Weekly Dealer Car Enquiries: June 6, 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 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, June 6, there was an unexpected surge in new car enquiries. Although this was coming off a lower base considering the modest drop across the last fortnight, the context surrounding the rise is particularly intriguing. In total, there were 2,212 dealer connections that took place last week, an increase of 8.6% or 175 additional inbound queries. 

However, it’s worth pointing out that Victoria has been plunged into lockdown, with the entire state impacted by the restrictions across much of the week, and Melbourne still shut down at the time of writing.

The latest data on consumer confidence is due over the coming days, and it would not be all that surprising to see a decline on this front amid the latest restrictions in Australia’s second-biggest state. 

Nonetheless, fresh economic data last week showed that the economy grew at a moderate level in the first quarter of the year, and has in fact reclaimed all of its losses brought on by the pandemic. That data may still give businesses the reassurance to continue investing, or acquiring assets such as new cars.

New car interest by brand

Whereas most brands drew comparable interest as that across the seven-day period the week prior, Mazda, as the most sought-after brand, extended its appeal to an even wider audience. The Japanese brand recorded 288 new car enquiries last week, up there as a high via the PriceMyCar platform, and a 19% week-on-week lift.

Elsewhere, Nissan saw an encouraging pick-up in queries, making a rare appearance inside the top six brands by dealer connections. The brand pipped its peer in Subaru, which also saw one of the biggest net gains in buying interest over the week. 

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