Record car sales tipped for 2012

Deliveries through to the end of July are up by close to 10 per cent over 2011, with most forecasters now setting their sights on a full-year total that would just clear the previous mark of 1,049,982 set in 2007.

The July result, confirmed yesterday by VFacts, takes the seven-month total to 634,495 with Toyota, SUVs and utes doing best in the ultra-competitive showroom battle. That total is up by 9.1 per cent and 57,268 vehicles.

The current target for 2012 is 1,050,000,set by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, but pent-up demand from buyers who could not get cars last year - because of the Japanese natural disasters and floods in Thailand - is helping drive the ongoing demand.

"It could be a record. The running rate is definitely there," says Alastair Doak, marketing chief for Mazda Australia. His brand has been a stand-out performer this year, scoring a July record last month and continuing in third place overall behind Toyota and GM Holden. 

"There are a lot of cars being delivered. There is a lot of catch-up from last year, with cars that people couldn't get. "So it's possible. Yes, absolutely. It depends on what happens in the back half of the year, if the economy remains strong. "And the boost from the catch-up has to slow down at some time."

The total number of vehicles delivered in July was 86,641, according to VFacts, with SUV sales continuing to climb but the passenger market down by 5.1 per cent over the same month in 2011. Sales are up across the country, although Tasmania is the only state with a seven-month total lagging behind 2011. A one million-plus year is almost a certainty now, which be only the fifth on record, with a huge number of new models - including an all-new Toyota Corolla - expected between now and December.