Fuel crisis leads EVs, PHEVs to almost a quarter of Australia’s new-car sales

The threat of a fuel shortage and the related increase in prices has led new-car buyers to consider and act on purchasing more electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, with a big market share in March signalling a shift in buying habits.

Of the 108,703 new vehicles delivered to Australian customers last month, 15,839 cars were EVs, and 8215 were PHEVs, giving the technologies a market share of 14.6 per cent and 7.6 per cent, respectively.

Combined, they accounted for 22.2 per cent of all new vehicle deliveries in March, a new record for plug-in electrified vehicles in Australia, however both individual results were behind traditional hybrids (17,953 deliveries), diesel vehicles (28,364 deliveries) and petrol (34,694).

“It is too early to determine whether this represents a structural shift in the market,” Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said.

“More consumers are considering EVs due to the disruption to fuel supply caused by conflict in the Middle East, along with the review into the fringe benefits tax concession for EVs.

“The automotive industry would welcome a sustained shift to EVs, given its substantial investment in bringing more than 100 EV models to the Australian market and the industry’s efforts to meet ambitious NVES (New Vehicle Efficiency Standard) targets.

“A long-term shift to EVs will require Australian governments to sharpen their focus on public charging infrastructure, particularly in regional areas and locations where home charging is not practical.

“Ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with consumer demand will be critical to enabling sustainable growth in EV adoption beyond short-term influences.”

The Ford Ranger continued as the best-selling vehicle of the month for the third time this year, with its 4452 deliveries enough to beat the Toyota HiLux’s 4167, though both utes are down year-on-year.

Tesla’s Model Y was the third-most popular vehicle in March and the best-selling EV with 2818 examples delivered, just under 400 cars ahead of the Nissan X-Trail which came a surprising fourth, ahead of the Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Kona and Chery Tiggo 4 Pro in a tight segment, split by less than 400 sales.

Yet again, the Toyota RAV4 slipped down the sales charts, as supply of the outgoing generation SUV dried up ahead of the arrival of its successor in the coming weeks.

This downturn in supply for the RAV4 also helped China to become the top country of origin for new cars in Australia for the second month in a row, with 30,993 vehicles being imported from the nation – or 28.5 per cent of the market – ahead of Japan’s 26,982.

With the first quarter of the year now behind us, it’s the Ford Ranger which continues to lead the sales race year-to-date, with 12,180 vehicles delivered, ahead of the HiLux once again (10,592 deliveries).

The third spot, long occupied by the RAV4 when it was competing with the Ranger and Hilux for top honours, is now held held by the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, outselling established nameplates such as the Mitsubishi Outlander, Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Kona in the SUV market.

Two months of China edging out Japan as Australia’s biggest source of car imports has translated to the year-to-date results too, with 77,695 Chinese cars being delivered between January and March, ahead of 71,596 cars from Japan.