New car and truck sales in Western Australia have slumped nearly 21 per cent in March from a year ago as the impact of the economic downturn continues.
New figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show 8,329 vehicles were sold in the state in March, down from the previous corresponding period's 10,483 units.
For the March quarter, 23,841 cars and trucks have been sold in WA, down 20.8 per cent from the previous corresponding period.
Nationally, vehicle sales fell 17.1 per cent in March to 75,650, compared to 91,285 that were retailed in the same month last year.
The result took demand for the first quarter down by 19.2 per cent, to 212,970.
Toyota was the top selling car company in March with 16,608 vehicles, ahead of Holden on 9,188 and Ford on 7,570.
Toyota also continued to lead the market on a year-to-date basis with 44,309 vehicles, compared to 26,979 for Holden and 20,986 for Ford.
The Holden Commodore was Australia's top selling car in March, with 3,544 retailed across the country.
But the company has announced it will cut production for the rest of 2009, reducing the daily build to 310 vehicles after a decision to axe the afternoon assembly shift in Adelaide from May.
