Latest News & Updates
2024 Automotive Industry Awards finalists
Congratulations to the finalists of the 2024 Automotive Industry Awards! This year, we had a record number of entries, making it a hotly contested race with the closest results in the history of these prestigious awards. The level of excellence demonstrated by all applicants is truly remarkable. You can see the finalists below. The winners will be revealed at the 2024 President’s Gala Dinner, taking place on Saturday 29 June, at the Palladium at Crown Melbourne. This highly anticipated event promises to be a night of celebration and recognition for the outstanding achievements in the automotive industry. Best of luck to all [...]
Truck market busts new record
A strong last quarter saw Kenworth reach top spot on the 2023 heavy-duty truck sales ladder with 3653 sales or 20.8 per cent of the market, according to figures released by the Truck Industry Council. Volvo sold 3476 units (market share of 19.8 per cent), with Japanese manufacturer Isuzu claiming third spot (2393 sales and 13.6 per cent of the market). Isuzu blitzed the 2023 overall truck sales leadership challenge with 13,658 sales or 28.6 per cent of the market, well over double second-placed Hino with 5909 sales (12.4 per cent market share). Fuso came in third place with 4822 sales (10.1 per [...]
Nominate for National Collision Repair Lifetime Achievement Awards
Nominations for the National Collision Repairer Lifetime Achievement Awards are open. The program provides a platform to celebrate and acknowledge the diverse talents and achievements within the collision repair industry across Australia. Categories available for nomination: The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates an individual who has made significant contributions to, and achievements in, the collision repairer industry throughout their entire career. The Woman in Automotive Award seeks to honour a female professional in the industry who has been a promoter of positive change. The Next Generation Leader Award promotes the younger generation of auto specialists rising in the ranks. This is your opportunity to recognise individuals from VACC and TACC member-businesses who have made a [...]
Record new-vehicle sales year in 2023
Australian buyers purchased a record 1,216,780 new vehicles during 2023, shading the previous highest sales result of 1,189,116 achieved in 2017. Toyota again claimed the top-selling spot with 17.1 per cent of the market (215,240 sales) but the Japanese brand didn’t have it all its own way, with Ford’s Ranger displacing the Toyota Hi-Lux as Australia’s top-selling vehicle. After Toyota, the top 10 brands included Mazda (100,008 sales), Ford (87,800), Kia (76,120), Hyundai (75,183), Mitsubishi (63,511), MG (58,346), Tesla (46,116), Subaru (46,114) and Isuzu Ute (45,341). Battery electric vehicles made up 7.2 per cent of sales, but when combined with hybrid and plug-in [...]
Motorcycle sales dip slightly in 2023
According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the Australian motorcycle and off-highway vehicle (OHV) market achieved 95,980 sales for the 2023 calendar year, a dip of 3.1 per cent on the same time the year prior. Off-road motorcycles sold 40,138 units, a drop of 3.7 per cent, while road motorcycles recorded a slip of three per cent, with 35,122 sales over the same period. The OHV segment recorded 14,585 sales, a decline of 7.8 per cent. Scooter sales, however, experienced an uptick, recording a 15.4 rise on sales from the previous year (6,135 units sold). FCAI CEO Tony Weber said: [...]
Ensuring car brakes work is also a ‘Specialist Skill’
The Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC) has responded to the release of the new Australian Government Migration Strategy with a call to include much needed tradespeople in the ‘Specialist Skills Pathway’ process that is available to applicants with specialist skills. Currently, this pathway is not available to tradespeople. “Restricting tradespeople from this category will likely mean priorities will go to applicants who can’t do things like fixing the brakes on a car,” said VACC CEO Geoff Gwilym. “VACC and the national automotive peak body, the Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA), have for some time pointed out the time [...]
Working safely with lead repair radiators
WorkSafe Victoria initiated a lead exposure project targeting radiator repair workshops in 2021. More stringent requirements relating to lead exposure levels in Victorian workplaces brought about this project. WorkSafe Victoria engaged with the VACC OHSE Unit, advising of a significant lack of compliance in many of the businesses they visited. This included: failure to have workers who are exposed to lead regularly blood-tested failure to remove lead-exposed workers from the workplace insufficient facilities to reduce contamination a lack of adequate engineering-type control measures to reduce lead exposure. Before WorkSafe commences a secondary enforcement ‘blitz’ during the next 12 months, VACC wants [...]