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March 2022 New Car Wait Times: Part 2

In the first part of our monthly analysis of new car wait times, we detailed the makes and models with the longest wait times, as well as the state of play across the broader market, with the average wait time falling by one day to 123 days last month.

We will now shift our attention to wait times across the different states and territories around the country, as well as the makes and models with the shortest wait times right now. Without further ado, here are the rest of March’s observations.

Wait times across the country

The Northern Territory is now the region with the longest new car wait times across Australia, averaging 193 days. That is significantly higher than a month ago, when it stood at just 89 days. There isn’t any sole reason for the sudden increase, but data for the region is more volatile given the smaller contingent of dealerships across the territory, while the distant proximity of the region from where most stock is arriving from abroad should not be overlooked.

On the other hand, Western Australia recorded a modest one-week decrease in the average delivery delay for new cars, which means the total wait is now 137 days.

Tasmania, last month’s geography with the lowest wait time, also recorded a spike not too dissimilar to the Northern Territory. Wait times in Tasmania jumped from 71 days to 129 days, not helped by shipping delays and the like.

For the most-populous markets in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, the numbers came in broadly in line with those from February, indicating some effort is being made to get on top of delays in these regions.

State

Wait time

Change (1 month)

Northern Territory

193 days

+104 days

Western Australia

137 days

-7 days

Tasmania

129 days

+58 days

Victoria

123 days

-2 days

New South Wales

122 days

+1 day

Queensland

121 days

-4 days

South Australia

111 days

-3 days

Australian Capital Territory

101 days

-23 days

Makes and models with the shortest wait times

With fresh stock arriving down under, it was fortuitous timing for Skoda, where a 70% improvement in supply was recorded in March. That also meant the average wait time for a Skoda vehicle became the lowest of any auto-maker across the market at just 40 days. We’re not overly confident this result will last given the brand’s low-volume selling status down under, but it is something we’ll keep an eye on nonetheless. 

Among the brands with more sales to their name, M.G. and Mazda continue to benefit from what have consistently been the best supply chains across the local car industry. Neither really managed to improve upon their position from February, but in the grand scheme of things, they are both well ahead of other bands.

New car wait times for Chinese brands Haval and LDV were also relatively unchanged last month, but both companies are still faring well compared with the rest of the market. Given China’s proximity to Australia, and both brands’ strong push down under, the result is not all that surprising, especially as sales haven’t caught on just yet for either name.

Elsewhere, the average wait time for a Mercedes-Benz, Ford or Suzuki vehicle is between 80 and 85 days, rounding out the list of the brands with the shortest delivery delays.

Brand

Wait time

Change (1 month)

Change (12 months)

Skoda

40 days

N/A

-36 days

M.G.

56 days

+4 days

+20 days

Mazda

67 days

Unchanged

+21 days

Haval

69 days

+6 days

+18 days

LDV

70 days

+2 days

+32 days

There are some surprising inclusions among the specific models with the shortest wait time as at the end of March. The LDV D90 has a wait time of just 47 days, which is well ahead of any other model from recent months, and more likely due to the fact the brand may have received a batch of stock in time for the end of the month, including a new diesel variant.

Elsewhere, the Audi Q5 is the model with the second-shortest wait time, averaging a delay of 50 days. The Q5 is one of the brand’s most-popular models down under, so it makes sense that Audi may have been pushing to increase supply of this compact luxury crossover SUV. 

That trend is also working in favour of the BMW X1, which has a wait time of 54 days and has surpassed a host of Mazda models like the CX-5, CX-3, 2 and CX-9, where delays have jumped around slightly month-on-month.

The Ram 1500 ute is another sighting we wouldn’t see all too often, with this niche ute one for diehard fans of the brand. It is likely to be the case that Ram may have received new stock just recently, but we also have very limited data on the long-term trends for this model.

Model

Wait time

Change (1 month)

Change (12 months)

LDV D90

47 days

N/A

N/A

Audi Q5

50 days

N/A

N/A

Ram 1500

50 days

N/A

N/A

BMW X1

54 days

N/A

N/A

Mazda CX-5

54 days

-7 days

+8 days

Other than Skoda, supply has also been on the up for the likes of Mercedes-Benz, which comes as the brand takes stock of deliveries as part of a fixed-price agency model. Volvo and Ford are also seeing improvements, with new car wait times improving by 20% and 11% respectively compared with February.

 

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