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Weekly Dealer Car Enquiries: February 6, 2022

In this series, which we aim to bring to you every week, 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 a positive sign for the industry, new car enquiries made a strong move higher last week, lifting from 1,295 in the seven-day period ending Sunday, January 30, to a total of 1,450 in the seven-day period ending Sunday, February 6. 

That increase represents a 12% improvement week-on-week, and the highest reading we have seen since the 1,449 queries in the first full week of the new year. A year ago, there were 2,754 new car enquiries in the prior corresponding period, so it should be said that we are still well down on what might be ‘normal’ buying interest at this time of year.

Over the last week, a number of auto-makers such as Kia, Mazda and MG have signalled price rises, which comes at a time when it is difficult for new car buyers to access numerous makes and models given delivery delays across the industry. These names are some of the most-popular brands in the industry, so we’ll be watching closely to see how shoppers respond to the price hikes, especially with consumer sentiment still shaky.

Screenshot 2022-02-07 10.49.03 PM

New car interest by brand

Ford made the biggest move last week, with dealer queries surging more than 50% compared with the week prior. It wasn’t enough to take it to the top of the list, but it meant the blue oval brand leapfrogged Isuzu for a place on the podium behind Kia and Mazda.

Interest in other brands was mostly consistent with the preceding week, although Mitsubishi and Subaru were a couple of exceptions that delivered to the upside. 

BMW and Audi also edged higher, and this could be a forward-looking indicator around broader sentiment across the industry, as these premium brands sometimes tend to provide a clue on how confident new car buyers feel about making a large purchase.

 

Prospective New Car Buyer Numbers

Jan 31 – Feb 6 

Jan 24 – Jan 30 

% Change in Enquiries

Kia

162

160

1.3%

Mazda

149

132

12.9%

Ford

144

95

51.6%

Subaru

114

90

26.7%

Mitsubishi

112

87

28.7%

 

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