Weekly Dealer Car Enquiries: April 4, 2021

In this series, which we hope to bring to you on a regular basis, we’ll be detailing some of the key numbers and trends that we’re seeing in terms of dealer connections made through our site.

As this data is considered somewhat representative of broader industry activity, and serves as one of the more insightful leading indicators for potential car sales, we hope it will fulfil a few purposes for our broad audience. First, to document not just how we’re performing as business, but how dealers and the wider market stand to perform, so you don’t have to wait til that next set of official sales data.

Without further ado, here’s what happened over the last week.

Total new car enquiries

In the week ending Sunday, April 4, 1,930 new car enquiries were recorded via PriceMyCar. Although another week-on-week decrease, the result, down just shy of 7%, was not all that unexpected when examined in the context of the Easter holidays, which naturally serve as a focal point for many families around the country.

As we have alluded to in recent weeks, the numbers from here on in will reflect the post-JobKeeper environment, which serves to be a true test for the economy. The end of the Japanese financial year has now also passed, a traditional time for heightened buying interest as dealers move to clear stock.

New car interest by brand

Each of the leading four brands in Mazda, Mitsubishi, Kia and Ford saw a decrease in dealer connections last week, which ultimately reflected in the overall drop in the number of new car enquiries.

Subaru and Volkswagen were two brands that bucked the trend, although the increase was marginal at best.

A number of brands are still seeing stock issues as shortages in the chip industry, and the blockage of the Suez canal prove to be obstacles impacting supply levels. For Australian new car buyers, the implications of a shortage in vehicles being sourced from abroad means that prices across certain models have also been pushed up, at what some might say is an uncharacteristically out-of-season time.

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