Australian new vehicle sales notch a record November

[SYDNEY] Australian new vehicle sales posted a second consecutive month of solid gains in November, with strong demand in the commercial sector pointing to a continued pick up in business spending.

The Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries'VFACTS report out on Tuesday showed 101,365 new vehicles were sold in November, up 2.5 per cent on the same month last year. Both months had the same number of selling days.

That total was a record for a November month and left sales for the year to date running 0.6 percent ahead of the same period in 2016.

Demand for commercial vehicles showed no signs of waning with the light sector up 7.9 per cent on November last year, while sales of heavy vehicles surged 22.7 per cent.

Sales of passenger cars extended their long decline with a fall of 7.3 per cent in November, losing share to sports utilities which rose 8.6 percent.

Toyota Motor Corp retained first place on the sales ladder with a steady share of 18.6 per cent, while Mazda Motor Corp grabbed second spot with 9.2 per cent.

Hyundai Motor claimed 8.7 per cent, followed by the Holden unit of General Motors on 7.8 per cent. Mitsubishi took 6.6 per cent, followed by Ford at 6.2 per cent.

REUTERS