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May Car sales Affected by Tsunami Impact

Weaker new vehicle sales in May have been compounded by the impact of the Japanese tsunami on the availability of some models and components./p>

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) for May 2011 show that new car sales were weaker for the third successive month.  A total of 77,406 new vehicles were sold in May, down 13.2 per cent on the same month in 2010.

“The underlying trend in new vehicle sales has been softer over the past few months and this is consistent with a range of other demand indicators”, Chief Executive of the FCAI Andrew McKellar said.

“It is also clear that a number of brands have experienced disruption in the supply of some vehicle models and components, as a consequence of the Japanese tsunami,” he said.

“More recent reports indicate that these challenges are now being addressed more quickly than originally expected and we are hopeful that supply constraints will improve over coming months”, said Mr McKellar.

Holden was the top selling brand in May with 11,115 new vehicle sales, followed by Toyota with 11,044 and then Hyundai with 7,444.

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