20pct, still no talk of EVs

The Driven

The fall in new vehicle sales in Australia is now in its 20th month and getting deeper, but still no acknowledgment from the industry about the role that electric vehicle buying intentions may be playing in the industry.

The latest figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that new vehicles sales in Australia fell 9.8 per cent in November, compared to the same month last year.

This is a 20th consecutive monthly fall, and the sales in the year to date also make grim reading for the industry, down 8.2 per cent to 978,628 units.

The biggest impact is on passenger vehicle sales, which fell 21.3 per cent to 23,022 vehicles in November. Light commercial vehicles (utes), which make up the top three selling models, fell 8.8 per cent, while SUV sales were down 1.1 per cent.

“It is a tough market – full stop,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said.

“The industry has been looking for a lift for some time now and has activated multiple levers to achieve some stimulation, including incentives, sales and special vehicle editions. However, the appetite for new vehicles remains suppressed.”

Weber in the past has blamed tight lending practices and the faltering economy.

But again there was no mention of the impact of the EV market, if not in actual sales, but at least the decision by many consumers to put off any new vehicle purchases until an affordable and desirable EV appears – a trend identified in numerous consumer surveys.

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…