What downturn? Australian new-car market booms as Toyota, Mazda and Kia soar

Australians purchased more new cars in 2022 than they did in 2021, despite lingering covid impacts, soaring interest rates and global financial warnings.

None of that dampened our enthusiasm for new vehicles, though, with 1,081,429 vehicles sold across the country last year, slightly up on the 1,049,831 that found homes in 2021.

Leading the new-car charge was Toyota, whose stronghold on our sales charts shows no signs of easing up. Not only did the brand produce Australia's most popular vehicle, the Toyota HiLux, it also occupied four positions on the top 10 sales charts, with RAV4 (34,845), the Corolla (25,284) and the LandCruiser (24,542) all contributing to the brand's 231,050 total sales.

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Next was Mazda, which, with the help of the Mazda CX-5 (27,062 sales), finished in second place with 95,718 sales.

Kia locked up third position for the first time (78,330 sales), with Mitsubishi (76,991) and Hyundai (73,345) rounding out the top five. Spots six through 10 were occupied by Ford, MG, Subaru, Isuzu and VW Group.

Described as a year of "recovery" by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, this year (2023) has been marked as one of significant change, as the industry seeks to decarbonise its fleets.

“While 2022 has been a year of resilience and recovery, 2023 is shaping up as one of the most significant in recent history, particularly in terms of the development of policies that set the direction for the future decarbonisation of the light vehicle fleet," says FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber.

EVs contributed 33,410 sales, or 3.1 percent, to Australia's total tally, while hybrid technology contributed 81,786 sales. Both of which continue to be dwarfed by petrol (551,556 sales) and diesel (361,366 sales).

It's these percentages the FCAI will seek to rebalance, with Mr Weber citing the need for a host of low-emission solutions.

“We need to use the full range of low emission technologies that are available and affordable for the majority of Australians, not just those who can afford premium vehicles," he says.

The two most popular vehicles in Australia remain utes, with the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger taking out positions one and two respectively, followed by the Toyota RAV4, the Mitsubishi Triton and the Mazda CX-5. The Corolla, LandCruiser, Isuzu D-Max, MG ZS and Hyundai i30 round out the top 10 best-selling vehicles of 2022.