November’s result represents a 17.9% increase on the numbers recorded over the same period last year, when just 80,639 units were shifted, which is indicative of an easing of stock shortages which have had a major impact on the Australian market throughout much of the year and the COVID-19 pandemic.

These figures back up the significant increases in sales seen during recent months, including August (+17.3%), September sales (+12.3%) and October (+16.9%), which have resulted in 2022’s year-to-date (YTD) numbers recovering from lagging as recently as September to pushing ahead of 2021’s figures by 2.3%.

The YTD sales now sit at 993,509, meaning we’re set to pass the 1 million sale threshold early in December. While a 2.3% improvement is perhaps not what manufacturers and industry leaders would have wanted to see, it’s still a sharp turn in the right direction for the vehicle market.

The strong numbers also come against the backdrop of rapidly rising interest rates and high inflation in Australia, with the RBA’s eighth successive cash rate rise up to 3.10% not enough to dampen the ambition of tens of thousands of prospective car owners.

SUVs were once again the big movers in November, with 52,395 sold across the month to mark a 31.9% increase in sales compared to last year (which sat at 39,733). Its market share fell slightly, but still sits at 55.1%.

Meanwhile, heavy commercial vehicles also saw a notable rise of 18.0% in units shifted (4,544 compared to 3,852), with its market share remaining steady from last month at 4.8%

Light commercial vehicles also saw growth of 6.1% compared to November 2021 (21,449 from 20,222), but its market share fell by 2% to 22.6%. There was a slight decrease in passenger vehicle sales of 0.8%, however (16,692 from 16,832), though it experienced a 2.3% boost in its market share to 17.6%.

Sales across all of Australia’s states and territories were up on last year’s numbers for the second successive month, with Western Australia (+36.5%), Queensland (+28.9%) and Tasmania (+23%) recording the largest percentage gains.

Market sales: November 2022

Vehicle sales by state or territory: November 2022

Vehicle brands: November

It was yet another strong month for Toyota, who broke through with 20,107 sales, marking the first time since August this year that they’ve surpassed 20,000 units for the month. This result was a big improvement on its figures from 2021, with an increase of 31.9% compared to last November.

As a result, its YTD sales rose to 214,776 with one month still to come, which is 3.6% above the figures recorded to this point last year, and stretched its lead atop the 2022 charts to over 125,000.

Mazda rose from fifth in October to second in overall sales this month, with its 7,549 vehicles shifted resulting in a massive 42.6% rise compared to the equivalent month last year and placing it ahead of Ford, which slid to third with 7,165 (+15.3%).

Kia held its position in the top five from last month, registering 6,120 new vehicles purchased (+24.5%). However, while Mitsubishi also finished in the top five for the month, it was unable to carry over its 42.3% growth from October into November, where it finished on 5,559 at a 2.8% decrease on last year’s sales.

There were several more big winners for the month, with MG breaking its sales own record set last month to finish on 5,497, which is 46.9% higher than what it managed over the same period last year.

Subaru rose into the top ten once again after missing out in October’s sales numbers with 3,701 sales across this month, which is 36.5% more than what they managed in 2021, while GWM also saw growth of 47.8% (2,914) to hold its place on the best seller list.

While it was a strong month for the major car brands in which almost all experienced boosted numbers compared to last year, Hyundai’s 5,519 was a 19.5% drop in contrast to November 2021. Volkswagen remained in eighth place for the second successive month, but still saw a 1.7% decrease (3,045).

The top ten YTD sellers remained the same for a second consecutive month, with Kia and Mitsubishi jostling for third place with just 636 units separating them heading into the final month of 2022.

Best-selling vehicle brands: November 2022

Best-selling vehicle brands: YTD 2022

Vehicle models: November

The Toyota HiLux returned to the winner’s list in November, reclaiming top spot for model sales after the Ford Ranger finished first in October. Its 5,440 units shifted (+28.7%) pushed its YTD sales beyond 60,000 with one month still to go, making it the first model to reach this mark since 2005.

All the top sellers experienced an increase in sales compared to last November (aside from the Tesla Model Y, whose data is unavailable), with the Ford Ranger keeping hold of second place for the month (5,073, +14.5%) and YTD (42,816, -7.2%).

The Toyota Corolla was a surprise riser, rocketing into third place for the month despite finishing well outside the top ten in October with less than 1,000 models sold. With the impact of stock shortages lessening, the Corolla netted 3,732 new vehicle sales, which is a 77.4% improvement from last year.

MG’s ZS continues to go from strength to strength, cracking the 3,000 barrier with 3,051 vehicles sold in November (+93.6%) to rise to fourth, well clear of the Toyota RAV4 in fifth (2,282, +25.4%).

Mazda’s CX-5 and the Kia Sportage both saw significant gains compared to last year, with 146.7% and 168.8% increases respectively, although each of them recorded fewer units sold than in October.

The Tesla Model Y also rebounded after a disappointing month, returning to the top ten with 1,805 units sold, while the Hyundai Tucson also finished tenth after three months in the wilderness with 1,734 (+12.5%).

The only change to the top ten YTD sellers in November was the Corolla leapfrogging the Isuzu Ute D-Max (which failed to crack the top ten for the month) into sixth overall, despite its numbers remaining almost 15% down on 2021.

The Mitsubishi Triton (26,382) also held onto fourth spot despite finishing 11^th for the month and being outsold by the Outlander, while the Toyota Prado and Hyundai i30 also both remained on the list.

Best-selling vehicle models: November 2022

Best-selling vehicle models: YTD 2022