Mazda CX-5 News

Australian new car market roars to new sales heights, but post-election blues may put brakes on in back half of 2016

Australia sets new-car sales record, but uncertainty after the Federal election could see a slowdown ahead.

Mazda has come up with new technology that will make average motorists seem like good drivers.

SUVs and utes are hot, sedans are not — that's the message from the latest monthly vehicle sales figures.

New car sales are continuing at record pace, but there are big changes in the types of cars we are buying.

Major upset: Hyundai i30 is Australia's favourite car, beating Toyota Corolla and Mazda3.

Australians are on track to buy more SUVs than passenger cars for the first time in our motoring history. Official new-car sales figures for January show the gap between passenger cars and SUVs is the closest it has ever been. Passenger car sales were down by 11.5 per cent while demand for SUVs surged by 19.5 per cent. If the trend continues, SUVs could overtake passenger cars by the end of this year. Just 2141 sales separated the two vehicle types last month (35,214 versus 33,073); this time last year the gap between the two biggest categories was six times greater. New-car buyers kept their foot on the accelerator in January, buying 84,373 vehicles of all shapes and sizes. But Ford’s arch rival Holden dropped dramatically in January (down by 18.8 per cent, the biggest decline among the Top 10 brands) after posting a sales surge for the previous four months in a row. There were four utes in the Top 10, and they were also the top-selling models for Ford, Holden and Nissan.  But Hyundai once again pushed Holden out of third place outright, after doing so for seven out of 12 months last year. Three luxury brands finished just outside the Top 10.  Audi has only overtaken BMW on seven individual months in more than 50 years in Australia, including four times in 2015, and once in 2014 and 2013. Top 10 cars in January 2016 Mazda3: 3722, down 4.6 per cent Toyota Corolla: 2758, down 20.6 per cent Ford Ranger: 2418, up 35.5 per cent Toyota HiLux: 2341, up 0.4 per cent Hyundai Tucson: 2065, up 26.2 per cent Hyundai i30: 1852, down 11.5 per cent Mazda CX-5: 1750, up 3.0 per cent Holden Colorado: 1691, up 9.5 per cent Nissan Navara: 1670, up 60.5 per cent Volkswagen Golf: 1606, up 4.4 per cent Top 10 brands in January 2016 Toyota: 12,453, down 8.8 per cent Mazda: 10,016, up 11.2 per cent Hyundai: 7001, up 1.4 per cent Holden: 6824, down 18.8 per cent Nissan: 5563, up 22.6 per cent Ford: 5504, up 2.7 per cent Mitsubishi: 5007, up 22.7 per cent Volkswagen: 4341, down 1.3 per cent Subaru: 3405, up 9.7 per cent Kia: 3116, up 29 per cent Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Sales figures show our car market is becoming more like the US.

We're hungry for imports - SUVs above all - and cool on big sedans.

Forget Holden v Ford, the new car battle is Toyota Corolla versus Mazda3, and the Toyota now has an almost unassailable lead.