New-car bargains coming soon? June sales result sees first year-on-year drop in 16 months as Toyota HiLux, Toyota LandCruiser and Tesla Model Y sales fall

Australia's seemingly ever-booming new-car market has hit a bump in the road, with June sales result recording the industry's first year-on-year decline in around 16 months.

June is typically the biggest new-car sales month, as manufacturers rush to clear stock, and buyers flock to dealerships keen to snap up a end-of-financial-year bargain.

But this year's June result of 119,659 sales was less than was achieved in June 2023, when 124,926 vehicles found homes – a drop of 4.2 per cent.

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The result puts an end to well over a year of consistent growth, but the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries is quick to point out that this June's result was still the second biggest since June 2017, and that year-to-date sales (632,412 sales) are up 8.7 per cent on the first six months of 2023, marking a new six-month record for Australia.

That includes the sale of battery electric vehicles, or BEVS, which account for eight per cent of sales in June 2024, down from 8.7 per cent in the same month last year. Year-to-date, though, sales are up, accounting for 50,219 units compared to 43,092 in the first half of 2023.

"The end of the financial year has traditionally been a strong month for vehicle sales and achieving 632,412 sales in just six months is a testament to the resilience of the market," says FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber.

“Battery electric vehicles (BEV) saw a slight decrease in sales accounting for 8.0 per cent of new sales, down from 8.8 per cent at the same month last year.

“We hope to break the significant milestone of 100,000 EV sales in 2024."

It was a tale of ups and downs in June, with traditional heavy-lifters like the Toyota HiLux, Toyota LandCruiser and Tesla Model Y all suffering year-on-year drops which dragged down the June figure.

HiLux sales fell 8.3 per cent compared to June last year, but its 5630 units were enough to see it hold onto second position on the top 10 chart. Model Y sales plummeted by 2906 sales in June, down from 5560 in the same month last year. And even the ever-strong LandCruiser nameplate suffered, with the 300 Series falling to 1288 sales from 1562 the previous June, while the 70 Series remained consistent, shifting 1169, seven more than June 2023.

Conversely, the Mitsubishi Outlander – buoyed by supply and a successful dealer offer – recorded its best-ever month to finish fourth 3045 sales, up almost 90 percent year on year.

The Mazda CX-5 and Ford Everest recorded similarly strong results to lock down positions seven and nine on the charts respectively.

Top 10 model sales June 2024

Top 10 brands June 2024