New car sales in Australia exceeded 1.2 million units. Imports now fill the entire market after local production ended. The aftermarket sector generates 15 billion dollars annually and employs 250,000 people.
Key Takeaways
- Industry assistance cost taxpayers $5.5 billion 2001-2012
- Automotive sector employed 48,600 people in 2016 pre-closures
- Export value of Australian-made vehicles peaked at $1.8 billion in 2004
- Australia's vehicle production peaked at 445,000 units in 2004 at Holden's Elizabeth plant
- In 2022, new car sales in Australia reached 1,216,734 units, marking a 14.5% increase from 2021
Australian car industry sales rose strongly in 2024, driven by demand for SUVs and hybrids.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic Impact and Investments20 stats
01
Industry assistance cost taxpayers $5.5 billion 2001-2012
02
Automotive sector GDP contribution fell from 1.5% in 2000 to 0.2% in 2022
03
Government invested $2 billion in transition fund post-closures 2014-2023
04
Import replacement saved $1 billion annually post-2017
05
Victoria GDP hit by $2.9 billion from plant closures 2017-2020
06
EV incentives cost $300 million in rebates 2022
07
Aftermarket industry worth $15 billion annually in 2022, employs 250,000
08
Local content requirement ended in 2015, saving manufacturers $200 million/year
09
Tourism boost from car events like Bathurst 1000: $100 million yearly
10
R&D tax incentives claimed $150 million by auto firms in 2021
11
Household savings from no LCP: $1,200per new car purchase
12
Supercar manufacturing niche added $500 million exports 2018-2022
13
Payroll tax revenue loss $300 million/year post-closures in VIC/NSW/SA
14
Investment in battery manufacturing pledged $1 billion by 2025
15
Dealer profitability averaged 3.5% margin in 2022
16
Total economic multiplier effect was 7.5x direct spend pre-2017
17
NEV policy projected to add 20,000 jobs by 2030, $10 billion GDP
18
Fuel excise from road transport $18 billion in 2022, auto-related
19
Insurance premiums for vehicles totaled $12 billion annually 2022
20
Right-hand drive conversion industry worth $400 million, 50,000 vehicles/year
Interpretation
Economic Impact and Investments Interpretation
After absorbing a staggering $5.5 billion in taxpayer assistance only to shrink its GDP contribution by 86%, Australia's car industry has masterfully transmuted from a subsidized manufacturing giant into a surprisingly resilient economic chameleon, now thriving on everything from supercar exports and roaring event tourism to a vast aftermarket kingdom, while its expensive ghost still haunts the budget in everything from EV rebates to lost payroll taxes.
02 · Category
Employment and Workforce20 stats
01
Automotive sector employed 48,600 people in 2016 pre-closures
02
South Australia lost 5,000 manufacturing jobs after Holden closure in 2017
03
Victoria's automotive workforce dropped from 28,000 to 10,000 post-2017
04
Direct jobs in car assembly were 20,000 in 2013
05
Supplier jobs totaled 200,000 in 2013, 5x direct manufacturing
06
Female participation in automotive manufacturing was 15% in 2015
07
Apprentice numbers fell 60% from 2013 to 2018
08
Average wage in car manufacturing was $85,000in 2016
09
12,000 supplier jobs lost in Victoria by 2018
10
National automotive employment stabilized at 35,000 in aftermarket/services by 2022
11
Holden retrenched 950 workers at Elizabeth in 2017
12
Toyota Altona closure affected 2,500 direct jobs in 2017
13
Ford Broadmeadows shed 1,200 jobs in 2016
14
Skills shortage in EV technicians projected at 10,000 by 2025
15
65% of manufacturing workers reskilled via government programs post-2017
16
Regional unemployment rose 2% in Elizabeth after Holden closure
17
Automotive apprenticeships numbered 4,500 in 2012, down to 1,200 by 2020
18
Dealer network employs 50,000 across Australia in 2022
19
Indigenous employment in sector under 1% in 2021
20
Age profile: 40% of workers over 45 in 2016
Interpretation
Employment and Workforce Interpretation
Australia's car industry executed a brutal downsizing from a family-owned mansion to a lean-to shed, shedding tens of thousands of high-wage, overwhelmingly male jobs and its future apprentices, leaving a graying workforce, a desperate skills gap for the electric future, and towns like Elizabeth holding the eviction notice.
03 · Category
Exports and Imports20 stats
01
Export value of Australian-made vehicles peaked at $1.8 billion in 2004
02
Vehicle imports reached $32.4 billion in 2022, 1.1 million units
03
Thailand overtook Japan as top import source with 25% share in 2022
04
Japan supplied 280,000 vehicles to Australia in 2022, 23% of imports
05
Total vehicle exports dropped to under 1,000 CKD kits post-2017
06
Parts imports valued $12.6 billion in 2021
07
US exported $2.1 billion in vehicles to Australia in 2022, mainly Tesla
08
Local parts exports to US under AUSFTA totaled $400 million in 2016
09
Import tariff on cars is 5% under WTO commitments
10
CKD imports rose 20% to 15,000 units in 2022 for local assembly
11
Germany exported 45,000 luxury vehicles worth $3.5 billion in 2022
12
Parts exports fell 90% post-manufacturing closure to $150 million in 2020
13
Top import models: Toyota Corolla from Japan, 80,000 units 2022
14
EV imports from China hit 10,000 units in 2022, 60% of EV market
15
Trade deficit in vehicles $30 billion in 2022
16
Korea supplied 65,000 vehicles in 2022, Hyundai/Kia dominant
17
UK exports minimal at 5,000 units, luxury focus
18
Import growth averaged 4% annually 2018-2022
19
Automotive contributed 2.5% to total merchandise imports in 2021
20
Pre-2017 exports to NZ were 40,000 vehicles yearly, now zero
Interpretation
Exports and Imports Interpretation
Australia's car industry has gone from a proud $1.8 billion exporter to a nation with a $30 billion vehicle trade deficit, trading factories for a shopping cart that now circles the globe for everything from Thai utes to German luxury and Chinese electric cars.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production and Manufacturing27 stats
01
Australia's vehicle production peaked at 445,000 units in 2004 at Holden's Elizabeth plant
02
Ford Australia ceased Falcon production in 2016, with final output of 3,000 units that year
03
Toyota Altona plant produced 148,600 vehicles in 2016 before shutdown announcement
04
Holden Elizabeth plant output was 85,000 Commodore sedans in 2013
05
Total Australian car production fell from 500,000 in 2000 to zero passenger vehicles by 2017
06
Mitsubishi Lonsdale plant produced 200,000 vehicles cumulatively before 2008 closure
07
In 2015, local content in Australian-made cars averaged 45%, down from 80% in 1990s
08
Ford Broadmeadows plant assembled 100,000 Territory SUVs from 2004-2016
09
Peak employment in manufacturing supported 50,000 direct jobs in 2003
10
Toyota Camry hybrid production reached 20,000 units annually at Altona in 2015
11
Holden Cruze output was 120,000 units from 2009-2016 at Elizabeth
12
Australian engine production ended in 2016 with Ford's 4.0L inline-six at 250,000 units/year
13
Total vehicles exported from Australia peaked at 70,000 in 2001
14
Local component manufacturing supplied 30% to imports post-2017
15
In 2010, three plants produced 210,000 vehicles, employing 40,000
16
Proton and Hyundai briefly assembled cars in 1990s at Pagewood, total 10,000 units
17
Victorian plants contributed 60% of national production pre-2017
18
Average production run length shortened to 5 years by 2015 due to global shifts
19
Holden's V6 engine plant in Dandenong produced 1 million units over 20 years
20
Toyota engine plant at Altona made 5 million engines by closure
21
Post-2017, zero new passenger vehicles manufactured locally, 100% imported
22
Local press shops stamped 2 million panels annually pre-closure
23
Ford cast 500,000 cylinder heads yearly at Campbellfield until 2016
24
Industry R&D spend was $500 million annually in 2014
25
Vehicle assembly lines ran at 85% capacity in 2012 boom year
26
Cumulative production since 1907 exceeds 10 million vehicles
27
In 2017, automotive manufacturing contributed $5.4 billion to GDP
Interpretation
Production and Manufacturing Interpretation
Australia’s car industry gave us a masterclass in how to slowly, methodically, and with great local pride, build a beautiful sandcastle right before the tide came in.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Australian Car Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australian-car-industry-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Australian Car Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/australian-car-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Australian Car Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australian-car-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
65 datasets cited across this report