VFACTS February: MG breaks into the top 10

It’s official! Chinese brand MG has finally broken through into the list of top 10 auto brands in Australia with another stellar sales performance in February, handing the keys over to more than 3000 new customers last month.

Indeed, MG didn’t just scrape in. Industry figures released today show that the 3017 sales it posted last month was good enough to leapfrog brands such as Subaru, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz Cars to take eighth position overall.

And it marked a phenomenal increase in volume of 159.4 per cent compared to February last year, when it also doubled its sales from the year before.

Of course, we’re only two months into what is a bounce-back year from the pandemic-crippled market in 2020, but MG’s rise through the ranks has been recorded on a monthly basis for a couple of years now, making it no overnight sensation.

For the year to date, MG has now sold 5425 vehicles (+161%), which bumps Mercedes-Benz out of the top 10 to secure that final position on the table.

It’s just 306 units behind Volkswagen (5731), which has fallen 16.7 per cent this year, and 437 units behind Subaru (5862), one of several brands on the comeback trail with a 20.8 per cent rise YTD.

The MG3 remains the top-selling light car in Australia by a long shot, adding 1313 units to its tally last month, while the MG ZS is making its presence felt in the ultra-competitive and fast-growing small SUV segment, where it’s one of the leading players.

The ZS finished third in class last month with 1302 sales, outselling the Nissan QASHQAI (1027) and looming large in the mirrors behind the Hyundai Kona (1323) and the evergreen Mitsubishi ASX (1489). And for the year to date, the ZS – which has in its line-up Australia’s cheapest EV model – is second overall behind ASX.

The only other model in the brand’s range, the MG HS mid-size SUV, found 402 buyers last month (+118.5%) for ninth position in what is Australia’s single biggest-selling category. February was the first full month of trading for the new sub-$30,000 entry-level MG HS Core, and the range has just been bolstered by an update that includes MG’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

“We’re humbled to make it into the top 10 automotive manufacturers by sales according to VFACTS, but this is not through our efforts alone," said MG Motor Australia CEO, Peter Ciao.

“This is a momentous milestone for MG in Australia – and it’s all because of our customers. MG is built on the premise of listening to our customers first and foremost.

“Whether it’s about value, or the technology they want in their new car, they are at the forefront of everything we do. Our whole focus is giving value to our customer.

“MG owners have put their trust in our brand and our products, and this is an honour and a privilege we will not take for granted. We are proud to offer Australians another choice, and they have responded.”

As we’ve reported, MG is not alone as Chinese brands continue to grow in Australia, and this was evident again last month as GWM – now combining both the Great Wall and Haval brands – posted 868 sales, which is a remarkable 200 per cent increase over February last year and includes 317 examples of the new GWM Ute.

LDV also posted 912 sales, up 64.6 per cent, helping China to a solid position as the fourth-biggest country of origin for new vehicles sold in Australia last month and for the year to date – ahead of Germany and the United States, but still a long way back from Japan, Thailand (where most of the utes come from) and Korea.

Among the other leading brands, positive results were recorded by most, but those with a double-digit increase included second-placed Mazda (8322, +15.1%) and fourth-placed Mitsubishi (6202, +12.5%), which just fell short of Hyundai in third (6252, +5.2%) but managed to overtake Kia.

Kia still impressed with 5871 sales (+14.7%) for the month.

As ever, Toyota was the dominant force, racking up 18,375 sales (+3.9%) for a crushing 21.9 per cent share of the entire market, with the Toyota HiLux trouncing all-comers as Australia’s top-selling vehicle bar none.

Toyota’s ute racked up 4808 sales last month – a 40.5 per cent increase over February 2020 – to be miles ahead of the next-placed Ford Ranger (2900).

And Ranger stood as the only colour other than red among the top five placegetters, with the nation’s biggest-selling SUV, the Toyota RAV4, third overall in the market on 2750 sales – despite an 18.5 per cent dip – followed by the Toyota LandCruiser (2521, +37.1%) and the Toyota Corolla (2427, -3.7%), the latter standing tall as the biggest-selling passenger car in the land.

The new-vehicle market is continuing its recovery from the downturn experienced last year, with 83,977 new vehicles sold last month which represents a 5.1 per cent upswing on February 2020.

The result would’ve been better had Victoria not gone into lockdown during the month.

A year ago, Australia was still reeling from catastrophic bushfires raging that summer and was beginning to feel the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The industry is now up 7.9 per cent after two months of trading in 2021 and is all but certain to continue its positive run because the market plummeted from March last year as COVID-19 took hold.

Importantly, last month’s solid result was driven by private buyers, sales to whom increased 15.8 per cent over February 2020. The business sector, on the other hand, was down four per cent and government purchases dropped 13.8 per cent.

Top 10 brands for the year to date:
Toyota – 35,194
Mazda – 16,830
Hyundai – 12,203
Mitsubishi – 11,381
Kia – 11,371
Ford – 9811
Nissan – 7580
Subaru – 5862
Volkswagen – 5731
MG – 5425

Top 10 vehicles for the month:
Toyota HiLux – 4808
Ford Ranger – 2900
Toyota RAV4 – 2750
Toyota LandCruiser – 2521
Toyota Corolla – 2427
Hyundai i30 – 2210
Mazda CX-5 – 2048
Isuzu D-MAX – 1765
Mitsubishi Triton – 1761
Mitsubishi ASX – 1489