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 a 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, August 15, new car enquiries posted a modest recovery, increasing by 8.5% on the week prior. That meant there were a total of 1,280 dealer connections across the seven-day period,
With the lockdown abating in the Brisbane region, and regional areas of Victoria, there was some respite in localised areas. However, with the situation in both Melbourne and New South Wales showing no signs of improvement, and lockdowns persisting for the foreseeable future, new car buying interest is certainly subdued.
Not even the accelerating vaccine roll-out has been able to bolster sentiment for commercial activity, with the lockdowns restricting trading, or otherwise requiring dealers and showrooms to try connect with prospective new car buyers in novel ways.
New car interest by brand
Kia, Hyundai and Nissan were among the biggest movers last week in terms of new car buying interest, with each of the brands recording a sizeable uptick as measured by dealer connections.
Isuzu and Ford also extended their positions atop the charts of the most sought-after brands, while Mazda was one of the few high-profile brands across the market that saw a wane in interest last week.
Prospective New Car Buyer Numbers |
Aug 9 – Aug 15 |
Aug 2 – Aug 8 |
% Change in Enquiries |
161 |
154 |
4.5% |
|
137 |
132 |
3.8% |
|
127 |
94 |
35.1% |
|
113 |
127 |
-11.0% |
|
95 |
95 |
0.0% |
|
87 |
76 |
14.5% |
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