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 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, December 20, there were 1,660 dealer connections via PriceMyCar. Although a negative result compared with the week prior, down 6.3%, the result was not all that unexpected given the outbreak of COVID cases in Sydney that would have diverted attention.
It’s also worth pointing out that up until borders shut on Sydney over the weekend, many families around the country would have been preparing for their first holiday of the year, which might lead to some subdued interest at this time of year, and a contrast to the theme we normally see where motorists are out and about looking for a new car.
Nonetheless, there was some positive news last week to give rise to optimism for the industry. The nation’s unemployment rate came in better-than-expected, dropping to 6.8%, with around 90,000 new jobs added across the country and hours worked increasing to boot.
New car interest by brand
Last week, interest mainly dropped off in our frontrunners, including Kia, Mazda, Ford and Mitsubishi. With the exception of Mitsubishi, which fell behind Honda for the total volume of queries across the week, each of the other brands maintained their top three positions.
Bucking the trend, however, was Volkswagen, with an addition 33 new car queries relating to the brand. It too managed to pass Mitsubishi, while also faring better than some of its high-end peers in BMW and Mercedes-Benz, where interest waned last week.
Prospective New Car Buyer Numbers |
Dec 14 – Dec 20 |
Dec 7 – Dec 13 |
% Change in Enquiries |
179 |
218 |
-17.9% |
|
170 |
202 |
-15.8% |
|
144 |
161 |
-10.6% |
|
124 |
133 |
-6.8% |
|
118 |
85 |
38.8% |
|
106 |
134 |
-20.9% |
To get FREE access to instant pricing on just about every new car make and model, plus guaranteed discounts, sign up today