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, July 25, a total of 1,295 new car enquiries occurred across the PriceMyCar platform. Compared with the week prior, that was a 7.9% drop, and takes us back into the sort of figures we witnessed in the midst of the first wave of the pandemic-related lockdowns in March and April of last year.
With the lockdowns across Greater Sydney unlikely to be eased any time soon, figures are likely to be subdued for a while yet. The lockdown across Victoria also represents a challenge for dealers, albeit restrictions are expected to ease in the near-term.
Nonetheless, even with light at the end of the tunnel for Victoria and South Australia, consumer sentiment has taken a beating. New data from National Australia Bank shows that stress among consumers has risen across every Australian state and territory, and that was based on data from the second-quarter, before Sydney’s major lockdown came into effect. That data points to a drop in expectations for big household purchases.
New car interest by brand
Isuzu’s place atop the list of the most sought-after brands was short-lived, with numbers pulling back last week more than Ford, with the blue-oval brand leapfrogging it into first.
Kia was one of the only brands that recorded a week-on-week rise in new car buying interest, although it was insufficient to shift it from fifth place on the list.
Chinese auto brands M.G. and GWM bucked the trend last week, and with some new car buyers potentially facing uncertainty amid lockdowns, there could be a shift in interest towards some of these brands, which are pitched as more affordable options for motorists.
Prospective New Car Buyer Numbers |
Jul 19 – Jul 25 |
Jul 12 – Jul 18 |
% Change in Enquiries |
142 |
154 |
-7.8% |
|
139 |
163 |
-14.7% |
|
131 |
141 |
-7.1% |
|
128 |
135 |
-5.2% |
|
124 |
118 |
5.1% |
|
84 |
88 |
-4.5% |
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