Australia new vehicle sales enjoy record-breaking year

Sydney

SALES of new vehicles in Australia rose solidly in December to make 2015 a record-breaking year for the sector, a sign that consumers are confident enough to splash out on big-ticket items.

The Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' VFACTS report on Wednesday showed that total sales were 99,616 in December, up 2.9 per cent on the same month of 2014. Both months had the same number of selling days. That brought vehicle sales for 2015 to 1.16 million units, 1.7 per cent higher than the previous record hit in 2013.