Australian vehicle sales slumped by almost 13 per cent in July and the auto industry fears worse is to come following the introduction of stage four coronavirus restrictions in Victoria.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries says 72,505 cars and trucks were sold last month, down from 83,184 in the same month last year.
On a year-to-date basis, sales were now down by 19.2 per cent to 514,920.
The July result continued the downward trend for the market in recent months, which has only accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June, demand was down by 6.4 per cent after falls of 17.9 per cent in March, 48.5 per cent in April and 35.3 per cent in May.
Toyota was the leading brand last month with 15,508 sales, followed by Mazda (7806), Mitsubishi (4684), Hyundai (4634) and Kia (4625).
The top-selling model was the Toyota RAV 4, with 4309 retailed followed by the Ford Ranger (3104), the Toyota Hi-Lux (2947), Toyota Corolla (2192) and the Hyundai i30 (1745).
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said given current market conditions and the industry's long-term downturn, the July 2020 results were not unexpected.
"The Australian automotive industry, like many sectors in the Australian market, continues to face challenging and difficult conditions, exacerbated by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The extended restrictions which have now been invoked in Australia's second-largest market, Victoria, will no doubt further challenge the industry during the coming months."
Australian Associated Press
