WA vehicle sales remain in the slow lane

New vehicle sales in Western Australia have fallen 8.1 per cent for the year to date, according to a report from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Western Australians bought 68,771 cars in the first seven months of the year, down from 74,807 at the same time last year, making WA the worst performer in the nation, with the national average a fall of only 2.1 per cent.

Only New South Wales returned a positive figure, with growth of 1.3 per cent.

On a monthly basis WA vehicle sales were down 3 per cent in July, suggesting the fall may be slowing and industry sources were quick to highlight that WA was still on track for its third highest level of vehicle sales on record despite the comparatively suggish performance.

Passenger vehicles lead the trend in WA, with sales down 3,496 year to date or 10.5 per cent.

Light commercial vehicles fell 11.8 per cent, but make up a smaller portion of total sales at only 14,201 for the period compared with 29,836 for passenger vehicles.

Heavy commercial vehicles are a smaller slice of the market still, with sales down 413 to 2,089, a fall of 16.5 per cent.

Only SUVs achieved positive growth, with a 2.6 per cent month-on-month growth figure but a fall of 1 per cent year to date.

Across WA’s four major marques, Holden was the only to grow with an increase – 2.7 per cent to 6,665.

Toyota, the state’s most popular manufacturer, fell 10.1 per cent to 13,833, while Hyundai was down 10.9 per cent to 8,079.

Ford fell 9.8 per cent to 5,248 sales.

Economists regard automotive sales as a leading indicator of economic activity, reflecting consumer confidence.