Australia's best-selling electric car last month revealed
Volvo’s electric car brand, Polestar, beat Volvo, MG and Tesla – experiencing chronic stock shortages after plant closures – for the EV sales award.
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It 2022 Polestar 2 before Australia’s best-selling electric vehicle in June 2022 – beats the Tesla Model 3, which continues to face stock shortages following China’s lockdown.
This contributed to a total of 1137 electric vehicles reported sold last month — up 116 percent in June 2021 with Tesla included, or 83 percent with it excluded, as the electric car maker doesn’t start publishing its sales in its VFACTS report until March 2022.
Electric cars accounted for 1.1 percent of all new cars sold in June 2022 (or 1.0 percent without Tesla) – up from 0.5 percent market share in June 2021, though down at 1.8 percent EV share of all sales new car so far this year.
Narrow to second place last month behind the Polestar was the country’s best-selling EV for the first six months of 2022, the Tesla Model 3, with 172 sales reported in June.
However, Tesla’s figures can be tied to supply, not demand, as the COVID-19 lockdown in China earlier this year saw Tesla’s Shanghai factory (where the Australian automaker is built) crawl through the end of March, and most of April.
The effects of the production disruption are now being felt in Australia; whereas Tesla delivered more than 4,400 vehicles in Australia in the first quarter of 2022 (January to March), only 236 reached customers in the second quarter (April to June).
After sales slowed to a crawl in May (12 cars), deliveries of under 200 cars docked in early June – consisting of the 172 cars reported sold in June, plus a few Model 3 demonstrators, and a handful of Model Y SUVs to show off in showrooms, and test drive media/customers.
However, the second half of 2022 looks positive for electric car specialists, with an imminent upgrade to the Shanghai plant that will boost output to record levels, and a large number of cars slated for Australia over the coming months – some containing the first model Ys-bound customers.
Following behind Tesla in June’s electric car sales race were the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (102 sales) – its best month, thanks to a booking round in mid-May – and the Hyundai Kona Electric, with 98 sales.
May’s EV sales leader, the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, stumbled in June with just 78 cars sold – a drop in production ahead of the updated Model Year 2023 XC40 range starting this month.
It’s worth noting that the volatile supply chain means that monthly sales results are largely determined by supply, not demand – seen in the long waiting list and very limited stock of the local Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
However, the top sellers in June were largely similar to those in the first six months of the year, as well as May and previous months – albeit in a slightly different order.
June also saw the first examples of the Genesis GV60 – the luxury twin of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 – reportedly being sold, albeit as an official vehicle operated by Genesis Australia, rather than shipping to customers.
Last year’s best-selling non-Tesla EV, the MG ZS EV, is in the midst of changing from an older model to a new one, with the last one set to go on sale this month.
Drive awaiting confirmation of June sales figures for the BMW iX3, Lexus UX300e and Renault Kangoo ZE van – but with just 83 SUVs and eight vans out of the total EV sales tally yet to be counted, none can sit higher than fifth.
This story – and the table below – will be updated with sales figures for these cars, as they become available.
The second half of 2022 promises to give EV buyers even more choice, with new models from BMW, Ford, GWM, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.
Because in a few months it will be a $45,000 BYD Atto 3, a new Chinese small SUV targeting the MG ZS EV. Local importer EVDirect says it has received more than 3000 orders – which could put it second on the sales chart by the end of the year, behind the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.
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