Weekly Dealer Car Enquiries: September 5, 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 what could be the first sign of a more meaningful uptick in new car enquiries, the week ending Sunday, September 5 saw dealer connections post strong growth. In total, the number of inbound queries rose 12.3% from 1,273 to 1,430.

New car sales data was also released throughout the period in question, and while it showed sales numbers were ahead of the comparable results in August last year, the numbers were certainly well down on the five-year average before the pandemic hit our shores. That makes it clear we are a long way off seeing volumes hit their former highs, thanks in no small part to the ongoing effects of lockdowns in Victoria and New South Wales. 

Australia’s accelerating vaccine roll-out could be breeding some confidence, however, and that may be partly responsible for the growth in dealer connections. Some new car buyers may see light at the end of the tunnel given plans to end lockdowns once 70% of the eligible population have been fully vaccinated.

New car interest by brand

Last week saw interest in Ford vehicles leap to 162 enquiries, falling only fractionally behind Isuzu in first place. Mazda and Mitsubishi also saw strong growth in terms of the volume of enquiries coming through the PriceMyCar platform, with new car buyers appearing to be placing their faith in the well-known names that have long featured prominently on the sales charts.

Interest in Honda vehicles has all but dried up, with just the 5 enquiries throughout the entire week. The Japanese auto-maker has shifted its strategy towards a lower-volume model amid its fixed-price agency model, although the drop in numbers has largely exceeded expectations considering how quickly interest has subsided in this once highly-popular brand.

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